Google may be coming to China—but it won’t be the open search engine most Americans are used to. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced that the company is exploring a search engine that would comply with the Chinese government’s censorship policies.
It’s been eight years since Google pulled out of the Chinese market, citing issues of free speech and government hacking into activists’ Gmail accounts. But now, Google’s Project Dragonfly aims to bring the company back to one of the world’s largest Internet markets, where it would serve over “99% of queries” from Chinese users.
But there’s a lot that 1% would leave out—like the #MeToo movement, the Tibetan independence movement, and information about China’s repression of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.
Over 170 Tibetan groups from across the globe have called on Google to drop the project, saying it would have an “immense negative impact” on human rights in China. It’s up to us to come together and stand with those who would be hit hardest by Project Dragonfly.
Call on Google to stand for freedom of information—in China and across the world—and stop Project Dragonfly now.
This is a far cry from Google’s old “do no evil” mantra. Which is why even Google employees are taking issue with Project Dragonfly—calling on the company to equip its engineers with more transparency to “make ethically-informed decisions about our work.”
As the Tibet Network says, this is a “critical moment” for tech ethics. We’ve seen what happens when tech companies comply with repressive state powers. That’s why our members have come together to call out companies like Facebook for silencing Rohingya and Palestinian activists, and for deactivating the account of Korryn Gaines at the behest of Baltimore police.
When Google pulled out of China in 2010, it criticized government restrictions that “strike at the heart of an open Internet.” But with its eyes on the lucrative Chinese market, it’s up to us to hold Google to its supposed values. Will you join the call for Google to refuse to comply with Chinese government censorship?
Google: don’t be a tool for censorship in China or anywhere else. Drop Project Dragonfly now!
More information
Google CEO tells Senators that censored Chinese search engine could provide “broad benefits”
The Intercept. 12 October 2018.
The Intercept. 12 October 2018.
Sundar Pichai: Google 'exploring' censored China search app
BBC News. 16 October 2018.
BBC News. 16 October 2018.