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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 can reveal.
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.
Or does it not? China denies google's plans for a censored version
[...] Chinese state-owned Securities Times, however, said reports of the return of Google's search engine to China were not true, citing information from "relevant departments".
But a Google employee familiar with the censored version of the search engine confirmed to Reuters that the project was alive and genuine.
On an internal message board, the employee wrote: "In my opinion, it is just as bad as the leak article mentions."
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @01:40AM (4 children)
Now that they have shown they CAN and WILL squelch speech on command, every government on the planet will demand the same, and if they refuse, they can expect more fines and sanctions.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 03 2018, @01:50AM (2 children)
This ^
If Google is willing to cooperate with one government to censor the web, then Google is able to cooperate with other governments. Or, worse, just impose their own brand of censorship, above and beyond any government requirements.
We've often commented on the algorithms Google uses. My results for any given search don't exactly match another person's results. Most of that is driven by targeted advertising. Some of that seems to be driven by the echo chamber effect. How much of it may be the result of Google exercising censorship powers? How would you even know?
This seems yet another good reason (maybe the best reason) to use multiple search engines. Don't rely on Google alone.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @02:12AM (1 child)
First they came for the Chinese, but I was not Chinese and I hate them damn reds so I said nothing.
Then they came for ASIS but they're a bunch of looney religious nuts so I said nothing.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to cry out.
THEN I RELOADED MY c-AR!
and they regretted modding me down. i mean mod down those pinko commies but next thing you know the mods come for you! we're slippin' down that slope.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @03:37AM
We're gonna get you! We're gonna get you! We're gonna get you!
JOIN US!
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @03:34AM
Meh. If you've been paying attention, you'd know that this was developed for the CIA. China merely gets to be the beta testers. Watch for information about 19th century economists and philosophers along with present-day class and workers' struggles being deindexed as fake news, and not just on their News product.
Unfortunately, it won't be one of those things that mysteriously go away one day unless we all decide we can no longer give Google/Alphabet our data.