Google’s Schmidt: 'We're going to end up breaking the Internet'

The integrity of the Internet could be at risk if Congress does not act to rein in the National Security Agency, Google’s Eric Schmidt warned.

Speaking alongside other tech executives and Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) at a Silicon Valley event, Schmidt said the revelations about US surveillance could prompt countries to wall off their networks. “The simplest outcome: We’re going to end up breaking the Internet,” Schmidt said, “because what’s going to happen is governments will do bad laws of one kind or another, and eventually what’s going to happen is: ‘We’re going to have our own Internet in our own country, and we’re going to do it our way.’ ”

Top officials including Attorney General Eric Holder have criticized tech companies like Google and Apple for making their phones inaccessible to anyone except the owner -- even police with a warrant. But the companies are only taking natural steps to respond to the spying, Schmidt said. “The people who are criticizing this should have expected this,” he said.