Senior Google Scientist Resigns Over 'Forfeiture of Our Values' in China (theintercept.com)

A senior Google research scientist has quit the company in protest over its plan to launch a censored version of its search engine in China. The Intercept: Jack Poulson worked for Google's research and machine intelligence department, where he was focused on improving the accuracy of the company's search systems. In early August, Poulson raised concerns with his managers at Google after The Intercept revealed that the internet giant was secretly developing a Chinese search app for Android devices. The search system, code-named Dragonfly, was designed to remove content that China's authoritarian government views as sensitive, such as information about political dissidents, free speech, democracy, human rights, and peaceful protest. After entering into discussions with his bosses, Poulson decided in mid-August that he could no longer work for Google. He tendered his resignation and his last day at the company was August 31. He told The Intercept in an interview that he believes he is one of about five of the company's employees to resign over Dragonfly. He felt it was his "ethical responsibility to resign in protest of the forfeiture of our public human rights commitments," he said.

Comments

Why is this uncommon?

[jellomizer]

I have quit jobs that I felt has turned me into a bad person, and I would look in the mirror and realized I wasn't happy with what I had became.

Sure we all have jobs that we may not like or disagree with, but if you have a moral objection to it, you should quit your job. If you are Senior Data scientist, Google may have a harder time replacing your job. But I am sure they will find someone to fill the gap. But the thing is, we can't always change the world, but at least we can feel good about our current place in it.

Re:Why is this uncommon?

[sittingnut]

person who resigned is virtue signaling. and covering up for google at same time, by acting as if this something new for the company
* google has been spying on everyone to make money for years. its how they make money.
* it has been sharing info with usa intelligence agencies.
* it actively helped usa's interfering political agenda's in other countries, for example actively helping and making apps for syria's mostly islamic terrorist opposition to assad. now just before a major military operation( with already heated propaganda claims and counter claims about chemical weapons) google is censoring regimes's media, only regime's not opposition's.
* conservatives and trump supporters claim they have been targeted by google through censorship, blocking, shadow banning , etc,. some have indeed been subjected to all that.
* google companies are now actively propping up visibility of legacy media, with their bias and establishment views, allegedly to combat "fake news".

Re:Why is this uncommon?

[Anonymous Coward]

As much as I despise virtue signalling, this, refreshingly, is not an example of it. The employee in question chose to quit his job rather than continue on in his position. He deliberately chose personal sacrifice/inconvenience in favor of his pet issue. Whether I agree or disagree with an activist on any particular issue, I can at least show some amount of respect to a person who is willing to put their money where their mouth is.

Virtue signalling, in contrast, is the act of shouting very loudly about an issue without actually doing anything about it. Look at me, I'm one of the Good Guys! I care soooooo deeply about Issue X! Those Bad Guys would never care as deeply as me! And so on.

Re:Why is this uncommon?

[jeff4747]

* conservatives and trump supporters claim they have been targeted by google through censorship, blocking, shadow banning , etc,.

Except that hasn't actually happened.

But it's a fantastic excuse when you mistakenly believe you are part of a large majority, yet do not see that reflected online.

Well, you know

[ruddk]

The tech world are not all that into free speech anymore, specially not those coming out of Silicon Valley. ;)

Came to say the same thing.

[SuperKendall]

It seems pretty ripe to claim Google is forfeiting values in China, when it's applying the very same values of control over the populace in the U.S. by removing many kinds of YouTube videos it does not like, either for content or ideology.

If you are removing content based on ideology, you have no reason to claim any moral high ground over China.

Re:Came to say the same thing.

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess the difference is that the whining about Google blocking free speech is just s bunch of bullshit made up by the butthurt self-identified victims of SJWs and their evidently phenomenal success in chasing freeze peach idiots back under their rocks.