Why did Google fire four employees, rather unceremoniously?

Earlier this month, Rivers was placed on an administrative leave, along with one Laurence Berland.

While Rivers stood accused of accessing documents irrelevant to her work, Berland was suspended for improperly accessing internal calendars, The Washington Post reported.

Both software engineers were among the four people Google fired on Monday.

Google spokesperson Katie Hutchison, however, refused to name the other two employees.

At Friday's rally, Rivers said, "Everyone has a right to know what their work is being used for," claiming she was suspended for violating the policy about accessing documents.

An HR official told TWP she was suspended for the "Customs and Border Protection petition and social media usage outside of work."

Both Rivers and Berland were questioned for hours by Google's internal review teams.

Meanwhile, in an internal communication to employees, Google's Security and Investigations Team said, "None of them were fired for simply looking at documents or calendars during the ordinary course of their work."

"Thorough investigation found the individuals were involved in systematic searches for other employees' materials and work," it stated, leveling allegations of "accessing and distributing business information outside the scope of their jobs."

Google, known for its freewheeling culture, has lately tried overseeing what information employees discuss amid recent security breaches, including those involving the Defense Department.

Reportedly, Google has also brought a consulting firm onboard, known for helping firms suppress employee dissent through "union vulnerability assessments" among other services.

At the Friday rally, the consulting firm, IRI Consultants, was booed upon mention.