Business

Google CEO Calls Internet a Cesspool, Thinks Brands Are the Solution

The Internet may be a cesspool, but its Google’s cesspool. Speaking to a group of magazine executives at the Google headquarters, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said yesterday that the Internet is becoming a breeding ground for false information, reports Ad age. But trusted brands help weed through the disinformation: “Brands are the solution, not the […]

The Internet may be a cesspool, but its Google's cesspool. Speaking to a group of magazine executives at the Google headquarters, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said yesterday that the Internet is becoming a breeding ground for false information, reports Ad age. But trusted brands help weed through the disinformation:

"Brands are the solution, not the problem... Brands are how you sort out the cesspool."

Schmidt was trying to quell fears that Google is trying to take over the role of publishers and advertisers online, saying: "We don't do content. You all create content. It's a natural partnership."

But he reserved a few fighting words for members of the Association of National Advertisers who opposed the company's proposed deal with Yahoo on the grounds that it would limit competition and raise ad prices:

"If you're going to criticize us, criticize us correctly. We're guilty of many things, but that's not one of them."