Google staff insist on ending the Dragonfly project

Google described the search application, known as Project Dragonfly, as an experience that was not close to launch. But as details have been leaked since August, current and former employees, human rights advocates and US lawmakers have blamed Google for not opposing the Chinese government's policy more severely. aimed at blocking sensitive results.

The human rights group Amnesty International also on Tuesday launched a public petition calling Google to cancel Dragonfly. The organization said it would encourage Google workers to sign the petition by targeting them on LinkedIn and demonstrating in front of Google offices.

In August, about 1,400 of Google's 10,000 workers asked the company to improve the monitoring of ethically dubious businesses, including Dragonfly.

Google has long sought to be more present in China, the largest Internet market in the world. It needs government approval to compete with the country's major local Internet services.

Employees who signed their names on Tuesday's letter said they have seen little progress and expect more colleagues to publicly support Dragonfly's cancellation.

The letter expresses concern that the Chinese government is tracking dissidents with search data and suppressing the truth by limiting the content.

"We oppose technologies that help the powerful to oppress the vulnerable, wherever they are," said the employees in a letter published on the Medium blogging service.

Employees said they no longer believed Google is "a company willing to place its values ​​on profits" and cited a series of "disappointments" this year, including the recognition of a significant gain to a leader accused of badual harbadment.

This incident triggered global protests at Google, which, like other major technology companies, has seen an acceleration of employee activism over the past two years as their services become an integral part of the civic infrastructure.

Google was not immediately available to comment.