GOOGLE MIGHT BE LAUNCHING A CENSORED VERSION OF ITS SEARCH ENGINE

Google has been planning to launch a censored version of its search engine in China, under the project codename Dragonfly.

The Google project started last year in April after Sundar Pinchai's meeting with the government in China. Google engineers are in the process of building an Android mobile app likely be launched in 6-9 months after the government's approval in China.

Google pulled out of China in 2010 after criticism from civil rights groups and the US government for allowing censored results, leaving the market open to Baidu. Rumours of Google’s comeback have been circling for a while.

The company has been slowly entering the Chinese market by launching its Translate app in China and opening an AI research lab in Beijing during 2017. Google also struck a patent licensing deal with local internet giant, Tencent, in January this year. A more recent move has been the launch of an AI-powered mini-app game on WeChat’s platform.

The question remains whether Google has any more chance to win over the Chinese search engine market. Another question is whether the company will face resistance from its own staff. The project has been revealed to The Intercept through an anonymous source who is against Google attempts to ignore its "Don’t Be Evil" motto.

The (successful) refusal of Google staff to work for the US military has proved that workers have a say in the company’s future.