is this a silly PR attempt? nobody ever said this.

what everybody said, and happened, was the other way around. And that's why google and everyone else encrypt even in-rack traffic.

I remember this indeed being a thing in the news at the start of the Snowden leaks press coverage. Journos saw Google etc. logos in the NSA slides and thought they were on board rather than being tapped.

So, almost decade later we are fixing one bad case of small disinformation that people have to make a mental effort to even recall it? why?!?