UPDATE (August 17, 2018): Google Admits It Has Chinese Censorship Search Plans – What This Means
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It has now been more than a week since public reports began surfacing alleging that Google has been working on a secret project — secret even from the vast majority of Googlers — to bring Chinese government-censored Google search and news back to China. (Background info at: “Google Haters Rejoice at Google’s Reported New Courtship of China” – https://lauren.vortex.com/2018/08/03/google-haters-rejoice-at-googles-reported-new-courtship-of-china).
While ever more purported details regarding this alleged effort have been leaking to the public, Google itself has apparently responded to the massive barrage of related inquiries only with the “non-denial denial” that they will not comment on speculation regarding their future plans.
This radio silence has seemingly extended to inside Google as well, where reportedly Google executives have yet to issue a company-wide explanation to the Google workforce, which includes many Googlers who are very concerned and upset about these reports.
With the understanding that it’s midsummer with many persons on vacation, it is still of great concern that Google has gone effectively mute regarding this extremely important and controversial topic. The silence suggests internal management confusion regarding how to deal with this situation. It’s upsetting to Google’s fans, and gives comfort to Google’s enemies.
Google needs to issue a definitive public statement addressing these concerns. Regardless of whether the project actually exists as reports have described — or if those detailed public reports have somehow been false or misleading — Google needs to come clean about what’s actually going on in this context.
Google’s users, employees, and the global community at large deserve no less.
Google, please do the right thing.
–Lauren–