Google

Tuesday, Oct 27, 2020 | Last Update : 12:10 PM IST

Google sends notices to Zomato, Swiggy, on IPL promos ‘violating’ Play Store norms

Zomato spokesperson said that the company will be replacing Zomato Premier League with another promotion by the weekend.

01 Oct 2020 12:01 AM

Thousands of Google employees walked out of work in protest in 2018 after The New York Times revealed Android creator Andy Rubin received $90 million in severance even though several employees had filed misconduct allegations against him. Shareholder lawsuits followed, and in 2019 Google launched a board investigation over how it handles sexual misconduct allegations. (Photo | AFP)

Google parent settles sexual misconduct lawsuit with $310M pledge toward diversity, equity programmes

Alphabet Inc. said Friday that it will prohibit severance packages for anyone fired or under investigation for misconduct.

26 Sep 2020 6:16 PM

The app relies on software developed by US technology giants Apple and Google, and in a bid to assuage privacy concerns, holds all the data generated on people’s phones and allows the information to be deleted easily. (Photo | AFP)

Britain's delayed virus app launched in England and Wales, after switching to Google-Apple API

The app uses Bluetooth to alert users if they spend 15 minutes or more within two metres of a user who subsequently tests COVID-19 positive.

24 Sep 2020 10:41 PM

Sberbank’s offerings include SmartMarket platform, on the lines of Apple’s AppStore and Google Play; virtual assistant Salute; TV streaming device SberBox; and SberPortal, Russia’s first multimedia smart display device that will go on sale in late 2020, and SberPrime subscriptions for films, TV series and songs in addition to grocery delivery service, like Amazon. (Wikimedia Commons - Владислав Фальшивомонетчик)

Russian bank Sberbank enters tech space in major move to rival Google, Facebook, Amazon

The bank-turned-tech-firm is set to launch a host of digital products and services first in Russia and later abroad, including India.

24 Sep 2020 9:50 PM

The anticipated lawsuit against Google by the Justice Department could be the government’s biggest legal offensive to protect competition since the ground-breaking case against Microsoft almost 20 years ago.

Antitrust case against Google gets ready as Trump administration seeks support for it from states

Lawmakers and consumer advocates say Google abuses its dominance in online search and advertising to kill competition and boost its profits.

24 Sep 2020 8:20 PM

TikTok’s interim CEO Vanessa Pappas proposed a meeting of safety officers from each company to work out details of a collective approach, “which we believe will help us all improve safety for our users”. (Photo | Pixabay - iXimus)

Come together to stop spread of suicide content, TikTok urges Facebook, Google, Snapchat, others

It is proposed that nine social media firms speedily identify violent, graphic content, including suicide, and swiftly notify the others.

22 Sep 2020 7:33 PM

Health officials initially targeted a 60% adoption rate for tracing apps, an optimistic goal based on an Oxford University study from April although researchers noted a lower uptake still helps if other measures, such as social distancing, are enforced. (Photo | AFP)

It's not even privacy that's the issue, yet Europe is cold to Covid apps

A few countries have scrapped their tracing apps and others have found so few users that the technology is not very effective.

22 Sep 2020 5:32 PM

Google Pay has started its own Tez Shots Campaign which says, “Score Runs to earn assured rewards worth up to Rs 1 lakh”. Yet Play Store policies that got Paytm temporarily removed did not apply to Google Pay, the home-grown digital financial services firm alleged.

Paytm accuses Google of following double standards on cashback policy, abusing its power

Paytm said it was “arm-twisted” to comply with biased Play Store policies “that are meant to artificially create Google’s market dominance”.

20 Sep 2020 7:47 PM

Facebook said will also make it clearer which parts of its Workplace internal message board is for discussing contentious political or social issues, and carefully moderate those conversations. (Representative Image)

As things get heated on internal message boards, Facebook mulls moderating employees' posts

A year ago on getting complaints about heated, abusive posts, Google told staff to be responsible and thoughtful on internal message boards.

18 Sep 2020 5:42 PM

Among the concerns is a fear that under the so-called News Media Bargaining Code, news businesses “will be able to somehow control their algorithms,” Australia’s fair trade regulator Rod Sims said. “We’ll engage with them and clarify that so that there’s no way that the news media businesses can interfere with the algorithms of Google or Facebook,” Sims said. (Photo | Wikimedia Commons - Sollok29)

Australia's pay-for-news law: Facebook, Google won't have to give out user data, says regulator

The final draft of the bill could be introduced into Parliament in late October.

17 Sep 2020 10:52 PM

If the US-based platforms could not agree with Australian media businesses on pricing after three months, arbitrators would be appointed to make binding decisions.

Would encourage Google, Facebook to cooperate with government on news pay plan, says Australian PM

“I think people from these companies understand that when I say something, I mean it,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters.

07 Sep 2020 5:01 PM

There were disagreements among the 40-lawyer team over how broad the complaint should be and what Google could do to resolve the problems that the investigation unearthed. The lawyers viewed the September-end deadline as arbitrary. (Photo | Wikimedia Commons - Shrijagannatha)

Google could face an antitrust case before the end of Trump's term, says report

A 40-lawyer team investigating Google was reportedly asked to wrap up by month-end, despite their seeking more time to make a strong case.

04 Sep 2020 6:50 PM

States in the US must choose whether they want to enable the Apple-Google system. If they do, iPhone users in those states will automatically be able to opt into the system without having to download an app. They’ll be prompted with a notification asking if they consent to running the system on their phones. For people with Android phones, Google will automatically generate an Android app for public health agencies that phone users can then download. (Photo | Pixabay - iXimus)

No app, no problem: US users can enable Apple-Google virus tracing tech incorporated into phones

The second phase of their “exposure notification” system automatically alerts people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus.

02 Sep 2020 4:03 PM

Facebook’s shares went up 5% on the news, as investors clearly think that competing ad networks run by the likes of Snap and Twitter are going to be put at a disadvantage while titans like Google and Facebook charge ahead. (Photo | AP)

Apple rule that apps must get user consent for targeted ads will hit small apps’ revenues: Facebook

Facebook says Apple’s rules could reduce what apps earn by advertising through Facebook’s audience network.

27 Aug 2020 5:08 PM

The release of internal emails, where Google engineers say the location tracking of users who disabled the feature was misleading, is embarrassing for a company that tries to build trust with billions of users of free services such as maps and online search, which in turn provide the personal information Google can use to target ads. Those ads generated more than $130 billion in revenue last year alone. (Photo | AFP)

'Location off should mean location off', Google engineers said after AP expose on tracking users

After the AP article two years ago, Google made changes to its privacy settings to make it easier for users to conceal their movements.

27 Aug 2020 2:19 PM

Trump has used Twitter in particular to stoke unsubstantiated doubts about mail-in voting, just months before Americans are expected to vote by mail in massive numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic. Google-owned YouTube will take down content aimed at manipulation, including “videos that contain hacked information about a political candidate shared with the intent to interfere in an election,” according to a statement. (Photo | AP)

If Trump loses, social media anticipates a fight, plans strategy to beat back misinformation

Facebook is considering options including a “kill switch” to shut off political advertising after election day to thwart misinformation.

22 Aug 2020 2:18 PM

The head of a US congressional antitrust committee contended that Big Tech companies are too powerful and will likely emerge from the coronavirus pandemic even stronger. (Photo | AFP)

Will US Federal Trade Commission's antitrust probe against Facebook lead to a lawsuit?

Facebook says Zuckerberg answered US regulators’ questions on antitrust practices, but FTC investigations do not always lead to lawsuits.

21 Aug 2020 3:12 PM

Alongside pop-ups warning “the way Aussies use Google is at risk”, which began appearing for Australian Google users on Monday, the tech titan also urged YouTube creators worldwide to complain to the nation’s consumer watchdog.

Google drafts YouTubers worldwide in campaign against Australia’s bid to make it pay for news

“The YouTube you know and love is at risk in Australia,” the company tweeted from its YouTube Creators account.

18 Aug 2020 5:23 PM

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission slammed Google’s “misinformation” and said the company would “not be required” to share additional user data with the news media or charge Australians to use its free services “unless it chooses to do so”. (Photo of Google CEO Sundar Pichai | Flickr - Nguyen Hung Vu)

Google slammed for spreading 'misinformation' to counter Australian law mandating it to pay for news

The tech giant in an open letter claimed it would be forced to hand over users’ search data to news media companies.

17 Aug 2020 2:07 PM

An industry group that includes Google, Microsoft, Reddit, Pinterest and Twitter has met with federal agencies including the FBI’s foreign influence task force to step up coordination on election interference. (Photo | AP)

Google joins other internet platforms to shield US election from disinformation

A coordinated effort is being made by online platforms to curb the spread of disinformation and thwart efforts to manipulate voters.

14 Aug 2020 11:36 AM

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Kushal Gulab

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