Google chief warns of government Web crackdown

Mr. Schmidt says Google cannot always defy governments because it has to protect its employees in the country.

June 27, 2011 06:42 pm | Updated November 28, 2021 09:30 pm IST - DUBLIN

Google CEO Eric Schmidt. File photo

Google CEO Eric Schmidt. File photo

Google chairman Eric Schmidt says democracy movements across the Arab world may lead to governments restricting Internet access.

Mr. Schmidt says governments are growing more wary of the Web as their citizens become technologically savvy. He says some governments are trying to regulate the Internet the way they regulate television.

There has been friction between Google Inc. and Chinese authorities, who have tried to limit the web pages citizens can access. Google has tried to bypass the problem by moving servers to Hong Kong.

Mr. Schmidt says Google cannot always defy governments because it has to protect its employees in the country.

Mr. Schmidt spoke Monday at a conference on extremism organized by Google, the Tribeca Film Festival and the Council on Foreign Relations.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.