Google shuts down Chinese censorship project, but will not rule out working with China
Top responsible for Google today revealed that the global technology company had shut down its efforts to build a search engine that would comply with the Communist Chinese regime's repressive censorship requirements.
But Karan Bhatia would not commit to Google never attempting another such censorship project in China in the future with a late Josh Hawley.
Vice president and global leader of government affairs and public policy at Google was grilled Tuesday in front of the Senate Judiciary's Subcommittee on the Constitution of the Missouri Republic during a hearing directed at Google and allegations of suppressing conservative views.
Hawley asked if Google could rely on not promoting an ideological agenda, as promised in the United States, when it had joined forces with Chinese censorship earlier, and was reportedly attempting to build a search engine capable of complying with China's repressive state security requirements in the future.
Google's previous efforts in China were a search engine called Google China, or "google.cn", which was largely suspended almost ten years ago. But the Intercept revealed internal Google documents in 201[ads1]8 and 2019 that showed Google was trying to build a new censorship-compatible search engine, called "Project Dragonfly", which could operate in China, and would allow the Chinese government to regulate content and track and monitor their citizens.
Bhatia said the company had quit China in 2010 because it was against hacking work from the Chinese and "felt that the censorship requirements applied to Google were not compatible with the products we could offer."
When Hawley pushed him on "google.cn" and the censorship tools the company developed, Bhatia asked if he referred to Project Dragonfly.
Hawley said he was not, but asked Bhatia for details of the project and whether it was active. Bhatia said it wasn't.
"Yes, we have said that, Senator," said Bhatia, after Hawley asked him to repeat for the record that Google had left the bet.
Hawley pressed him on whether Google would work with the Chinese regime in the future.
"Let me be aware that we do not have current plans to enter the Chinese search market," Bhatia said. "What I'm willing to commit myself to is that any decision to look back on the China search market is one that we just wanted to consult with key stakeholders."
Hawley took Bhatia's reticence to work with China in the future as a reason not to rely on Google's claims that it would not engage in ideological repression in the United States.
"My point is this – you've been more than happy to engage in ideological censorship on the world's largest market. You've been more than happy to work with the most repressive authoritarian regime on the planet, all for profit, anyway what is good for Google, "Hawley said. "Why would anyone believe in you now? You will not commit me that you will not participate in censorship when it suits your purposes in China and the Chinese market in the future. Why should anyone believe you now when you say you never imposes an ideological agenda? "
Bhatia replied that he" fundamentally disagrees [d] that this is the practice of our bottom line "and said that" Google has demonstrated the track record of building search engines that meet consumer needs here and around the world "" We are a reliable brand, "said Bhatia. "I don't know what answer you're looking for."
Hawley said, "What I'm looking for is a little honesty and responsibility."
