Google Dragonfly links phone numbers to search results

Photo File: Anyone in China using Dragonfly will see his or her personal phone number associated with research, reports The Intercept.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved.)

Google is not doing a very good job of not being bad right now. This is mainly due to the revelation last August to develop a censored search engine for China called Dragonfly. But it turns out that Dragonfly is not just censored, it makes it easier for individuals to follow up for the Chinese government.

Dragonfly is only a prototype at the moment, but it has sparked ethical concerns, employee protests and even a senior Google researcher. If it was launched, it would adopt Chinese government censorship rules and suppress search results using terms deemed unsuitable for public consumption. It does not stop there, though.

As The Intercept reports, Dragonfly is thought to go beyond mere censorship of search results. Anyone in China using Dragonfly will have their personal phone number linked to the search. In theory, this means that if a blacklisted word is searched, Dragonfly would have a record of not only the search, but the phone used to do it. The Chinese authorities could then choose to actively follow or monitor the individual if they so wish.

Cynthia Wong, a senior Internet researcher at Human Rights Watch, said, "This poses a major privacy problem, as it would make it much more difficult to track and profile people with disabilities." avoid the kind of excessive government oversight that is pervasive in China. "

Although Dragonfly is a Google service using its search technology, Google would not be able to run the service directly. Instead, the more common practice of working with a Chinese partner company would be employed. This company would be responsible for ensuring Dragonfly continues to follow government guidelines and the latest blacklists. It is also believed that the results of weather and air pollution research will be provided by "an anonymous source in Beijing".

It makes sense that any company is working hard to establish a presence in China, but the public relations nightmare that it entails for Google does not seem to be worth it.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.