Google intends to launch a version dedicated to search engines in China to re-enter a thriving market that was abandoned eight years ago due to problems with the Chinese Great Wall, the state digital wall that does not allow free floating between the "bits" of the network. The plan comes as China has stepped up scrutiny of business relations involving Facebook, Apple and Qualcomm, following mounting trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. Google, which left the search engine market in China in 2010, is trying to re-enter China where many of its products are blocked by the authorities. The project is called "Dragonfly"And is in continuous development and evolution since 2017, now it is ready. The project resumed after a meeting last December between Google CEO Sundar Pichai and a senior Chinese government official.
However, words on human rights, democracy, religion and peaceful protests will be banned from the platform. The final version could be launched in the next six to nine months, pending approval by Chinese officials. China's state-owned Securities Times, however, said the revelations about the Google search engine's return to China were untrue. But a Google employee confirmed to Reuters that the project is far from shelved. The employee, who asked Reuters anonymity, said he saw some slides and that many executives at VP level were aware of them. A Chinese official also said that Google is in close contact with the authorities of the "Cyberspace Administration of China" (CAC) about a well-known "modified" research program. The Chinese official also reported that the project does not currently have the approval of the authorities and that it is unlikely to be usable within the year. A report by the online technology magazine The Information also reported that Google is developing a news aggregation app for use in China, in accordance with the censorship laws of the country of the Dragon. Google and the CAC declined to comment on Reuters' requests for information. However, Google has confirmed that it has launched the idea of a series of mobile apps in China and that it is collaborating with local developers in this regard. The news, however, had repercussions on the most famous Chinese search engine Baidu which suffered losses in the US stock market. Baidu's shares fell 7,7% on Wednesday, despite posting better-than-expected quarterly results. Amnesty International, through its researcher in China, Patrick Poon, also said in an e-mailed statement that "Google doing so would create a chilling precedent and deliver a victory to the Chinese government. This also raises serious questions about what security measures Google is putting in place to protect users' privacy". Google's main search platform has been blocked in China since 2010, but has always attempted to enter the Chinese market. In January, Google joined the investment in Chushou, China's live-stream mobile gaming platform, and earlier this month launched an artificial intelligence (AI) game on Tencent Holdings' WeChat social app. Facebook is also banned in China, but Google will also insist in this direction to let the Fb platform enter. The reaction of Chinese public opinion was also strong, which in most cases expressed their appreciation of the American version of Google and not an all-Chinese “broken” and “censored” one. As is known, the Chinese have equipped themselves to circumvent censorship and are able to access the “free” version of Google via VPN (virtual private network).