Besides Search, Google Will Also Build a Censored News App for China
Aug. 2, 2018It was reported yesterday that Google is building a modifiedversion of Google search on the conditions of the Chinese governmentand taking note of the censorship guidelines in the country. Now, another report says that not only will the tech giant build a web search platform for China, it is also likely tobuild a dedicated app for news reading and discovery.
The app will bebuilt in China itselfwith appropriate consideration for the mainland’s censorship regulations. It will alsorely on AI strongly and use special algorithms to suggest storiescontextually. A challenge in front of Google is that it will have to work hard to eliminate content that does not comply with China’s censorship policies. This is something that the company will have to inspect seriously to avoid any ban in the near future.
While the news app is intended to go live before the search app about which we learned yesterday, the ongoingtrade tension between China and the U.S.have resulted in unnecessary delays. Google has reportedly “struggled to further engage” the Chinese regulator for censorship due to this trade conflict between the two countries.
Notably,Google has been keen on investing in China, had also opened an AI Lab in Beijing and has partnered with leading internet giants in the country includingTencentand JD.com. It recently launched a modified version ofFiles Gowhile it also launched a game as a mini app for China’s most popular messaging service WeChat.
The Chinese government recently canceled its approval for Facebook to operate one of its companies in the country after the news broke out in the public. Similarly, it is unknown how so much of attention from the global media will play out for Google.
