US lawmakers ask Google if it will rejoin Chinese market, as research scientist resigns over issue

A bipartisan group of 16 US lawmakers asked Alphabet Inc’s Google on Thursday if it would comply with China’s internet censorship and surveillance policies should it re-enter the Chinese search engine market.

The questioning added to the pressure on Google to disclose precautions it would take to protect the safety of its users if Chinese regulators allow its search engine to operate.

More than 1,000 Google employees, six US senators and at least fourteen human rights groups have written to the company expressing concern about its China ambitions.

On Thursday, Jack Poulson, a research scientist who had worked for Google for more than two years, said he resigned because he felt the company was not honouring its commitment to human rights norms in designing the search app.

Poulson told Reuters that executives would not specify to him where the company would draw the line on agreeing to Chinese demands. “Unfortunately, the virtually unanimous response over the course of three very vocal weeks of escalation was: ‘I don’t know either,’” Poulson said.

He was among a handful who resigned, he told the Intercept online publication, which first reported on his action.