Google used to have an iconic clause in its code of conduct that said, "Don't be evil." Yet the clause was recently and quietly sent down the memory hole.

Given the recent House Judiciary Committee hearing involving Google CEO Sundar Pichai to testify on issues like the secretive Dragonfly project that would install a special censorship search engine for Chinese citizens…it's a little creepy.

Did Google symbolically peel off its last visage of propriety when it dropped its don't-be-evil clause?

Gizmodo reported in May that the "don't be evil" concept went through a metamorphosis:

Google's unofficial motto has long been the simple phrase "don't be evil." But that's over, according to the code of conduct that Google distributes to its employees. The phrase was removed sometime in late April or early May, archives hosted by the Wayback Machine show.

"Don't be evil" has been part of the company's corporate code of conduct since 2000. When Google was reorganized under a new parent company, Alphabet, in 2015, Alphabet assumed a slightly adjusted version of the motto, "do the right thing." However, Google retained its original "don't be evil" language until the past several weeks. The phrase has been deeply incorporated into Google's company culture—so much so that a version of the phrase has served as the wifi password on the shuttles that Google uses to ferry its employees to its Mountain View headquarters, sources told Gizmodo.

Side Note: Alphabet Inc created a sister subsidiary to Google called Waymo that has launched its self-driving cars in Arizona as we speak.

Here is what the old code of ethics looked like:

"Don't be evil." Googlers generally apply those words to how we serve our users. But "Don't be evil" is much more than that. Yes, it's about providing our users unbiased access to information, focusing on their needs and giving them the best products and services that we can. But it's also about doing the right thing more generally – following the law, acting honorably, and treating co-workers with courtesy and respect.

The Google Code of Conduct is one of the ways we put "Don't be evil" into practice. It's built around the recognition that everything we do in connection with our work at Google will be, and should be, measured against the highest possible standards of ethical business conduct….

The "don't be evil" concept was one of the standards that appealed to potential employees. Yet, it was met with its own critics for being vague and hypocritical. Define evil, Google – define it!

The updated version, however, is eerily sterile, and reads:

The Google Code of Conduct is one of the ways we put Google's values into practice.