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posted by martyb on Friday September 14 2018, @09:55AM   Printer-friendly
from the now-searching-for-a-job dept.

Senior Google Scientist Resigns Over "Forfeiture of Our Values" in China

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.

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.

Poulson, who was previously an assistant professor at Stanford University's department of mathematics, said he believed that the China plan had violated Google's artificial intelligence principles, which state that the company will not design or deploy technologies "whose purpose contravenes widely accepted principles of international law and human rights."

He said that he was concerned not just about the censorship itself, but also the ramifications of hosting customer data on the Chinese mainland, where it would be accessible to Chinese security agencies that are well-known for targeting political activists and journalists.

In his resignation letter, Poulson told his bosses: "Due to my conviction that dissent is fundamental to functioning democracies, I am forced to resign in order to avoid contributing to, or profiting from, the erosion of protection for dissidents."

"I view our intent to capitulate to censorship and surveillance demands in exchange for access to the Chinese market as a forfeiture of our values and governmental negotiating position across the globe," he wrote, adding: "There is an all-too-real possibility that other nations will attempt to leverage our actions in China in order to demand our compliance with their security demands."

Are the ~5 resignations indicative of fierce internal opposition or beleaguered acquiescence within Google?

Previously: Google Plans to Launch Censored Search Engine in China, Leaked Documents Reveal
Uproar at Google after News of Censored China Search App Breaks

Related: About a Dozen Google Employees Have Resigned Over Project Maven
"Don't be Evil" Disappearing From Google's Code of Conduct
Google Will Not Continue Project Maven After Contract Expires in 2019
Google Boots Open Source Anti-Censorship Tool From Chrome Store


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  • (Score: 3, Touché) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday September 14 2018, @03:01PM (8 children)

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Friday September 14 2018, @03:01PM (#734854) Journal

    Sign in and use a username, coward. What's the matter, are you afraid of getting doxxed?

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Touché=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Touché' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   3  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @03:15PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @03:15PM (#734860)

    Why? Nothing to be gained, and more to lose, by posting with a name on an informal news site.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @03:27PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @03:27PM (#734868)

    Are you planning on doxing all non-ACs or something?

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @03:44PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @03:44PM (#734872)

    What's the matter, afraid someone might post something you disagree with and not have a username and post history you can aggressively comb through?

    The only coward here is you. If SoylentNews has a problem with Anonymous posting, they can disable the feature. They can even just straight up integrate it with Facebook so you can all post with pictures of yourselves next to your comments.

    As long as Anonymous commenting is a usable feature here, it will be used. So quit your bitching and figure out how to argue against a point instead of a person.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @04:12PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @04:12PM (#734878)

      Woooooosh

    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday September 14 2018, @04:46PM (3 children)

      by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Friday September 14 2018, @04:46PM (#734896) Journal

      Aaaaand there goes the point zooming over your tiny head at a leisurely Mach 3.4...

      --
      I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @05:50PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @05:50PM (#734932)

        What was the point?

        • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @07:11PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @07:11PM (#734979)

          The point was Azuma is a moron who responds to everything with non sequitur, and wants everyone else to post with accounts so they can look just as stupid as he does.