Google CEO Eric Schmidt on 'Colbert Report': teen name change remark just a joke

Google CEO Eric Schmidt appeared on The Colbert Report on Tuesday night, and Colbert asked him about a number of things, including data mining, privacy, China, and also about how Schmidt earlier said, as noted in a Wall Street Journal article, "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."

That sounds like a joke to us, but many folks took it seriously. On Colbert's show, Schmidt was clear, "It was a joke, it just wasn't very good."

To be honest, we've said time and again, don't post anything to the Internet you wouldn't want your mother to see. In reality, what you post there, will pretty much be there forever.

Some have said that privacy no longer exists. In fact, with regards to an earlier lawsuit over Google Street View, Google said that "Today's satellite-image technology means that ... complete privacy does not exist."

Watch the segment from Tuesday night's Colbert Report. Interestingly, the clip was brought to "us" by the Sprint Epic 4G, an Android phone.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Eric Schmidt
www.colbertnation.com