Pichai strongly denied claims by President Donald Trump and his backers earlier this year that Google operates with a political agenda that suppresses conservative voices.<\/b>
\nGoogle chief executive Sundar Pichai said Monday that the internet giant steers clear of \u00ab\u00a0political bias,\u00a0\u00bb arguing that this is a core principle of its business to maintain trust of users.
Pichai also said privacy and security are essential parts of Google’s mission, and that the company is committed to working with the US government \u00ab\u00a0to keep our country safe and secure.\u00a0\u00bb
The prepared remarks released Monday, a day ahead of Pichai’s appearance at the House Judiciary Committee, come with Google under fire on several fronts, on issues around political bias, data security and its domination of internet search.
Pichai strongly denied claims by President Donald Trump and his backers earlier this year that Google operates with a political agenda that suppresses conservative voices.
\u00ab\u00a0Users also look to us to provide accurate, trusted information,\u00a0\u00bb he said. \u00ab\u00a0We work hard to ensure the integrity of our products, and we’ve put a number of checks and balances in place to ensure they continue to live up to our standards.\u00a0\u00bb
Pichai said Google strives to offer \u00ab\u00a0platforms for diverse perspectives and opinions\u00a0\u00bb without promoting its own agenda.
\u00ab\u00a0I lead this company without political bias and work to ensure that our products continue to operate that way. To do otherwise would go against our core principles and our business interests,\u00a0\u00bb he said.
Pichai said that Google – which earlier Monday speeded up the shutdown of its Google+ social network after a second data security bug was discovered – supports federal privacy legislation, without offering specifics.
\u00ab\u00a0Protecting the privacy and security of our users has long been an essential part of our mission,\u00a0\u00bb he said.
The tech CEO also sought to allay concerns that Google was snubbing American values by its decision this year to drop out of the bidding for a major Pentagon cloud computing project.
\u00ab\u00a0Even as we expand into new markets we never forget our American roots,\u00a0\u00bb he said.
\u00ab\u00a0It’s no coincidence that a company dedicated to the free flow of information was founded right here in the US. As an American company, we cherish the values and freedoms that have allowed us to grow and serve so many users.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n