Ethics in the Workplace
Project Dragonfly, Google’s censored search engine
While I do believe it is good to have an employee committee review all projects their companies get involved with, I am not sure if I agree with this topic in particular. Given that Google is an American based company, I do not believe that citizens of another country should have the right to judge another society based on their cultural and personal values. There are many past examples as to why this is bad for another country, and can cause lasting problems for the country and it's evolution. China is already a good example of this. The current state of the country and their isolationism can be related to past events such as Japan's invasion during WWII or even furthur back to the Sphere's of Influence by European powers during the Colonial Era. While I understand the ethical implications of developing a censored search engine for China's government, I do not believe it is right for Google or it's employees to refuse to work with China or even not follow China's directives when developing for their country. Not following China's directives could cause a bloody revolution or civil war with the blood of millions on the hands of said company and it's employees. It is fine to hope for the best possible outcome when giving others access to information, but it is not possible to control how they interpret or use that information. On the offset, if you work with China's government and follow it's directives, there is a path to slowly build trust with the country and in best case scenario, influence the evolution of the country on a more positive path. I personally feel this is the best answer.