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Rights Groups Are Demanding That Google Doesn't Release A Censored Search Engine In China (buzzfeednews.com)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

More than a dozen tech NGOs and human rights groups have issued an open letter calling on Google to stop work on a censored search engine project in China. From a report: Organizations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Access Now and others released the letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Tuesday, saying the tech giant's plans to release a censored version of its search engine app to users in China represent an "alarming capitulation by Google on human rights." The project, dubbed Dragonfly, was first reported by The Intercept earlier this month. According to audio of a staff meeting, obtained by the New York Times, Pichai said that "if we were to do our mission well, we are to think seriously about how to do more in China. However, he went on to say that Google was "not close to launching a search product in China."

5 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Flood China with information by presidenteloco · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Even if Google does release a censored search engine in China, the chances are very good that the Chinese Government censors, who presumably tell Google what to censor, won't be able to keep up with the flood of information, phrased this way or that way, that is directly or indirectly about all kinds of uncomfortable issues and topics for the Chinese government.

    A long time ago, Freeman Dyson said the way to defeat the Soviet Union was to give them PCs (I think he actually said Macs).
    So that people would be able to gather and pass information easily, without the government in the loop.

    Eventually, more knowledge in the hands of more of the population will presumeably reduce totalitarian government power, as independent ideas flourish like weeds.

    --

    Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
  2. What about Microsoft? by jfdavis668 · · Score: 3, Funny

    They already run Bing in China, why aren't people complaining about that?

    1. Re:What about Microsoft? by ilsaloving · · Score: 4, Insightful

      For the exact same reason that Apple is always pointed at when something negative happens. (eg: child labor in china, etc)

      They're the perceived leader of the given industry, and that makes them the obvious target for finger pointing.

  3. Re:should be fun by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    American corporations are not going to "fix" China. That is up to the Chinese people, and at least for now they consider their rapidly rising standard of living to be a reasonable tradeoff for the CCP's censorship.

    Google can play a positive role in China, and it is better for them to engage than to leave the market to companies like Baidu that will be even more compliant censors.

    The petitioners are insisting on a worse outcome because it is more ideologically pure.

  4. Re:Where are the Google engineers on this? by XXongo · · Score: 3, Informative

    Funny when Google was helping develop better guided missile programs for the US government that would actually save lives they all had a collective hissy fit. But helping the Chinese government oppress its people is A-Ok with them.

    You don't pay attention to the news. Google engineers are complaining about the proposed censored Chinese search engine: https://www.theguardian.com/wo...
    https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/16/google-employees-protest-censored-china-search-engine/
    https://www.dw.com/en/google-employees-protest-plans-for-chinese-censored-search-engine/a-45113112