Google CEO refuses to answer "detailed questions" about China in a letter to the Senate

Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent a letter to US senators expressing concerns about his company's efforts in China. But in this document, he refused to answer specific questions about the project – a gesture that disgruntled lawmakers.

The project, called Dragonfly, is the company's apparent project to build a censored search engine for China, eight years after its retirement from the country.

Senators, including Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, and Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, have asked Google to provide specific information, such as how the product works or how it works with the authoritarian Chinese government.

"We are deliberately addressing these issues and we still do not know whether or not we could set up a research service in China," according to a copy of the letter sent to CNET by Warner's office. "As a result, we are not able to answer detailed questions."

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past, however, Google has stated that it was "not close" to launch a research service in China and that any work done in this country is "exploratory". The Intercept announced the news of the letter earlier Friday.

Friday, Warner criticized Google for its lack of transparency. "I was really disappointed with Google's response to our letter," he said in a statement. "Any effort to return to China could allow the Chinese government to repress and manipulate its citizens – Google owes us honest answers, otherwise it risks losing the trust of Congress and the public."

Pichai's letter, dated August 31, was sent to Warner and Rubio. But he was also addressed to Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas; Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon; Cory Gardner, a Colorado Republican; and Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat. Pichai's letter was a response to a previous missive from senators asking for more information about the Chinese project.

The effort also drew criticism from Google's workforce. A handful of employees reportedly abandoned the initiative. And about 1,000 employees signed an open letter asking the company to be transparent about the project and to create an ethical review process that includes core employees, not just senior executives.

Google did little to recognize the project. However, last month, Keith Enright, Google's Privacy Officer, confirmed at a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee that there was a Dragonfly project, but it did not work. Did not want to say more.

Pichai's reluctance to answer specific questions may not convince his detractors in Washington.

Legislators have been watching him closely since last month, when Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's director of operations, and Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, testified before the Senate about electoral security, misinformation and perceived bias in the media. business algorithms. Larry Page, CEO of Google's parent company, Alphabet, and Pichai, Google's CEO, were invited, but declined the invitation, angering lawmakers.

Pichai is expected to give his own testimony before Congress next month after the mid-term elections.

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