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Summarised by Centrist
Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt is facing allegations from his ex-girlfriend Michelle Ritter that he created what she describes as a private “backdoor” allowing him to secretly access Gmail and Google Drive accounts.
Ritter has accused Schmidt of spying on her, altering her data and using privileged access to cover up what she describes as years of abuse. Schmidt strongly denies all allegations.
US Republicans are calling for a federal inquiry into Google’s internal controls and its history of political influence.
Ritter claimed in a Los Angeles court filing that Schmidt once “bragged about being able to personally snoop and alter data for any Gmail or Google Drive user.”
She alleged that he built the access point “with a team of Google engineers,” and said the tool allowed him to retrieve or change private information without detection. Ritter added that Schmidt “spied on, deleted, and altered her texts and other data” during their relationship.
The accusations have raised alarm among senior Republicans, who note Schmidt’s longstanding ties to Democratic campaigns. He advised Barack Obama, coached Hillary Clinton’s digital team and was deeply involved in the Biden transition.
A National Republican Senatorial Committee statement said: “These allegations confirm Google’s leaders were never the neutral referees they claimed to be,” noting concerns that Schmidt’s alleged access could have been used to gather political intelligence.
Schmidt’s attorney Patricia Glaser dismissed the claims as “false and defamatory.”
