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Google Is Conducting a Secret 'Performance Review' Of Its Censored China Search Project (theintercept.com)

Google executives are conducting a secret internal assessment of work on a censored search engine for China. "A small group of top managers at the internet giant are conducting a 'performance review' of the controversial effort to build the search platform, known as Dragonfly, which was designed to blacklist information about human rights, democracy, religion, and peaceful protest," reports The Intercept. From the report: Performance reviews at Google are undertaken annually to evaluate employees' output and development. They are usually carried out in an open, peer review-style process: Workers grade each other's projects and the results are then assessed by management, who can reward employees with promotion if they are deemed ready to progress at the company. In the case of Dragonfly, however, the peer review aspect has been removed, subverting the normal procedure. In a move described as highly unusual by two Google sources, executives set up a separate group of closed "review committees," comprised of senior managers who had all previously been briefed about the China search engine.

The existence of the Dragonfly review committees has not been disclosed to rank-and-file Google employees, except for the few who have been evaluated by the committees because they worked on China search. Fewer than a dozen top managers at the company are said to be looped in on the review, which has involved studying documents and technical work related to Dragonfly. "Management has decided to commit to keeping this stuff secret," said a source with knowledge of the review. They are "holding any Dragonfly-specific documents out of [employees'] review tools, so that promotion is decided only by a committee that is read in on Dragonfly." Executives likely feared that following the normal, more open performance review process with Dragonfly would have allowed workers across the company to closely scrutinize it, according to two Google sources.

45 comments

  1. Is this even a story? by sublimemm · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Given how unpopular the program is, it's no wonder they're taking the peer-review part out of it. They obviously don't want their employees performance to be rated by who are against the idea of the project.

    1. Re:Is this even a story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unpopular, illegal, immoral. They pretty much all work.

    2. Re:Is this even a story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They obviously don't want their employees performance to be rated by who are against the idea of the project.

      They want to implement a surveillance techno-dytopia, because they are corporate psychopaths. be Evil.

    3. Re: Is this even a story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's really just a meeting to look smart together even though everyone in and out of the meeting knows failure is a foregone conclusion

    4. Re: Is this even a story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unpopular and immoral but illegal? I can't blame Google for eyeing the world's largest market. If you do business in China you have to follow their laws.

    5. Re:Is this even a story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, it's not a story. The performance reviews are for every project. Secret projects are not reviewed by open cross company groups, but instead smaller vetted groups, due to the risk of leaks. This was already true when I worked on a sensitive project there years ago, and I'm sure it's no different for this thing now.

    6. Re: Is this even a story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A socialist company banning/censoring/buring opposition in a communist country much like they do here in the U.S. What is new?

    7. Re: Is this even a story? by bigpat · · Score: 1

      Unpopular and immoral but illegal? I can't blame Google for eyeing the world's largest market. If you do business in China you have to follow their laws.

      If American companies can't ethically do business in China, then Chinese businesses shouldn't be able to sell in America.

    8. Re: Is this even a story? by dwater · · Score: 1

      Why?

      --
      Max.
  2. Does Management Have A Rape Culture? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Harassment Sexual Contact?

    Any Pedophilia or Child Pornography being watched by the employees?

  3. Secret thing happening by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    News at 11.

  4. Project Rename by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    was designed to blacklist information about human rights, democracy, religion, and peaceful protest,

    Project Abster^H^H^H^H^H^HAbsurdia shall be the new name of the project. Oh wait, Project Unending Chaos is even better.

  5. So they intend to pretend it's a good idea by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Even though G knows it's a very very bad idea, and is Evil, they are "analyzing" it, so they can pretend they understand the risks involved.

    Which they don't.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
    1. Re:So they intend to pretend it's a good idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You seem to assume there are any risks at all in choosing Evil alignment. It ain't necessarily so.

  6. They lied by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    What's funny is that after the backlash from Google employees, Google basically said twice already "We are cancelling this project" but it turns out they aren't cancelling it at all. With such blatant lies I don't see how anyone could still work there.

    1. Re: They lied by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google pretends people work there who don't

    2. Re:They lied by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      They said they have no plans to launch anything. At a big company that does not mean there aren't people working on it. You work on things to see where you get, and launch if the conditions are right. That's the only way big companies can seem to have a fast "response" sometimes to other products or changing landscapes.

      If you asked Apple if they have plans to launch a self-driving-car, they'd say "no". But everyone in Silicon Valley knows they are working on it. I've heard from someone familiar with Apple that they design 10 UIs for the same device, then throw out 9 and keep the best one.

    3. Re:They lied by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      The only review is how and why they got detected supporting Communist China.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    4. Re: They lied by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm glad someone else remembers this and that I didn't just forget to take the crazy pills this morning.

  7. How well did the ad brand censor? by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    every mention of:

    Taiwan been the real China?

    No Tibet.
    The history of the Communist party?
    The cartoon bear meme?
    The 1984 book.
    The Animal Farm book?
    No talking of the personality cult.
    The 1989 Tiananmen Square protests

    At a US ad brand all that Communist censorship for China was a universal celebration.
    No saying no to full communist censorship at the US ad brand.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    1. Re:How well did the ad brand censor? by rtb61 · · Score: 3

      Every mention of developing and testing a mass censorship search engine, in China out of the western public eyes, to THEN BE USED IN THE WEST.

      Now that's the reality, Chinese in China the off balance sheet test subjects for mass censorship, to then be deployed globally brought to you by the cunts at Google.

      It is rapidly becoming an embarrassment to work for Google, now best buddies with Trump and the US War industrial complex, Google helping them to search out all those oppose to US corporate global dominance and KILL the, be proud Googlites, be fucking proud, you can brag to your children how many people your software will silence, either in speech or in life.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    2. Re:How well did the ad brand censor? by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Re It always was "an embarrassment to"
      work for an ad company.
      Now a purveyor of top quality censorship.

      Looks good on a long CV..
      Pushed ads past ad blocking browsers.
      Worked on a new browser to better push ads.
      Fully supported Communist China do better censorship.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    3. Re: How well did the ad brand censor? by astrofurter · · Score: 2

      Google is already censored in America. Has been for a long time. Welcome to the brave new world.

    4. Re: How well did the ad brand censor? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Second this. Google's success at censoring what the US sees was so obvious to China that they wanted some of that sweet mindfuck applied their own people.

  8. Google needs to fire those employees!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    IMHO, tech companies should/must never allow their employees trying to cancel any company projects!!!
    Because, if they do, those employees would try start making all company decisions, sooner or later!!!
    (& real management teams of those companies would turn to a joke!!!)
    & allowing that would cause massive loss for each tech company, sooner or later (because of lost business/money after spending a lot of time/effort each time)!!!

    IMHO, those employees, who are trying to stop Google from any government projects, are clearly ANTI-GOVERNMENT (aka) ANARCHISTS (aka TRAITORS)!!!
    IMHO, they clearly need to be fired ASAP, otherwise they would keep trying new tricks against Google management, non-stop!!!

     

  9. As requested by the Chinese government by Shaitan · · Score: 2

    "platform, known as Dragonfly, which was designed to blacklist information about human rights, democracy, religion, and peaceful protest"

    Europe, you should remember this and that Chinese companies are state sponsored when deciding whether to support them and purchase and install their telecom equipment in your networks. If you aren't building your own gear it is a given that you are being spied on, to think otherwise is naive. But inviting someone with these kind of values out of spite because you are upset to have what your own intelligence agencies have certainly been aware of and ignoring for decades confirmed is a horrible mistake.

    The US has been your strongest ally, we are at war, and you are smuggling resources to the enemy stronghold we've laid siege to instead of joining forces. And why are you stabbing us in the back? Because our President is a loudmouth with a bad tan?

    1. Re:As requested by the Chinese government by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because our President is a loudmouth with a bad tan?

      Seems reasonable enough. Your pumpkin head is friends with dictators and shits on allies. Apparently he's a good chance for reelection too. That shows you are all crazy.

      If America has gone insane (evidence suggests so) then you can expect your allies to dump you.

    2. Re:As requested by the Chinese government by Shaitan · · Score: 3

      So... he made or is making peace with a dictator so you are dumping us for giant anti-democracy ruled by a small council of authoritarians who annex countries like tibet, burn the pacifists alive, and bring in tanks and machine guns when their students protest. Oh and don't forget murder prisoners, preserve the bodies, and send them on a freakish display of how little they value human life around the world.

      Yes that makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't you trust those guys? I mean we've got a Churchhill like abrasive loudmouth over here.

    3. Re:As requested by the Chinese government by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, you better find your pills, fast. Your persecution complex and paranoia is getting out of hand.

    4. Re:As requested by the Chinese government by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Churchill, for all he was a racist mass murdering war-monger by his own admission, actually had something you and the Orangeoutan doesn't; a brain and real skills as a writer. The orange clown and his cohorts are so badly outclassed it's just comical that you try to make the comparison.

    5. Re:As requested by the Chinese government by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Churchill, eh? Do you know who else "made peace with a dictator"? *drumroll*

      Neville Chamberlain. Only, he was smart enough to realize it wouldn't work, he was just playing for time Britain desperately needed.

    6. Re:As requested by the Chinese government by Shaitan · · Score: 1

      I'm really failing to grasp the big risk. North Korea doesn't represent any particular threat other than blowing wind about Nukes they don't have. All the western nations have peace with a number of dictators, including Putin. There is no particular reason not to make peace with them. They are half way across the world, don't represent any particular threat to us and derive a good chunk of their trade revenue from us despite embargos due to S. Korea proxy deals. Why starve their people instead of making them trading partners. As far as I can tell the only reason they are so heavily militarized at this point is that they've been at war with the US for so long, in the meantime most people in the US have forgotten we even went to war with Korea. It was minor, short, and of little consequence.

      Last I checked Churchhill making peace with Stalin worked out for the UK. The US doing so kept the cold war cold and is the only reason WWIII hasn't happened yet and both have peace with Putin now.

      Maybe he'll stab us in the back somehow but spinning making peace as a bad thing is twisted.

    7. Re:As requested by the Chinese government by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1st AC again here...

      Pumpkin head isn't making peace so much as he is personal friends with Putin and Kim. He prevents the normal people in the American government from continuing sane anti-arsehole policies. That's because Pumpkin likes arseholes and doesn't like diplomats. He likes violent, anti-citizen dictators more than he likes anyone else but himself. Isn't that even a little bit sick-in-my-own-mouth for you too?

      As for trade, he's made sure that America is an unreliable trading partner, liable to increase tarrifs on anything at any time. The Chinese have jumped at the chance to appear normal in comparison. Yes, China looks sane and normal in comparison these days. That should alarm you.

      Every accusation you make against China's human rights record is entirely accurate. It is a disaster that Trump is so erratic and so irrational that he makes America a less attractive trading partner than the humanity destroying dictatorship of China.

  10. Shhhh.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See cret

  11. Well, if it was a US government program by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Googlers would be rioting in their cubicles. However, itâ(TM)s âoeonlyâ a repressive dictatorship China, so theyâ(TM)re all in, all singing and dancing.

    1. Re:Well, if it was a US government program by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Working for Communist China on censorship resulted in universal celebration at the ad company.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    2. Re:Well, if it was a US government program by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Meanwhile, Google/FaceBook/Twitter are censoring thoughts all over the globe. But censorship in China is worse, so it's the one that makes the news. Being beaten by a smaller stick or a bigger stick, we're all still being beaten in this game. Central internet resources (search, social networks of various kinds) are instruments of control.

  12. WindBourne lies constantly. ppl get used to it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  13. ants by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All empires run on slaves, but eventually they run out of conquered people to enlist as slaves, so they need to internalize slavery into the proles, usually by inculcating religious beliefs in them, but they can grind them down with patriotism and political correctness and propaganda, which google can expedite.

  14. Don't throw lying accusations around lightly by CaffeinatedBacon · · Score: 0

    Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away?

    /Ripley

    Even if the project was cancelled, they still need to evaluate the people who worked on it...

  15. "Of course, the real bonuses won't be tied to how it performs in testing, but rather how many dissidents are actually caught and jailed. And how much spying the US spy agencies can do on China using this, which is why they are probably secretly encouraging it."

    The thing is, spying on the dictatorship is a good thing. But is it worth the trade off?

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  16. Chas, Luckyo or WindBourne? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Which Amigo are you?
    Where does it say the project wasn't cancelled?

    No, it's not a lie. The performance reviews are for every project, even cancelled ones. Secret projects are not reviewed by open cross company groups, but instead smaller vetted groups, due to the risk of leaks.

    Even when a project is cancelled, you still need to evaluate the staff...

  17. No one cares about Google in China... by dwater · · Score: 1

    ...apart from westerners who use Google services and for them it is a right pita. Dragonfly might just result in Google stuff working for once.
    Even so, I guess very few Chinese people will use Google since they have native equivalents.
    The only effect that preventing dragonfly has is to give some feeling of moral superiority to some Google engineers and maintain the frustration for GMS users in China.

    --
    Max.
  18. China censored! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I just installed ipset on my Linux server and have censored all of China from my web server. The only hits I ever received from China were (suspected government) IPs that weren't even going after legitimate web pages, but were trying to hit .php and x09 etc pages. I believe China is continuously looking throughout the world for servers to break into.

  19. Maybe they are full of WindBournes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and don't even realize they are lying?
    But WindBourne has been shown his lies repeatedly, so unless he has a learning disability or some mental problems, he definitely knows he is lying.
    Not really the same then after all.