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Google's Dragonfly: The Ethics of Providing a Censored Search Engine in China
Dal Bó, Ernesto , and Guo Xu
Publication date: 11/1/2020, pages 1-6

In 2018, a Google employee leaked that the world’s largest search engine was attempting to provide its service to China censored by the Communist Party. Google employees demanded explanations, protested, and even resigned over the secret Project Dragonfly. One whistleblower was motivated by moral concerns and lack of public scrutiny: "I’m against large companies and governments collaborating in the oppression of their people." This left employees, human rights advocates, and Western companies and governments analyzing the ethics of corporate involvement with authoritarian regimes. Could a technology giant’s presence in China improve the lives of citizens or simply legitimize autocracy? Also, what factors should employees weigh in deciding to remain loyal to company strategy versus voicing moral concerns?

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