Eric Schmidt suggests you alter your scandalous behavior before you complain about his company invading your privacy. That’s what the Google CEO told Maria Bartiromo during CNBC’s big Google special last night, an extraordinary pronouncement for such a secretive guy.

The generous explanation for Schmidt’s statement is that he’s revolutionized his thinking since 2005, when he blacklisted CNET for publishing info about him gleaned from Google searches, including salary, neighborhood, hobbies and political donations. In that case, the married CEO must not mind all the coverage of his various reputed girlfriends; it’s odd he doesn’t clarify what’s going on with the widely-rumored extramarital dalliances, though.

Schmidt’s philosophy is clear with Bartiromo in the clip below: “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.” The philosophy that secrets are useful mainly to indecent people is awfully convenient for Schmidt as the CEO of a company whose value proposition revolves around info-hoarding. Convenient, that is, as long as people are smart enough not to apply the “secrets suck” philosophy to their Google passwords , credit card numbers and various other secrets they need to put money in Google’s pockets.

We need to find some more dirt on Schmidt… pronto!




  1. sargasso says:

    Like the CIA, MI6, FSB, with Google it is a case of qualified denial. They are highly qualified to deny they are doing weird shit with your stuff. And you are unqualified to suggest otherwise.

  2. NGB says:

    Why won’t he deny that he raped and killed a young girl in 1990?

  3. Griffy says:

    “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be using Google cloud services.”

  4. smittybc says:

    Go Eric. Way to tell China you’re no longer going to hide their stinking rotting secrets, and if they are going to crush free thought and association and Tibetans then those they do it to at least need to be able to read the truth, and ….. Oh wait it’s Maria Bart… never mind.

  5. Brandon says:

    “We need to find some more dirt on Schmidt… pronto!”

    Quick, to the Google!

    …shit.

  6. chuck says:

    #2 – I heard that too – and he’s never denied it. I think I’ll go update his Wikipedia page.

  7. Dallas says:

    I have nothing to hide and what may pass as porn found on my PC is not mine.

  8. tcc3 says:

    The motto is “do no evil”, not “be not an asshole”

  9. Breetai says:

    “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be using Google cloud services.”

    Like bank account and credit information?

    This isn’t just Eric though, Is everyone involved in cloud computing is really THAT ignorant to basic security concepts?

    It reminds me of the FED back in the day with everyone talking about how great it is while it’s obvious your ignoring the basic concepts.

  10. reality says:

    pretty scary if you connect adam’s cranky geek theory of google being the new total connection provider – as ISP, phone/message company and cloud doc hard drive
    schmidt pretty much admits they will give it all over to anyone in authority who asks.

  11. wildcatbn says:

    Well if the correct admin asks I mean we wouldn’t want Republicans to get any info would we.

  12. tdskate says:

    I don’t know why, but I like Eric Schmidt.

  13. Jägermeister says:

    #12 – tdskate – I don’t know why, but I like Eric Schmidt.

    Schmidt and his company would have been the envy of Honecker and Ceaucescu.

  14. Me says:

    #2 NGB Said:

    “Why won’t he deny that he raped and killed a young girl in 1990?”

    So whats the background on that story? A vile internet rumor slandering someone because of their success or there something substantial?

    just curious if true.

  15. I want to have a party and I want it now says:

    Next up, Googlegate.

  16. rjann says:

    The same thing could be said about Facebook. If you don’t want the world to know about your stupidity, don’t post it. If you post it, it will be known. Your email is not private. Your Facebook and Twitter are not private.

    So all of you geeks are upset now that he tells you your searches aren’t private? You want to go after him?

    Grow up.

  17. god says:

    34 seconds offers a truly great DU-level of coverage. Almost as thorough as gawker.

  18. lofa says:

    Both Microsoft and Google are evil. Choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil. Neither deserve recognition, support or to be spat upon. Privacy is about freedom and choice, not necessarily “hiding things”. And what is so bad about practicing privacy? I believe that people should maintain privacy to a certain degree. These corporations don’t need to know everything about you. [Personal] “Information” is a hot commodity seller. Information = profits. Money is the “god” of planet earth. Money is the root of evil. As the old saying goes, a fool and his money soon part.


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