Google CEO: I don't believe society understands what happens when everything is known

I think this is a great point made by the Google CEO in an interview for WSJ.

Mr. Schmidt is surely right, though, that the questions go far beyond Google. "I don't believe society understands what happens when everything is available, knowable and recorded by everyone all the time," he says. He predicts, apparently seriously, that every young person one day will be entitled automatically to change his or her name on reaching adulthood in order to disown youthful hijinks stored on their friends' social media sites.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704901104575423294099527212.html

What do you think?

Reply 1

basketofsnakes

tl;dr

cliffs of article?

Reply 2

Charlieee_

the ceo of google is basically saying people shouldn't use facebook... that is basically what that story is about...

oh and look at that.. google are creating a new social network site...

Reply 3

basketofsnakes

I predict several lawsuits in the future against google

they must be pooing their pants

Reply 4

Dirty Harry

Charlieee_

the ceo of google is basically saying people shouldn't use facebook... that is basically what that story is about...

oh and look at that.. google are creating a new social network site...

But google own facebook?

Reply 5

AnonymousPenguin

basketofsnakes

I predict several lawsuits in the future against google

they must be pooing their pants

I'm sure there are plenty already, but I just can't see legal fees eating into their $2 billion profit. Moreover, these sites are pretty much protected against being sued for user-generated content.

Reply 6

Charlieee_

Dirty Harry

But google own facebook?

no they don't O.o

Reply 7

AnonymousPenguin

Well I was expecting quite different replies. I would expect people to be concerned about how society will look in twenty years, but no one commented on that aspect.

Reply 8

inkman

i think the part about people automatically changing their name is a bit of an exaggeration. But ye he is just saying it in anticipation for the google social networks that they hope will rival facebook.
Also your thread doesnt mention much about civilisation in 20 years so why would we?