Google bosses were scrambling to contain leaks and internal anger…after the company’s confidential plan to launch a censored version of its search engine in China was revealed by The Intercept. Just a few hundred of Google’s massive 88,000-strong workforce had been briefed on the project prior to the revelations…Publicly, Google has so far stayed silent about Dragonfly. The company has refused to address dozens of reporters’ questions about the project, and has instead issued a boilerplate statement saying that it does “not comment on speculation about future plans.”…

Google previously launched a censored search engine in China in 2006, but pulled the service out of the country in 2010, citing Chinese government efforts to limit free speech, block websites, and hack Google’s computer systems. The planned relaunch would represent a stunning reversal of that decision…

Human rights groups responded to the revelations with a chorus of condemnation. Amnesty International issued a statement calling on the internet giant to abandon the plan…A spokesperson for the New York-based group Human Rights in China said that Google had shown willingness to “trade principles and values for access to the Chinese market.” …Human Rights Watch, said Google’s plans risked abetting Chinese government abuses…