Google's secret effort to develop a censored version of its search engine for China has sparked hundreds of employees to sign a letter in protest, according to The New York Times.
"Google employees need to know what we're building," reads the letter, which has been circulating on the company's internal message boards.
The letter demands that Google adopt a new "transparency and oversight" process on company products. This includes setting up a review system staffed by employees that can assess the ethical ramifications of Google projects and share the findings across the company.
"We urgently need more transparency, a seat at the table, and a commitment to clear and open processes," the letter adds. According to The Times, over 1,000 employees have signed the document.
News of Google's work on the censored search engine was first reported earlier this month by The Intercept, which noted that only a few hundred staffers out of Google's 88,000 employee workforce were aware of the secret project.
Dubbed Dragonfly, the project involves the development of an Android app that'll block access to websites and search terms about human rights, democracy, religion and peaceful protest — topics Chinese authorities often censor in an effort to silence dissent. According to The Intercept, Google planned on launching the app in six to nine months, pending approval from the Chinese government. However, the protest letter from the Google employees might very well derail the whole project.
Earlier this year, employees at the tech giant protested another Google project that involved helping the Pentagon develop an AI system to analyze drone footage. To voice their opposition, the employees also circulated an internal letter that received at least 3,000 signatures. A few employees even quit. By June, the growing pressure compelled Google to end its effort on the Pentagon AI project.
Whether or not Google will consider abandoning Dragonfly remains unclear. So far, the company hasn't publicly commented on the existence of the secret project.
It isn't the first time Google has tried to launch a censored search engine for China. Back in 2006, the company launched Google.cn, which complied with local rules on content regulation. However, four years later, the company pulled the plug on the website and decided to largely exit the Chinese market, amid repeated disputes with the country's government over censorship.
Over time, Chinese authorities began to block all Google products from the country as part of a larger online censorship push. By 2014, about all Google products including Gmail and Google Maps were no longer accessible from the country, unless you used a VPN service.