Google must abandon its development of a censored search engine for China, dozens of NGOs demanded Tuesday, warning personal data would not be safe from Beijing authorities.

A global coalition of 60 human rights and media groups wrote to Google chief executive Sundar Pichai urging him to scrap the "Dragonfly" project, which has already sparked opposition from the US tech giant's own staff.

Pichai in October acknowledged publicly for the first time that the company is considering a Chinese search engine, saying it could offer "better information" than rival services.

But Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a signatory to the letter, said Pichai must think again.

"In addition to being totally opaque and contrary to the values that Google relies on, the Dragonfly project offers no guarantee of data confidentiality," said Cedric Alviani, director of RSF's East Asia Office.

"Beijing collects massive quantities of personal data for purposes of censorship and surveillance, including against journalists and their sources."

RSF said China ranked 176 out of 180 countries in its Freedom of the Press Index.

Google shut down its search engine in China in 2010, refusing Beijing's requirement to censor search results.

Pichai has described Dragonfly as an effort to learn what Google could offer if it resumed its search operations in the world's second largest economy.

However, opposition to the plans is growing.

Amnesty International warned last month that a search application designed to filter out censored content from results could damage all internet users' trust in Google, the world's leading search engine.

Some 90 Google employees in November posted an open letter saying the service would set a dangerous precedent.

US internet titans have long struggled with doing business in China, home of a "Great Firewall" that blocks politically sensitive content, such as the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and The New York Times website are blocked in China, but Microsoft's Bing search engine continues to operate.

Related Links
Hospital and Medical News at InternDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

China mulls $720,000 fine for faking vaccine tests after scandal
Beijing (AFP) Nov 12, 2018
Chinese vaccine manufacturers who falsify test results or break other rules could be fined up to $720,000 under a new law proposed after a scandal that fulled public fears over domestically made medicine. The law would regulate areas including production, distribution and use of vaccines, according to a draft posted Sunday on the website of China's market regulator. The country was earlier this year rocked by a scandal that saw a manufacturer of rabies vaccines fabricating records. While a ... read more