Google really is trying to build a censored Chinese search engine, its CEO confirms

Google on Monday finally confirmed a secretive project that's been fueling an employee-led backlash for weeks at the company: an effort to build a version of its search engine that complies with China's online censorship regime. The project, code-named Dragonfly, is not only real but is already performing to the satisfaction of top Google executives. And it could pave the way for Google to reenter China's online search market after nearly a decade. "If Google were to operate in China, what would it look like? What queries will we be able to serve?" chief executive Sundar Pichai said during an event hosted by Wired on Monday night.