Google researcher resigns to protest possible censored search engine in China



[ad_1]

Jack Poulson, a Google research scientist, put his money in his place.

He resigned from his post to protest Google's possible takeover of China, The Intercept reported on Thursday.

Google management acknowledged last month that she was planning to return to the communist country. A return would mean conceding to requests made by the Chinese government that Google censor the information.

The company has already built a search engine that would do just that, according to reports. From the history of the intercept:

"At the beginning of August, Poulson shared his concerns with Google's executives after The Intercept revealed that the Internet giant was secretly developing a Chinese search application for Android devices." , such as information on political dissidents, freedom of expression, democracy, human rights and peaceful demonstrations. "

Last year, thousands of Google employees rejected some management decisions. Earlier this year, more than 4,000 employees signed a petition demanding that Google officials stop working with the US military. In a secret agreement, Google provided the Pentagon with information tools to analyze video footage of drones.

Google responded by publishing a set of principles that, according to Mr. Pichai, would guide the company's use of AI. Among these is the promise never to build AI-enhanced weapons and never to create technology "whose purpose violates widely accepted principles of international law and human rights".

"Our policy is not to comment on individual employees," said a spokesman for Google in a statement.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai talks with reporters
Greg Sandoval / Sundar Pichai

Previously, Google had said that the search engine work for the Chinese market was "exploratory" and that CEO Sundar Pichai had said that any reintroduction into China of Google searches was imminent. The news that Google executives would be willing to censor information has stunned and confused some core employees.

Google stopped offering research in China in 2010, saying it could not accept censorship. The consequences on Google's moral positions led to a loss of revenue in the years that followed. China is a massive and growing market and military contracts are potentially worth billions. Still, many Google employees said they joined the company because of management's willingness to make exactly those kinds of decisions.

Poulson said at the interception that he thought he was one of five employees who resigned. He also said that in case of censorship of information in China, Google violated the principles of the company.

Poulson joins Tyler Breisacher, a former Google software developer, and a dozen other Google employees who have resigned in response to the company's military efforts.

[ad_2]
Source link