The internet search giant, does not live exclusively from advertising, As many people may think, but over the years, it has been buying companies to diversify its business, in addition to working for third parties such as the Pentagon.
Google works as a subcontractor for the Pentagon, in a pilot program that will allow identify objects of interest in both still and moving images so that this process is not only faster, but also to avoid the arduous work that it entails for the employees who currently perform it.
But it seems that Google employees do not look favorably on the company's participation in the Maven project, as it is called, and have initiated an official petition for the search giant to settle its collaboration in the project. A group of employees have formally sent a letter to Google CEO, Sundai Pichai, with the petition that has been signed by 3.100 employees. In the letter they state that this technology could be used for the construction of drones, drones that the American government routinely uses to bombard conflict zones from a distance.
But the fear of the employees does not lie in the possible use that the American government can make with the technology that Google is developing, but they fear that the relationship with it is strengthened and the company ends up creating war technology.
We believe that Google should not be in the business of war. Therefore, we ask that Project Maven be canceled and that Google develop, publish, and enforce a clear policy stating that neither Google nor its contractors will ever build war technology.
In the same letter, the company's employees sign that Google You cannot subcontract your moral responsibilities to third parties, citing the unofficial company motto "Don't be evil." But Google is not the only large company that has worked or currently works with the Pentagon. Jeff Bezos' company developed image recognition technology while Microsoft offers its Azure cloud services to the same ministry.
Google for its part, says the Pentagon I was using an open source object recognition system that the company offers through Google Cloud. It also claims that this technology is used to mark images and is intended to save lives. The relationship between Google and the Pentagon is not limited to this project, as Erick Schmiddt, former CEO of Google and current advisor to Alphabet, Google's parent company, is part of a committee of experts that advises the Pentagon called the Defense Innovation Board. a committee that is in charge of advising the ministry on the possibilities offered by the technology already available and the one to come.