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Google Suppresses Memo Revealing Plans To Closely Track Search Users in China: The Intercept (theintercept.com)
Google bosses have forced employees to delete a confidential memo circulating inside the company that revealed explosive details about a plan to launch a censored search engine in China, The Intercept has learned. From the report: The memo, authored by a Google engineer who was asked to work on the project, disclosed that the search system, code-named Dragonfly, would require users to log in to perform searches, track their location -- and share the resulting history with a Chinese partner who would have "unilateral access" to the data.
The memo was shared earlier this month among a group of Google employees who have been organizing internal protests over the censored search system, which has been designed to remove content that China's authoritarian Communist Party regime views as sensitive, such as information about democracy, human rights and peaceful protest.
According to three sources familiar with the incident, Google leadership discovered the memo and were furious that secret details about the China censorship were being passed between employees who were not supposed to have any knowledge about it. Subsequently, Google human resources personnel emailed employees who were believed to have accessed or saved copies of the memo and ordered them to immediately delete it from their computers. Emails demanding deletion of the memo contained âoepixel trackersâ that notified human resource managers when their messages had been read, recipients determined.
The memo was shared earlier this month among a group of Google employees who have been organizing internal protests over the censored search system, which has been designed to remove content that China's authoritarian Communist Party regime views as sensitive, such as information about democracy, human rights and peaceful protest.
According to three sources familiar with the incident, Google leadership discovered the memo and were furious that secret details about the China censorship were being passed between employees who were not supposed to have any knowledge about it. Subsequently, Google human resources personnel emailed employees who were believed to have accessed or saved copies of the memo and ordered them to immediately delete it from their computers. Emails demanding deletion of the memo contained âoepixel trackersâ that notified human resource managers when their messages had been read, recipients determined.
Man, google is really stepping in it hard as of late. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/20... They are turning into a company, that is easy to hate. They are becoming a close minded and censorship happy group, who think they know best, trying to shape the would. This will backfire and fail, if not from government regulation then by people. This also applies to You tube. The more you tighten your grip the more star systems will slip through your fingers.
The correct title should be; Google's Attempt to suppress memo fails with massive Streisand effect.
> Emails demanding deletion of the memo contained "pixel trackers" that notified human resource managers when their messages had been read, recipients determined.
How's it feel to have the shoe on the other foot?
Acts 17:28, "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being."
There really is nothing more to add.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Too pure to help shape the DoD drone program so that AI might have "don't be evil" coded into its framework, but not too pure to help the PRC identify, track and persecute people out of favor with the regime.
This isn't hypocrisy on the level of "pastor caught in bed with the church secretary one time." This is hypocrisy along the lines of "pastor caught running a child sex trafficking network."
Does anyone remember the story earlier this morning: Schmidt predicting a second internet run by China. Obviously the time to get in on the action is now, and now is a bit too late. Google is just playing catch-up.
I'm certain that you have it wrong.
You see, if Google doesn't do this, someone will. So you have it wrong.
You see, if Google does this, then Google can help shape future open communication and equality. So you have it wrong.
You see, then Google gets to decide bits and pieces to influence. Google only has The Good in mind. So you have it wrong.
You see, Google is good. They understand this, and that they - and only they - are responsible for ensuring freedom for the Chinese. If they fail, all will be lost. So you have it wrong.
You see, Google cares. You must understand this about them, and that they are in the unique position to help. Only by censoring data access, censoring freedom, and reporting user actions, can they enforce freedom.
So you have it wrong.
The company has gone from do no evil, to join the evil.
If they continue down this path, they will become worthless.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.