Through the looking glass: Google has had several run-ins with the Chinese government and is finally caving to demands for a heavily restricted search engine. Project Dragonfly by Google is a custom censored search engine that makes oppression easier than ever before. China has some of the harshest laws that tech companies must comply with or face being banned from operating in the country. Google has been making a series of strategic investments into Chinese businesses as a way to indirectly gain access to one of the world’s largest markets, but now may be taking a more direct approach. Arriving under codename Dragonfly, Google is believed to be working on a search engine specifically for China that will be heavily censored. Search results will not include links to sites focusing on democracy, religion, human rights, or protests in addition to an array of other forbidden topics. Notable banned websites include BBC News and Wikipedia. Any search terms or site that goes against the views of Chinese officials is subject to being removed from search results. Two custom Android apps have already been created and demonstrated to the Chinese government under names Maotai and Longfei. A launch within the next six to nine months is expected contingent upon government approval. Google has been heavily restricted in China since 2010. The Great Firewall has been used to completely block access to Google Search across the country except in Hong Kong, which operates as an independent region and is not subject to the… [Read full story]
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