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Eric Schmidt: World Wide Web has yet to live up to its name

Google's executive chairman says the Internet is leaving the majority of the world's population behind.

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
Dara Kerr
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt Stephen Shankland/CNET

Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt spoke about the haves and the have-nots during a speech today at an annual Israeli conference sponsored by President Shimon Peres, according to the Associated Press.

His message focused on the fact that most people on earth aren't benefiting from technology's enormous advances over the past few years. According to the Associated Press, Schmidt referenced to data that shows less than one third of the world's population (2 billion people) has Internet access.

"The World Wide Web has yet to live up to its name," he said. "Technology does not produce miracles, but connectivity, even in modest amounts, changes lives."

Schmidt said Google grew into a massive company "with its goal of making information accessible to the masses."

However, with the ever-increasing evolution and expansion of smartphones, Schmidt said that it's becoming easier to get more people on the Web, according to the Associated Press.

Besides speaking at the conference, Schmidt also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the Associated Press, he and Netanyahu discussed possible cooperation in defense against cyber-attacks.