Top Search giant Google is reportedly getting all set to relaunch a censored search engine in China after a long interval of 7-8 years. The company previously stopped the functioning of its Chinese search engine back in 2010, to abide by the government's strict regulations over contents of the web. The company is about to launch the censored search engine in a custom Android app.
The insight was primarily traced by The Intercept, which reported that Google's upcoming China only search engine would restrict websites and search terms about human rights, democracy, religion, police brutality and peaceful protest. According to the documents provided by a Whistleblower to The Intercept, the development of the censored search engine started back in spring 2017, under the codename: "Dragonfly."
Google's Censored Search Engine's Progress:
The progress of the project revamped after Google CEO Sundar Pichai had a meeting with Wang Huning, a respective representative of China's ruling party. The company even announced an AI research center in Beijing afterward the meeting. Google even launched a file management app for the Chinese population, according to Mashable.
What Results Will The Censored Search Engine Generate:
Potential facts about the search engine's specifications have also been revealed. Sources suggested that the dedicated search engine will filter out contents which are against China's internet censorship policies and laws. Also, the engine would block sensitive queries. According to The Verge, The censorship will also be applicable to Google's image search, spell check, and suggested search features.
Effects of The Great Firewall of China:
The internet is already censored with heavy terms. The Great Firewall has already banned a huge number of websites which are related to sensitive topics like religion, police brutality, freedom of speech, and democracy. Patrick Poon, a researcher with Amnesty International, stated the Google is ready to comply with the Chinese ruling party's high-level internet censorship policies. He further added: "The biggest search engine in the world obeying the censorship in China is a victory for the Chinese government - it sends a signal that nobody will bother to challenge the censorship anymore..."
However, there are still barriers left for Google to overcome before the launch of this censored search engine as it has to pass the parameter of "confidence within Google," satisfying the terms of the search engine app. The search giant has to get the approval from the officials of Bejing as well. The official launch date for the censored search engine app is a mystery for now,
