Hundreds of Google employees have written to the company to protest against plans to launch a “censored search engine” in China.<\/p>\n
They said the project raised “urgent moral and ethical questions” and urged the firm to be more transparent.<\/p>\n
“Currently we do not have the information required to make ethically-informed decisions about our work,” they added.<\/p>\n
Google, which has never spoken publicly about the plans, declined to comment.<\/p>\n
The firm, which is owned by Alphabet, quit China eight years ago in protest at the country’s censorship laws and alleged government hacks.<\/p>\n
However, reports last month claimed it had been secretively working on a new Chinese search service, referred to internally as Dragonfly.<\/p>\n
The platform, which still requires Chinese government approval, would block certain websites and search terms like human rights and religion.<\/p>\n
This has angered some employees who fear they have been unwittingly working on technology that will help China suppress free expression.<\/p>\n
In their letter, which was shared with various media organisations, they also argue it would violate the “don’t be evil” clause in Google’s code of conduct.<\/p>\n
“We urgently need more transparency, a seat at the table, and a commitment to clear and open processes: Google employees need to know what we’re building,” the letter said.<\/p>\n
It is not the first time Google employees have spoken out against the company’s decisions.<\/p>\n
In April, thousands of staff criticised its work on a US military programme developing artificial intelligence for drones.<\/p>\n
Google has since ended its AI contract with the Pentagon.<\/p>\n
China has the world’s largest internet audience but US tech firms have struggled to take off in China due to content restrictions and blockages.<\/p>\n
Facebook, Google, Twitter and Instagram are all banned, although Google still has three offices in the country.<\/p>\n
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