Connecting the Dots on Facebook’s Smear Campaign

Perhaps you’ve probably heard: Facebook and Google are at war, and Facebook’s not afraid to play dirty. Thursday’s revelation that the social networking site hired PR firm Burston-Marsteller to plant a negative story about Google’s privacy settings raises a number of questions. Like, “Who at Facebook thought this was a good idea?” The company isn't responding to the question right now. Until they do, it helps to look at the players involved. There’s Burston-Marsteller, the global PR firm run by CEO Mark Penn. There’s Jim Goldman, the former Silicon Valley bureau chief for CNBC (and frequent target of high school-style ridicule). He’s become the fall guy for Burston-Marsteller. There’s Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s universally praised COO. And then there’s Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s VP of communications and public policy. Penn, of course, is a Washington heavy hitter: he worked as a pollster to President Clinton during both of his terms and the Washington Post noted how “thoroughly integrated into the policymaking operation” he’d become. Penn’s also no stranger to criticism from Washington observers: he gained notoriety for missteps as chief strategist to Hillary Clinton during her 2008 Presidential bid. He eventually stepped down after feuding with other aides, and for reportedly offering Clinton some of her worst advice (like, emphasize Barack Obama’s foreignness). Penn’s also no stranger to the tech world—he’s credited with making Microsoft into one of the country’s most... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #googles head #silicon valley #focus attention

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Who wore it best? Take your pick of anti-Facebook magazine covers

It doesn't seem so long ago that a lot of publications would compete for readers by publishing hagiographical stories about the world-changing visionaires at social media companies, including Facebook.Particularly in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, we may still think that Facebook... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Launches a New Gathering Place For Booksellers to Connect

'Publishers Weekly' introduces "BXsellers" as a new virtual meeting place for booksellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Now Playboy deletes its Facebook account, citing values

Playboy announced its intention to deactivate its Facebook accounts and leave the social network amid escalating concerns about the platform's mismanagement of user data.The publisher said the decision follows the difficulty it has felt for years to express its "values" on Facebook, due to the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tim Cook Takes a Dig at Facebook, Preaches Apple’s Patriotism

Apple CEO Tim Cook had some harsh words for Facebook and defended his company’s manufacturing practices during an interview with Recode and MSNBC on Wednesday. The full interview won’t air until April 6*, but Recode published some excerpts on its website. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2018-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook shares fall as FTC confirms it is investigating the company's privacy practices

The Federal Trade Commission confirmed Monday that it opened an investigation of Facebook and the Senate Judiciary Committee called on the company’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, to testify as scrutiny mounts over the social media giant’s handling of user data. The unfolding crisis at... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Be a pioneer – delete Facebook | Jaron Lanier

Quitting means beating the addiction, making a political statement and redefining social life. Are you ready?When I wrote an about-to-be-published book last year about problems with social media, I thought it would be cute to call it Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After Facebook’s Algorithm Change Devastated Organic Reach, How Are Publishers Coping?

When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in January that the site's News Feed algorithm would further emphasize posts from friends and family, publishers that hadn't diversified across many platforms faced a reckoning. Publishers like Little Things, despite testing its content on other... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Campaigns for Follett, Beard and Kay among BMS autumn award winners

The best marketing campaigns for the period September to December 2017 have been revealed by the Book Marketing Society. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook stock drops after FTC says it's investigating the company's privacy practices

The Federal Trade Commission confirmed Monday that it has opened an investigation into Facebook Inc.'s privacy practices. The social media giant’s stock quickly dropped more than 5% before recovering somewhat. Around 10:20 a.m. Pacific Time, Facebook shares were down 1.8% at $156.41 — down 19%... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Facebook exploited us all | Opinion

It’s even worse than I feared. I left Facebook in 2013, less for my own sake than for what my presence on the service was doing to others. I knew that anyone who “liked” my page could have their data harvested in ways they wouldn’t necessarily approve. Over the past five years, people have not... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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​Facebook and Google executives clash over ‘fake news’

A head-to-head debate between the executives leading Facebook and Google’s efforts to court publishers revealed sharp divisions between the two internet companies’ approaches to stemming “fake news” and disinformation. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2018-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How publishers are monetizing their Facebook groups

Publishers are trying to monetize Facebook groups through advertising, focus groups and subscriptions. The post How publishers are monetizing their Facebook groups appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook says warning to Guardian group 'not our wisest move'

GMG received legal letter from Facebook day before Observer report on mass data harvestingIssuing a warning to the Guardian Media Group ahead of its publication of an exposé of mass Facebook data harvesting was not the wisest move, one of the social networking giant’s senior executives has said.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zuckerberg says Facebook must protect user data or ‘we don't deserve to serve you’

Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that his company “made mistakes” in protecting user data obtained by Cambridge Analytica, but said steps already taken and new policies unveiled Wednesday would prevent developers from misappropriating such information in the future. Part... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Rundown: Publishers move beyond Facebook

In this week's Rundown: Publishers look to new platforms for audiences, and Facebook's Cambridge Analytica headache could have repercussions far beyond Facebook. The post The Rundown: Publishers move beyond Facebook appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At A Moment Of Crisis, Facebook Needs Sheryl Sandberg Out Front

It’s hard to fathom why Facebook’s number two has gone along with a crisis strategy that puts herself (and Mark Zuckerberg) squarely behind the curtain. Over the weekend it was business as usual on Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s profile page. On Saturday, she shared two photos from a visit to... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While Facebook battles fires, Google rolls out pro-publisher initiatives

The tech giant introduced measures to let people subscribe to publications through Google and give more priority to quality news sources in search results. The post While Facebook battles fires, Google rolls out pro-publisher initiatives appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook is testing ways to compensate video creators so it can cut into YouTube’s dominance

If you’re a die-hard fan of a Facebook video creator, the social network may soon give you a way to pay for exclusive content and award you with a digital badge to declare your fandom. Those are some of the new ideas Facebook is introducing in the coming months to test ways to build up its... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stocks fall as Facebook leads tech companies down

A sharp loss for Facebook is helping to pull technology companies lower as stock indexes decline in early trading. Facebook slumped 5.3% early Monday. The company is facing new criticism following reports that a data mining firm employed by the Trump campaign improperly kept data on tens of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Everyone was a bit suspicious’: Scarred news publishers are wary of Facebook’s latest Watch gambit

Stung by Facebook’s pushes for Instant Articles, live video and Watch, news publishers are unwilling to bend over backward for the company's latest pitch. The post ‘Everyone was a bit suspicious’: Scarred news publishers are wary of Facebook’s latest Watch gambit appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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