Google: Sergey Brin says his Facebook and Apple criticisms were 'distorted' In the original piece, Brin criticised both of Google's rivals, saying the openness of the internet as threatened more than ever before by a combination of governments increasingly trying to control access, the entertainment industry cracking down on piracy, and the rise of "restrictive" companies such as Facebook and Apple, which tightly control access to their data sets. It is a long-standing spat between Facebook and Google about the sharing of their users' respective data. Facebook disabled the feature which allowed its members to sync their contacts with Android phones and other Google services. Instead of then further expanding on his criticisms of Apple and Google - Brin backtracked and duly praised both companies in equal measure: "Moreover, I have much admiration for two of the companies we discussed - Apple and Facebook. I have always admired Apple's products. In fact, I am writing this post on an iMac and using an Apple keyboard I have cherished for the past seven years. Likewise, Facebook has helped to connect hundreds of millions of people, has been a key tool for political expression and has been instrumental to the Arab Spring. Both have made key contributions to the free flow of information around the world. Analysts and pundits found Brin's criticisms of Apple and Facebook hypercritical - as Google has created its own walled garden with Google+ and does not share its search index data with other companies. Ian Maude, head of internet at Enders Analysis, said: "Brin's comments earlier this week were hypercritical. Google has double standards on openness. It cannot have it both ways - openness from rival companies when it would suit it commercially to access to people's data - but then keep its own data private to protect its own bottom line and competitive advantage. Google has a lock on the index of the web and does not give other companies access to that.