Slashdot Mirror
Google Plans To Launch Censored Search Engine In China, Leaked Documents Reveal (theintercept.com)
Google is planning to launch a censored version of its search engine in China that will blacklist websites and search terms about human rights, democracy, religion, and peaceful protest, The Intercept reported Wednesday, citing leaked documents and people familiar with the matter. From the report: The project -- code-named Dragonfly -- has been underway since spring of last year, and accelerated following a December 2017 meeting between Google's CEO Sundar Pichai and a top Chinese government official, according to internal Google documents and people familiar with the plans. Teams of programmers and engineers at Google have created a custom Android app, different versions of which have been named "Maotai" and "Longfei." The app has already been demonstrated to the Chinese government; the finalized version could be launched in the next six to nine months, pending approval from Chinese officials.
The planned move represents a dramatic shift in Google's policy on China and will mark the first time in almost a decade that the internet giant has operated its search engine in the country. Google's search service cannot currently be accessed by most internet users in China because it is blocked by the country's so-called Great Firewall. The app Google is building for China will comply with the country's strict censorship laws, restricting access to content that Xi Jinping's Communist Party regime deems unfavorable. [...] When a person carries out a search, banned websites will be removed from the first page of results, and a disclaimer will be displayed stating that "some results may have been removed due to statutory requirements." Examples cited in the documents of websites that will be subject to the censorship include those of British news broadcaster BBC and the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
The planned move represents a dramatic shift in Google's policy on China and will mark the first time in almost a decade that the internet giant has operated its search engine in the country. Google's search service cannot currently be accessed by most internet users in China because it is blocked by the country's so-called Great Firewall. The app Google is building for China will comply with the country's strict censorship laws, restricting access to content that Xi Jinping's Communist Party regime deems unfavorable. [...] When a person carries out a search, banned websites will be removed from the first page of results, and a disclaimer will be displayed stating that "some results may have been removed due to statutory requirements." Examples cited in the documents of websites that will be subject to the censorship include those of British news broadcaster BBC and the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
So Google will build censorship products but not systems to save US soldiers. Got it. Google is Evil Corp.
Glad they took slogan that out of their corporate vision statement. Google is corporate POS.
It just goes to show "Do No Evil" was complete and utter media theatre. Google will do anything for the almighty dollar!
If Google caves in China, just imagine how this will eventually play out elsewhere. I don't believe search engines should be censored for people, other then parental options for younger children.
After the dear leader's favorite bear.
China does a good job at imitating a successful society. But the reality is that
1. Most of their, "innovation" is stolen
2. Most of their, "efficiency" of production is the result of substandard working conditions, environmental laws, and wages.
3. Most of their culture is repressed.
Their particular blend of Capitalism and Communism has made them lots of money, but the core cancer of the dictatorship and repression remain.
So, I just literally googled "how to boycott Google".
It's not as difficult as I thought it might be. There are non-affiliated search engines (DuckDuckGo, Bing, WolframAlpha). There are obviously alternatives to Chrome. Youtube (a Google property since 2006) might be the hardest thing to find a replacement for.
The real problem, of course, is that you would need a *lot* of people to participate for a boycott to have any effect on corporate decisionmaking.
Google didn't want to do that, but they had to because they don't make enough money. They also didn't want to sell your data to anyone and everyone, but they need the money.
It is disgusting to see technology developed in Western liberal democracies twisted into tools of censorship and oppression. However this isn't unprecedented, US companies IBM and GMC clamored for Nazi market share in the buildup to WWII. As others have mentioned once this new censorship "feature" is enabled other authoritarian governments will insist it be used in their countries as well. On more step on the road to turn-key tyranny Edward Snowden warned us about. However one positive aspect of this is that it damages the notion of unfettered free market principles of government championed by the right. This is a unambiguous example of a corporation putting profit over civil liberties and human rights.
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be-T J
Aside from refusing to work on next generation military technology which the Chinese have made their highest priority, now google is building a search engine which will be used to persecute individuals in China deemed undesirable.
Google please leave Mountain View and take all the vile individuals you have attracted with you. Mountain View was a wonderful town till "Do no evil" company came to town.
"Do no evil" is only good as far as you are a privately owner 100% company. As soon as shareholder enter in play , then forget it, only one rule is permissible : "do no illegal stuff" the rest is potentially a way to get sued if you demonstrably dropped profit and/or shareholder suffered through it, and yes "do no evil" is a ground to get sued if it can be demonstrated company would have been able to do more money by being legally evil, e.g. bowing down to governmental censorship in other countries. It does not matter what a company says about moral In the very end their only duty is toward fiduciary responsibility toward shareholder.
So yes this step surprised nobody whatsoever.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
Everyone knows Big Brother Google already censors search results. The only difference will be what (and perhaps how much?) is censored.
Unless, y'know, a dictatorship requires us to be evil before it'll let us make money.
Looks like they are going to need to change their slogan again.
Taking the moral high ground with weaponized AI, but not when it comes to censorship?? I really hope this isn't true.
Let's put this in perspective. The problem here is not Google. Google doesn't want to censor its search engine, but it has to, in order to operate in China. It's all well and good for Google to decide not to operate in China, but it's fine also for them to come up with a censored (i.e. partial) search engine that can legally operate in China, as did Microsoft. Previously they chose to do the former. As a form of protest or boycott, it had little effect on China: it just pushed Chinese internet users to other search engines. Now Google is choosing to do the latter. It may be a better strategy: it at least gives Google an opportunity to provide (partial) search to Chinese internet users.
Tiananmen Square 1989
Taiwan.
Tibet.
Student movement.
89 people's movement.
All the people topple communism.
Operation Yellowbird https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Some results may have been removed under data protection law in Europe. Learn more
Cue Ted Dibiase & Sensational Sherri wwf theme song.
Across Europe, Google (inc Youtube) already massively censors using new British laws (including the 'right to be forgotten' that Britian manipulated the EU into rolling out). Despot states across Africa and Asia are cracking down on Internet freedom using laws passed by the parliament in Britain as their template excuse.
While Google looked like it was uniquely jumping to the tune of Chinese despots, it had to withdraw from that market. But now Google can honestly state it has to do far worse to continue to do business in the UK, and that when Britain finally implemens its anti-sex laws later this year, Google's British censorship with be the most extreme in Internet history.
Google, in partnership with the UK government, is perfecting a 100% blanket ban on explicit content. This is the greatest censorship project ever. Britain, that banned ALL explicit content of Human sexuality before EU satellite services rendered that ban hopeless, intends to take the net back to where Britain's control of sexuality in media rested in the 1980s.
But the real purpose of Britain's anti-sex project is to perfect greater internet censorship for pure political purposes. The j-wish terror state of Israel just carried out a demonic act of terrorism against a Gaza flotilla vessel, with ZERO mainstream media coverage in the British press. This 100% control of what the sheeple see or hear or read is the real goal.
We all know where Google conceptually started with respect to the apparent public purpose of the Google search engine. But NSA/CIA seeded Google was always travelling to a VERY different place.
The West has done enough kowtowing to dictators, regimes, rights oppressors, censorship and so on already. What are we getting besides blood money and cheap shoes? Nothing.
Their new slogan.
Corporatism != Free Market
Let's hear from Chief Google Asshole Shawn Willden, or any other Google toady, about what a Truly Great Thing this is.
Having a censored Google in China is better than having no Google in China. Censorship is not perfect. Results and information slips through the cracks constantly. By adding a second choice there's a second gap for censored content to slip through. A big foreign owned gap that isn't quite as tightly controlled as the state run gaps.
They DO censure the search results everywhere already.
Thanks Bill Clinton.
Employees throw a fit over working on software that might be used to improve targeting systems, but will be fine with this.
In good time...
I see Google has dispensed with all pretense and changed their slogan to "Do Evil".
"There is no war in Ba Sing Se..."
Evil evolved as a response to overpopulation. Fear evolved as a response to evil. Civilization evolved as a response to evil. Religion evolved as a response to fear. Since the fear had been mitigated by civilization, religion reassigned the fear to time. Propagating fear of time should be prosecuted as terrorism.
Once Google starts making money in China, China will have leverage over Google by threatening to restrict Google in China. This means that China will be able to insist that certain terms and pages do not appear anywhere, or at least get very low ranking.
Recall the way that China got all airlines to drop the term Tiawan. In the USA, you will not see it.
It is the job of Google to make money for its shareholders.
As a Chinese, I'd say: Come on, Google. Don't knee down to CCP, U are better than that.