Former Google Scientists Calls China Search Engine ‘Unethical’




/ 6 years ago

google spy

Former Google Scientists Calls China Search Engine ‘Unethical’

It’s been well documented over the last few months that Google is working on a search engine release for China. As you might expect, with this releasing in China there is a significant amount of censorship as to what the search engine would be allowed to show in its displayed results. China does, after all, have pretty much the worlds most heavily regulated internet service.

In a report via The Verge, a former Google Scientist has written an open letter to all US Senators calling the decision to proceed with it “unethical”.

Unpopular With Many Staff Members

Google’s decision to proceed has been very unpopular with staff. It has reportedly led to a number of protests, walk-outs and even resignations. One of the biggest recent concerns though was the revelation that the search engine might tie in searches to peoples phone numbers. This could potentially allow the government to track individuals search activity.

Jack Poulson, a former scientific researcher for Google, who resigned because of this, has sent an open letter to US Senators. In it, he says: “I was compelled to resign my position on August 31, 2018. In the wake of a pattern of unethical and unaccountable decision making from company leadership. This culminated in their refusal to disclose information about Project Dragonfly. A version of Google Search tailored to the censorship and surveillance demands of the Chinese government.”

Google's Guetzli JPEG Encoder Shrinks Sizes Up to 35% With Little Quality Loss

Growing Pressure

Despite all this though, the company still seems committed to proceeding with it. With China having an online population of over 800 million, it’s not hard to understand why. It is, however, certainly a decision that isn’t going down at all well. In addition, it also feels a little ‘un-Googly’. It certainly doesn’t sit very well with me.

What do you think? Do you think Google will carry on with this project? Do you think that they should stop? In addition, is this decision ‘unethical’? – Let us know in the comments!


Topics: , , ,

Support eTeknix.com

By supporting eTeknix, you help us grow and continue to bring you the latest newsreviews, and competitions. Follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram to keep up with the latest technology news, reviews and more. Share your favourite articles, chat with the team and more. Also check out eTeknix YouTube, where you'll find our latest video reviews, event coverage and features in 4K!

Looking for more exciting features on the latest technology? Check out our What We Know So Far section or our Fun Reads for some interesting original features.

eTeknix Facebook eTeknix Twitter eTeknix Instagram eTeknix Instagram
  • Be Social With eTeknix

    Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Reddit RSS Discord Patreon TikTok Twitch
  • Features


Send this to a friend
})