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View Full Version : Google's Chief Is Googled, to the Company's Displeasure


Ironweed
08-09-2005, 05:02 PM
Pretty funny.



http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/08/technology/08google.html?

The article, by Elinor Mills, a CNET staff writer, gave several examples of information about Google's chief executive, Eric E. Schmidt, that could be gleaned from the search engine. These included that his shares in the company were worth $1.5 billion, that he lived in Atherton, Calif., that he was the host of a $10,000-a-plate fund-raiser for Al Gore's presidential campaign and that he was a pilot.

After the article appeared, David Krane, Google's director of public relations, called CNET editors to complain, said Jai Singh, the editor in chief of CNETNews.com. "They were unhappy about the fact we used Schmidt's private information in our story," Mr. Singh said. "Our view is what we published was all public information, and we actually used their own product to find it."

He said Mr. Krane called back to say that Google would not speak to any reporter from CNET for a year.

In an instant-message interview, Mr. Krane said, "You can put us down for a 'no comment.' "

eeper69
08-09-2005, 05:05 PM
Hahahahahaha!!!!

boedicca
08-09-2005, 05:19 PM
I heard about this this morning. Karma Vists Google!

Their corporate reaction was appalling - by cutting off CNET, they have admitted that the way they expose personal information is harmful.

SecretSamadhi
08-10-2005, 02:28 PM
I don't get it :shrug:

What happened?

boedicca
08-10-2005, 02:31 PM
To prove how Google can be used to dig up private information on individuals, a CNET reporter found Eric Schmidt's (Google's CEO) financial information (ie, net worth etc.) and published it. Instead of acknowledging that Google can be used to harm people, the idjits at Google decided to henceforth and forthwith ban CNET reporters from talking to the company.

An absolutely stupid damage control strategy, imo.

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