Eric Schmidt Blasts NSA For Spying On Google Data Centers

While visiting Hong Kong, Google Inc. (NYSE: GOOG) Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt responded to reports that the U.S. government spied on Google’s data centers, saying the behavior is “outrageous” and potentially illegal, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s Deborah Kan.

"It's really outrageous that the National Security Agency was looking between the Google data centers, if that's true. The steps that the organization was willing to do without good judgment to pursue its mission and potentially violate people's privacy, it's not OK," Schmidt told The Wall Street Journal. "The Snowden revelations have assisted us in understanding that it's perfectly possible that there are more revelations to come."

Google has lodged complaints with the NSA, as well as with President Barack Obama and members of the U.S. Congress.

When contacted about these allegations, the NSA referred to its statement from last week saying that recent articles in the press had mischaracterized the NSA’s activities.