They weren't. They were asserting that they weren't evil, the same way the clinton administration asserted that they were the most ethical administration ever, or the obama administration is the most transparent evah...
> They weren't...
Actually, according to the Wikipedia article I linked above, they were indeed taking a shot at their competitors who were (relatively speaking, back then) doing more nefarious things.
However, Google lost their right to throw stones pretty quickly, and now they are, by their own definition, doing evil.
What? Pride goeth before a fall?? You don't say....