Facebook embroiled in Google smear campaign

Facebook hired public relations firm Burson-Marsteller to try get the press onside regarding Google’s strategy of collecting information from Facebook.

The episode began to unfold on Tuesday when USA Today reported on the Burson-Marsteller representatives which had offered to ghost write opinion piece articles criticising Google’s ‘Social Circle’ feature.

The paper was at the time unaware of the Burson-Marsteller client but said that the campaign highlighted the "delicate balancing act Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Apple face as they rush to profit from cutting-edge Internet services that tap into consumer data."

Today the Daily Beast revealed the client as none-other than social networking giant Facebook.

Sister siter PCR has all the details.