The Facebook vs Google+ feud continues. Which each trying to out-do the other at every turn since the release of Google+, Facebook have gone a step further, and may be one too far…

When Google+ first launched as an invite only test, Mark Zuckerberg quickly got involved and soon became the most followed person in all of Google+dom. Initially he praised the shiny new competition, gushing “it’s a validation of Facebook’s vision”, and grinning gaily as his nearly 30,000 Google+ followers watched his every move with baited breath.

A few months later and things have changed. Zuckerberg’s happy face has been replaced with a grimacing man who looks like he would rather be anywhere else. Well, it did, until he closed the account citing ‘privacy concerns’. Ironic coming from the CEO of of a company who’s privacy policies have been heavily, and repeatedly criticised. An Inside Google+ post compares his move to Dracula sending back a steak for being too bloody, and I have to agree.

But now Facebook have taken a rather underhand step, censoring Google+ invites on their network and keeping this information all to themselves. To confirm authentication, Google’s own Vic Gundotra has posted a demonstration video and has asked about people’s experience of this on Google+. If a user posts Google+ invites to their profile, or that of their friends, it seems Facebook will remove it without sending a warning or notification to the sender or recipient.

Tech writer Mike Elgan who created and shared the video later added “Some commenters are reporting that sending invites on Facebook does work for them, or is censored only in the Top News view. Possibilities that explain this include: 1) the video is a fake; 2) Facebook censored, then stopped censoring; or 3) Facebook is censoring only some people, using Edgerank somehow to censor or not censor according to some unpublished rules.”

I’m currently testing this myself, and in the last hour not one of my usually eager-to-participate Facebook friends have confirmed they can see the invite, though I can. Though this may seem a little extreme, one post I came across said ‘No big surprise. You don’t see McDonald’s adverts in Burger King either’. Food for thought indeed (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Have you had your Google+ invites censored by the Big Brother division of Facebook? Are Facebook within their rights to choose what we can see and not see, or are they just protecting their business?