The Hidden Conversations: Google’s 15 Years of Concealment

In 2008, Google executives sent a confidential memo to employees urging them to be cautious in their communications to avoid incriminating comments that could be used in lawsuits or investigations. They advised against speculation, sarcasm, and commenting on “hot topics.” Changes were made to the company’s technology to ensure that potentially damaging phrases could be automatically deleted. This memo marked the beginning of a campaign by Google to make deletion the default in its internal communications, despite being a company that stored vast amounts of information. This culture of caution was further enforced through legal privilege and technological restraints. The development of this culture was revealed through documents and witness testimony in three antitrust trials against Google in the last year, with the plaintiffs trying to establish monopoly behavior by examining internal communications. Google’s careful approach to internal communications highlights the tension between the company’s role as an information repository and the need to protect its own interests.

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