So many of the regulations that censor the Internet and violate the privacy of Internet users come in the form of ant-piracy measures, and as one of the tech world’s biggest proponents of free speech, Google has oftentimes pitted itself against the organizations trying to push these anti-piracy measures. Naturally this has earned Google the ire of many within the entertainment industry, the MPAA in particular, but the full extent to which these organizations worked together to spite Google has only just recently been revealed.
Late last year leaked documents revealed that the MPAA helped Mississippi Attorney General (AG) Jim Hood to revive SOPA-like censorship efforts in the United States. In a retaliatory move Google sued the Attorney General, hoping to find out more about the secret plan. The company also demanded copies of internal communications from the MPAA which are now revealing how far the anti-Google camp planned to go. Emails between the MPAA and two of AG Hood’s top lawyers include a proposal that outlines how the parties could attack Google. In particular, they aim to smear Google through an advanced PR campaign involving high-profile news outlets such as The Today Show and The Wall Street Journal. With help from Comcast and News Corp, they planned to hire a PR firm to “attack” Google and others who resisted the planned anti-piracy efforts. To hide links to the MPAA and the AG’s office, this firm should be hired through a seemingly unaffiliated nonprofit organization, the emails suggest.
