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Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt. LM Otero/AP/PA

Google boss says US data spying "outrageous" and potentially illegal

Eric Schmidt was responding to reports that the US government spied on the company’s data centres.

GOOGLE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN Eric Schmidt said reports that the US government spied on the Internet giant’s data centres were “outrageous” and potentially illegal if proved true, in an interview today.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal during a visit to Hong Kong, the technology guru said that Google had filed complaints with the National Security Agency, US President Barack Obama, as well as members of the US Congress.

“It’s really outrageous that the National Security Agency was looking between the Google data centres if that’s true. The steps that the organisation was willing to do without good judgement to pursue its mission and potentially violate people’s privacy, it’s not OK,” Schmidt said.

Bad public policy

“The NSA allegedly collected the phone records of 320 million people in order to identify roughly 300 people who might be at risk. It’s just bad public policy…and perhaps illegal,” he said in the interview conducted in the southern Chinese city.

“The Snowden revelations have assisted us in understanding that it’s perfectly possible that there are more revelations to come.”

A recent news report said the NSA had tapped into key communications links from Yahoo and Google data centres around the world.

Fiber-optic cables

The Washington Post, citing documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with officials, said the programme could collect data from hundreds of millions of user accounts “at will”.

The report said the programme, called MUSCULAR, operated jointly with the NSA’s British counterpart GCHQ, indicated that the agencies could intercept data flows from fiber-optic cables used by the US Internet giants.

The NSA disputes key details of the report.#

- © AFP 2013.

Related: NSA ‘tapped into links to Google, Yahoo data centres’>

Read: John Kerry: Yes, US spying ‘has reached too far’ at times>

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    Mute pongodhall
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    Mar 27th 2015, 12:06 PM

    Hope all safe.

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    Mute Ken Collins
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    Mar 27th 2015, 12:03 PM

    I blame the moving statue.

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    Mute Shane Walsh
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    Mar 27th 2015, 12:06 PM

    Thankfully nobody was seriously injured.

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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Mar 27th 2015, 12:50 PM

    Yes, but not the time or place. Wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

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    Mute David adams
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    Mar 27th 2015, 1:59 PM

    There’s always a smartarse with a stupid comment

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    Mute Paul
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    Mar 27th 2015, 12:41 PM

    If ever there was a town that needed a name change.

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    Mute TheLoneHurler
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    Mar 27th 2015, 3:14 PM

    Another lovely legacy of the English

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    Mute Dictator
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    Mar 27th 2015, 4:48 PM

    If ever there was a county that needs a name change.

    And the chip removed from there shoulders.

    And realise it’s not the capital.

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    Mute Kevin Whyte
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    Mar 27th 2015, 5:37 PM

    Hi Paul, how about Baile an Spideal, the town with the hospital. Ballinspittle was just the English spelling of what they decided was the nearest to the pronunciation

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    Mute Byyys
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    Mar 27th 2015, 5:51 PM

    Headline should read… There’s been an explosion at a café in Co. Cork. – Cork is a city in Ireland this explosion is no where near city.

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    Mute potty o shea
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    Mar 27th 2015, 1:21 PM

    The statue sick and tired of standing at the side of the road with people staring at it. Probably just wanted a cup of tea!

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    Mute Sean Linda Conlon
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    Mar 27th 2015, 12:02 PM

    Not good !

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Mar 27th 2015, 12:13 PM

    Not terrible either.

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    Mute Boganity
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    Mar 27th 2015, 12:26 PM

    WTF ?

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    Mute William Willis
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    Mar 27th 2015, 2:26 PM

    Egg sandwich

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