First mistake : attacking Google, also known as the overlord of the internet (as far as the internet has one)
Second mistake : attacking a feature that was largely unknown. I just learned of its existence, thanks to this story !
Third mistake : getting caught
Fourth mistake : When you're Facebook, you should never ever complain that anything is a violation of privacy. It's like a fast-food company claiming something is low quality food and an insult to taste.
Just as an aside, Carl's Jr. was involved in a campaign against McDonald's Chicken McNuggets ("Exactly what part of the chicken is the nugget? Eat Carl's Jr. all-white chicken breast"), which, I think, worked fairly well for them.
The point is, Facebook should complain about privacy in PR, because it implies that they care about it (whether or not they actually do care). Anyway, I think your points are pretty solid otherwise.
Many times it is good picking up enemies, it's good PR, but the fight has to be in the open, not slimy, otherwise it can turn into a PR disaster.
Whatever negative PR they cold pull for Google, it's much less than the heat they'll be getting for this ... and when you're taking risks, IMHO, you need to make damn sure those risks are worth it.
1. "Attacking the overlord" - People bash Google all day, every day; for privacy reasons and what have you. Seeing as Facebook is Google's biggest competitor and vice-versa, attacking Google doesn't seem to be a mistake.
2. "Bringing attention to Circles" - It's the "but THEY're doing it too!"-method fb is using when it comes to privacy and Google, plus, "we care about privacy". However, you forgot the main point: Nobody was supposed to know Facebook was the one behind the reports.
Yes - but you could have just repeated the Fourth mistake four times. Facebook is the last organization that should be pointing out privacy issues at other companies.
