Ex-Google scientist raises concerns over Dragonfly project in Senate letter – TechCrunch



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In a letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, former Google scientist Jack Poulson explains why he left the company in late August. The note, sent earlier this week, details growing concerns over the Dragonfly project, the search giant's attempt to enter the Chinese market significantly.

The letter came as the Senate was ready to question Google's new privacy officer, Keith Enright, about data issues. It seems likely that the subject of Dragonfly will be on the agenda of committee members. Last month, nearly 1,400 employees signed a letter stating that the project "was increasing[s] urgent moral and ethical issues ".

"It's worth noting that Project Dragon was well engaged by the time the company released its artificial intelligence principles," wrote Poulson in his own letter. "As understood by human rights organizations, investigative journalists, Google employees and the public, Project Dragon is in direct contradiction with the commitment of AI principles not to […] human rights. & # 39; "

Poulson points to four specific issues that have caused concern internally within the company. The list includes the link between search queries and phone numbers and a blacklist of search terms, including "human rights", "student protest" and "Nobel prize", developed jointly with the Chinese government. The former employee also highlights the government's control over the air quality data and the "catastrophic failure of the internal privacy review process."

Yesterday, there were reports of CEO Sundar Pichai meeting with Republican lawmakers to discuss Google's Chinese plans and the GOP's concerns about research bias.

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