A newly surfaced report reveals Google's internal tactics for dealing with antitrust scrutiny as far back as 2008.

The New York Times explained how Google advised its employees to delete messages and refrain from using speculative or sarcastic language.

This was part of a wider effort to reduce internal communications that could create legal risks.

Google's messaging tools were reportedly set to 'off the record' mode, causing messages to disappear after a day, a practice Virginia's court identified as possible evidence destruction.

Testimonies from antitrust trials showed that Google's retention policies involved marking documents as 'attorney-client privileged' and including lawyers in discussions to protect information.

Judge James Donato criticized this approach, calling it a 'systemic culture of suppression.' Despite these actions, Google's email output per employee was higher than that of similar firms.

In response to increasing legal pressures, Google has since revised its data retention policies.

Kent Walker, Google's chief legal officer, noted changes last year towards preserving more communication data, including chats.

This shift represents a move away from their previous practices, likely driven by ongoing legal challenges.