“We screwed up. Let’s be very clear about that.”

… noted a penitent Google CEO Eric Schmidt to the Financial Times about Wifigate. If you appreciate candor from a company when it comes to deciding whether or not to give them yet another pass on something that, let’s face it, isn’t really egregious, CEO statements do not get more contrite than that. BP and Toyota should take note.

So, quick update on the dilemma of whether or not to expunge the controversially inclusive data (if you expunge, everyone might chill out a bit; on the other hand if you expunge, you may be accused of destroying evidence): Google’s handing over those hot potato hard drives to European regulators in a day or two, pledging further to produce an external audit of what exactly they did, how they did it and specifically what was collected as a result.

That’s transparency right there, nicely complementing the aforementioned attritional contriteness. Gotta love that. Right? Water under the bridge?

Doug Simmons