Google’s Larry Page says U.S. spying threatens democracy
Government snooping on the internet is ‘tremendously disappointing’, Page says
Google co-founder Larry Page on Wednesday condemned U.S. government snooping on the internet as a threat to democracy.
His comments came during an on-stage chat at a prestigious TED gathering, where a day earlier fellow Google founder Sergey Brin had a virtual encounter with National Security Agency whistle blower Edward Snowden.
A photo of Brin smiling with a robot remotely controlled by Snowden from a refuge in Russia, where the wanted man is in hiding, was tweeted by TED curator Chris Anderson and became an instant online hit.
“It is tremendously disappointing that the government sort of secretly did all this stuff and didn't tell us,” Page said during the chat with interviewer Charlie Rose.
He reasoned that details of suspected terrorist threats, understandably, should remain cloaked but that the parameters of what U.S. intelligence agents do, along with how and why they do it, should be public.
“We need to have a debate about that or we can’t have a functioning democracy; it is just not possible,” Page said.
“It is sad that Google is in the position of protecting you and our users from the government doing secret things nobody knows about; it doesn’t make any sense.”
As smartphones and sensors synched to the internet traffic in increasing amounts of data about where people are and what they are doing, it is imperative to make folks aware and provide choices regarding how it is used, Page argued.
He was concerned, though, that backlash to online spying and fears over privacy would result in blocking uses of personal information for beneficial purposes.
“What I am worried about is we throw out the baby with the bath water,” Page said.
He gave the example of how shared medical information, on an aggregate scale and made anonymous, could help researchers develop treatments and patients select doctors or map medical care.
“We are not really thinking about the tremendous good that can come from people sharing the right information with the right people in the right ways,” Page said.
Page gave the example of going public with details of trouble with his voice.
“On your show I kind of lost my voice and I haven't gotten it back,” Page joked with Rose.
“I am hoping that by talking to you I am going to get it back. Get out your Voodoo doll and do whatever you need to do.”
Also Read
-
Video, pictures: Google’s plans for the Android ‘smartwatch’
Google says it will partner with technology and fashion companies to help develop wearable computers Technology -
Top Saudi cleric calls for suing Google over anti-Islam Youtube film
Khaled al-Shaya said that the internet search giant should instead ‘spread truth and rightness’ Digital -
Google loses appeal to keep anti-Islamic video online
Google argued that the video should remain accessible to the public while it asks that a larger, 11-judge 9th Circuit panel review the issue Digital -
Media sometimes try, fail to keep NSA’s secrets
The accidental disclosures illustrate the risks of even well-intentioned, public-interest reporting Print -
Is the NSA using ‘Angry Birds’ to spy on you?
Dozens of classified documents detail the NSA and GCHQ efforts to piggyback on this commercial data collection for their own purposes Variety -
Washington wonders where to keep NSA data
Key U.S. lawmakers have expressed concerns that the information would not be readily available to the officials who need it if held by non-governmental entities Features -
Obama: spying essential for national security
The president says the collection of billions of data records by the NSA would go on to protect America World News -
Report: NSA scoops up millions of text messages a day
The latest revelations from Edward Snowden files say NSA collected text messages from around the world World News -
Obama meets spy bosses on NSA reforms
The U.S. president had a string of meetings with advocates on both sides of the debate on balancing privacy and national security World News
