In a recent interview, the Google CEO Eric Schmidt claimed that young peoples' lives have become so well documented on the internet that many will have to change their names when they reach adulthood.
In order to escape the folly’s of youth and the misspent hours/weeks/months/years using social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, Eric Schmidt seems to believe that people should be able to change their identity. In a genuine interview, Mr Schmidt identified his belief that in the not too distant future all young people will be given the option to change their identity in order to distance themselves from the embarrassing photographs and material stored on others social media sites.
Further to this Schmidt added that in the future Google contain so much up to date information about their users that they will actually be able to help them plan their lives. Considering Google could track your position through your smartphone, and has more personal information on most people than their passport, it’s not really a stretch of the imagination. Basically, Schmidt believes that in time Google will be able to inform you that you need milk as you're walking past the newsagent.
In the interview Schmidt was quoted saying:
The Verdict
Unfortunately the above quote is not out of context. It is quite frankly an insanely conceited and ludicrous statement for someone in such a position of power. This is not the first time that Schmidt has courted controversy either, as Google have been pulled up several times before regarding their disregard for the sanctity of personal information. Whether it be in reference to the frailties and foolhardy attitude applied in the development of Google Buzz or the Streetcar fiasco which is still raging on, Google do not hold a strong position in terms of controlling public information.
Back to the point of young people changing their identity – is this going to become the norm? If that is the case Mr Schmidt, then perhaps parents should give their children usernames instead of Christian names from birth? That way a person could live their early years as hot2trot92, (a human of unspeakable Facebook revelry), before shunning social media when they reach 30 and reverting their name to Tom Smith.
Frankly Mr Schmidt if that’s your idea of the future, I certainly don’t want to live in your bizarre world that seems to be a retarded hybrid of 1984 and Logan’s Run.
In a more measured answer to the problem of embarrassing social networking pics and info, perhaps people should just accept that they may have made a few mistakes in youth as everybody does. Leave the identity changes for witness protection and boys named Sue.
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