Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said he was worried that the NSA spying scandal could "split" the Internet. September 13, 2013 2:15 PM PDT Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, left, stands with Texas Governor Rick Perry at the recent opening of the Flextronics factory in Fort Worth, Texas, where the Moto X is being assembled. (Credit: Eric Mack/CNET) If you think that Google chief Eric Schmidt would take a more strident tone when discussing the NSA spying scandal, think again. "There's been spying for years, there's been surveillance for years, and so forth, I'm not going to pass judgement on that, it's the nature of our society," he told New America Foundation president Anne-Marie Slaughter at a public event in New York City. But Schmidt's biggest concern about the spying wasn't that the privacy of individuals had been violated, or that companies like Google were being forced to give the government access to their customer's data, the Guardian reported. Related stories: NSA disguised itself as Google to spy, say reports NSA hands Israel intelligence data on 'US persons' Johns Hopkins apologizes for yanking prof's NSA blog NSA searched phone records in violation of court requirements, documents say Google security exec: 'Passwords are dead' "The real danger [from] the publicity about all of this is that other countries will begin to put very serious encryption -- we use the term 'balkanization' in general -- to essentially split the Internet and that the Internet's going to be much more country-specific," Schmidt said. "That would be a very bad thing," he said. "It would really break the way the Internet works, and I think that's what I worry about," he said just before noting that government spying is not new. Still, Schmidt reiterated his company's criticism of the US government to be more transparent about surveillance orders from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, including its recent lawsuit to reach that goal. Schmidt brushed off criticism of ideas in the book that he recently co-authored with Google Ideas director Jared Cohen, "The New Digital Age." Some, such as Evgeny Morozov, the Belarusian author of "The Net Delusion," have been skeptical of Schmidt's claims that the Internet will help create a more democratic world. "He is a unique critic in that he is the only one making those arguments," Schmidt said, but later contradicted himself and mentioned Wikileaks founder Julian Assange as another critic. Schmidt has chaired the board that runs the New America Foundation since 2008. The non-profit, nonpartisan think tank is funded by both private individuals and public groups, including the U.S. government.
Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said he was worried that the NSA spying scandal could "split" the Internet.
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, left, stands with Texas Governor Rick Perry at the recent opening of the Flextronics factory in Fort Worth, Texas, where the Moto X is being assembled.
(Credit: Eric Mack/CNET)
If you think that Google chief Eric Schmidt would take a more strident tone when discussing the NSA spying scandal, think again.
"There's been spying for years, there's been surveillance for years, and so forth, I'm not going to pass judgement on that, it's the nature of our society," he told New America Foundation president Anne-Marie Slaughter at a public event in New York City.
But Schmidt's biggest concern about the spying wasn't that the privacy of individuals had been violated, or that companies like Google were being forced to give the government access to their customer's data, the Guardian reported.
Related stories:
- NSA disguised itself as Google to spy, say reports
- NSA hands Israel intelligence data on 'US persons'
- Johns Hopkins apologizes for yanking prof's NSA blog
- NSA searched phone records in violation of court requirements, documents say
- Google security exec: 'Passwords are dead'
"The real danger [from] the publicity about all of this is that other countries will begin to put very serious encryption -- we use the term 'balkanization' in general -- to essentially split the Internet and that the Internet's going to be much more country-specific," Schmidt said.
"That would be a very bad thing," he said. "It would really break the way the Internet works, and I think that's what I worry about," he said just before noting that government spying is not new.
Still, Schmidt reiterated his company's criticism of the US government to be more transparent about surveillance orders from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, including its recent lawsuit to reach that goal.
Schmidt brushed off criticism of ideas in the book that he recently co-authored with Google Ideas director Jared Cohen, "The New Digital Age." Some, such as Evgeny Morozov, the Belarusian author of "The Net Delusion," have been skeptical of Schmidt's claims that the Internet will help create a more democratic world.
"He is a unique critic in that he is the only one making those arguments," Schmidt said, but later contradicted himself and mentioned Wikileaks founder Julian Assange as another critic.
Schmidt has chaired the board that runs the New America Foundation since 2008. The non-profit, nonpartisan think tank is funded by both private individuals and public groups, including the U.S. government.
