Google boss warns of online name shame

Published on Wednesday 18 August 2010 15:26

GOOGLE'S chief executive has suggested people may be forced to change their names when they reach adulthood in order to escape youthful misdemeanours immortalised online.

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• Google's Eric Schmidt said law may have to be changed to allow people to more easily change their names Picture: Getty

Eric Schmidt made the startling suggestion when he expressed concern that many have yet to understand just how much detail of their lives is being stored in cyberspace.

As hundreds of millions of web users worldwide divulge increasing amounts of personal information on social networking and other sites, Mr Schmidt warned they may not be aware of the full consequences.

"I don't believe society understands what happens when everything is available, knowable and recorded by everyone all the time," Mr Schmidt said.

According to the internet search engine tycoon, one method of web-users to disassociate themselves from embarrassing photographs, video clips, comments and contributions to websites would be for them to take the radical step of changing identity completely.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mr Schmidt suggested that every young person one day will be entitled automatically to change his or her name on reaching adulthood in order to disown youthful hi-jinks stored on their friends' social media sites.

"I mean we really have to think about these things as a society. I'm not even talking about the really terrible stuff, terrorism and access to evil things," he said.

The explosion of social networking, photo-sharing and video-sharing sites has led to drunken antics, ill-advised haircuts, clumsy attempts at seduction, inappropriate jokes, toe-curling online conversations and fashion crimes being stored on the net.

Their presence on the net means past indiscretions have the potential to haunt those who may regret their behaviour. Mr Schmidt acknowledged the power of social networking describing Facebook as a "company of consequence".

He predicted one or two other major players in the world of social networking would come on the scene in the near future.Already, Google has a wealth of data on web users, handling billions of e-mails through Gmail and myriad images of people's houses through Google Street View, as well as the information it has on online searches.

Mr Schmidt forecast that the future of Google would rely on the company storing more and more personal information about its users.

Because of the data the site collects, "we know roughly who you are, roughly what you care about, roughly who your friends are," he said.

Rather than simply answering their questions, this may help Google tell users what they should be doing next, Mr Schmidt suggested.

One idea for the future of the search engine is that more searches are done on the user's behalf without them needing to type, he said. Mr Schmidt's comments on the social media phenomenon echoed previous concerns about young people in particular baring their souls online.

Many users of social networking sites have a wealth of information stored on the web, including photographs, messages, chat histories and personal details. Some commentators warn it may be too late to turn back the clock.

Dylan Sharpe, from Big Brother Watch, said: "Undoubtedly, we need to educate children, and many adults, for that matter, on the value of privacy.

"Google is a company that specialises in knowing where you are, what you are doing and who you are talking to. That's a scary prospect, even though Google's users sign up to this sort of data collection willingly.

"Mr Schmidt is completely right on how much information we are giving away online. Right now there are millions of kids and teenagers, who, when they apply for jobs in ten-years' time, will find there is so much embarrassing stuff about them online that they cannot take down."