Do All Evil: Google demanded North Carolina Elected Officials Sign NDA

[mandy]

Google, whose informal motto is "Do No Evil," tried to browbeat lawmakers in North Carolina into silence while the company sought millions in tax breaks, according to a newspaper in that state...

Google executive Rhett Weiss was unhappy that the legislature wanted an estimate of how large the tax breaks would be and threatened to pull the project after a few minor word changes in a draft of the legislation, according to memos...

Google also insisted that state officials, including some elected ones, sign nondisclosure agreements and not state who the beneficiary of the tax breaks would be. (Some refused, but others signed.). Weiss stated in another memo that the project could be cancelled if anyone involved "mentions the company's interest in the bill, North Carolina, or the project itself."...

full article: http://news.com.com/2061-10812_3-6155987...g=nefd.top

Google tried to silence lawmakers and pushed -- at times with a heavy hand -- to influence legislation designed to bring the company to Caldwell County.

The company demanded that legislators never speak its name, and had them scolded when word of its interest in North Carolina leaked out, according to records made public this week.

As work proceeded on the bill to remove much of its tax burden, Google threatened to end negotiations because legislative staff didn't write exactly what it wanted. State Commerce Secretary Jim Fain was asked to "prevail upon" the bill writer...

full article: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/b...603573.htm

[jezebel]

Google, whose informal motto is "Do No Evil," tried to browbeat lawmakers in North Carolina into silence while the company sought millions in tax breaks

Every large corporation does it and most politicians give in to their demands.