‘Google memo shows which data is kept by Chinese search engine’

An internal Google memo appears to have leaked revealing details of how Google, and likely the Chinese government, will track users of its Chinese search engine. For example, used IP addresses and links that are clicked are logged.

The memo ended up with The Intercept. This website previously provided details about the unannounced Chinese version of the Google search engine. Google seems to want to make far-reaching concessions to the Chinese government by keeping various records of its users. In addition to the IP address used and the links that are clicked, all searches are also tracked, and the location from which the user searches.

The memo also states that users must first log in before they can use the search engine. The Intercept previously reported that Chinese users must link their phone number to the search engine before they can start searching.

All information collected would be stored on servers in Taiwan. In addition, an unnamed Chinese company would gain access to the data. It is likely that the company in question has links with the Chinese government, so that the latter can exercise control over the use of the Google search engine.

According to The Intercept, the leak of the memo caused great anger among the management of Google. Recipients of the memo are said to have been asked by the human resources department to delete the e-mail in which they saw the memo. A tracking pixel would determine whether the recipients have read the request.

Last month, the first reports emerged that Google may be planning to release a censored version of its search engine in China, after having been inactive in the communist country for a long time. The reporting led to criticism from human rights organizations, after which American politicians asked Google for clarification. In an effort to allay the concerns, Google CEO Sundar Pichai previously said that the release of a Chinese search engine is still in an “exploratory phase”.