Times Square in New York isn't what it was, thank goodness. Back in the 1980s it was a bear pit of drugs and illegality, where as now it's more of a tourist attraction - the way the Hell's Kitchen district has been renamed Clinton.

But the Square still has a bite it seems. An advert featuring a very creepy Eric Schmidt offering children ice cream in exchange for full body scans is being displayed on a 540 sq. ft. Jumbotron screen for passing tourists and locals.

"Remember kids, you can't believe everything your parents say about privacy," the cartoon Schmidt says.

"I bet your daddy doesn't know mommy's been googling old boyfriends again. We put the ogle in Google."

The advert is being paid for by Consumer Watchdog, which is trying to get a 'no monitor' list set up in a similar fashion to registers designed to stop marketers.

"We're satirizing Schmidt in the most highly-trafficked public square in the nation to make the public aware of how out of touch Schmidt and Google are when it comes to our privacy rights," said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog."

"America needs a 'Do Not Track Me' list and Google is Exhibit A in the case for it."

03 Sep 2010