Tag Archives: Google

Google to pay a record $391m privacy settlement | BBC News

Posted on November 16, 2022 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Google will pay $391.5m (£330m) to settle allegations about how it collects data from users.

The technology giant tracked the location of users who opted out of location services on their devices, 40 US states said.

Google has been told to be transparent about location tracking in the future and develop a web page telling people about the data it collects.

It is the largest privacy-related multi-state settlement in US history.

A Google official said: “Consistent with improvements we’ve made in recent years, we have settled this investigation, which was based on outdated product policies that we changed years ago.”

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Tagged collecting data from users, Google, tracking location

Report: Amazon To Lay Off 10,000 Employees | Entrepreneur

Posted on November 15, 2022 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Amazon became the latest technology giant that’s likely to conduct large-scale layoffs, according to the New York Times. On Monday, the outlet reported that the company planned to lay off some 10,000 people, citing “people with knowledge of the matter.”

It’s the latest post-pandemic labor rout in the tech industry. Earlier this month, Twitter laid off roughly 3,000 employees. Meta laid off over 11,000 people last week. Google, Apple, and Disney have announced plans to cut costs or slow down hiring.

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Tagged Amazon, Apple, Disney, Google, lay offs

Google puts an end to Google Hangouts once and for all | TechCrunch

Posted on November 3, 2022 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Google Hangouts, a text, video and voice chat app built into Gmail, is finally being shut down today. As announced earlier this year, Google is switching Hangouts users over to Google Chat, the company’s Slack-like instant messaging app for businesses.

Starting today, November 1, the Google Hangouts web app is no longer available. This was the last Hangouts offering available to users. The Android and iOS apps died in July of this year.

Hangouts had an arguably slow death, with Google allowing users to migrate over to Chat in 2021. The company announced in June 2022 that it would prompt Hangout users to move to Chat in Gmail or the app.

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Tagged gmail, Google, Google Chat, Google Hangouts

What to do with your old phones, gadgets and other e-waste | CNN Business

Posted on October 18, 2022 by knjohn | Leave a comment

In the past two months, Apple, Google and Samsung have all unveiled their newest smartphones and other devices with the goal of getting consumers to upgrade ahead of the holidays. But in the process, these and other companies may also be adding to a growing problem: electronic waste.

The limited lifespan of many tech gadgets combined with few options to fix older devices, have caused the issue of e-waste to surge over the years. United Nation’s data indicates the world generated a staggering 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste in 2019, and only 17.4% of that was recycled.

Friday marks International E-Waste Day, an annual opportunity to reflect on the impacts of electronic waste and do more to repair or recycle them. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEE) Forum, a Brussels-based nonprofit that has spearheaded the occasion since 2018, said the focus this year is on taking action with the small bits of e-waste many people may unintentionally hoard, including your old cell phone, headphones, remote controls and computer mouse.

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Tagged Apple, e-waste, Google, old gadgets, old phones, Samsung

Google’s ‘delete last 15 minutes of search history’ feature comes to Android early | Mashable

Posted on March 22, 2022 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just click a button and just wipe, say, the last 15 minutes of your Google search history?

iPhone users have been living that dream since last summer, when Google rolled out that very option to its iOS app. Now Android users can now feel the joy of deleting your most recent search history with a single tap too.

Google is now rolling out the option to remove the last 15 minutes of a user’s search history to its official Android app, according to The Verge and confirmed by the search giant. Some Android users are already reporting that the feature is now available to them.

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Tagged Google, Google search history, search history

Google gets hit with a new lawsuit over ‘deceptive’ location tracking | TechCrunch

Posted on January 25, 2022 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Washington DC, Texas, Washington state and Indiana announced the latest lawsuit against Big Tech Monday, alleging that Google deceived users by collecting their location data even when they believed that kind of tracking was disabled.

“Google falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would allow customers to protect their privacy and control what personal data the company could access,” DC Attorney General Karl Racine said. “The truth is that contrary to Google’s representations it continues to systematically surveil customers and profit from customer data.”

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Tagged Google, Google lawsuit, location tracking

Google gives security keys to 10,000 high-risk users | BBC News

Posted on October 14, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Google is giving free physical USB security keys to 10,000 users at high risk of being hacked – such as politicians and human rights activists.

The USB keys provide two-factor authentication – an additional layer of security beyond a password.

Google says it wants to encourage people to join its “advanced protection programme” for high-profile users.

It follows news that the firm sent thousands of warnings to Gmail users who were targeted by hackers.

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Tagged Google, physical USB security keys, security keys

Google and Samsung Together Could Take on the Apple Watch | Digital Trends

Posted on May 20, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

At this moment in time, Apple owns the smartwatch space, and the Apple Watch’s status as the world’s bestselling watch is well-deserved. Google, on the other hand, has let Wear OS stagnate over the years, and while the dedicated companies that use Wear OS keep making great hardware, the software usually feels substandard.

Samsung makes the only true competitor to the Apple Watch. The Galaxy Watch 3’s fluid, well-designed Tizen software and innovative control system make it a winner, but it lacks Google apps and services. Neither Google nor Samsung can beat Apple on their own, but perhaps together they can?

That’s what was announced at Google I/O 2021. Google’s new “Wear” software is an exciting mash-up of Wear OS and Samsung’s Tizen, complete with Fitbit’s comprehensive health tech for good measure. Apple may not be shaking in its boots yet, but for the first time, it should be looking over its shoulder to see what’s coming.

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Tagged Apple, Apple Watch, Google, Samsung

Why can’t Google get a grip on rip-off ads? | BBC News

Posted on May 4, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Google has failed to stop “shyster” websites advertising on its search engine, despite promising to fix the problem, the BBC has found.

Adverts for unofficial services selling government documents such as travel permits and driving licences are against Google’s own rules.

But the BBC found adverts for expensive third-party sellers every time it searched during a 12-month period.

In a statement Google said it had taken down billions of rule-breaking adverts.

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Tagged Google, rip-off ads, rule-breaking adverts

Google parent Alphabet sees revenue jump 34% to $55.3 billion in the first quarter | CNN

Posted on April 28, 2021 by knjohn | Leave a comment

Alphabet kicked off a big week for tech earnings as the industry starts to look ahead to a post-pandemic economy by reporting a characteristically strong start to 2021.

Google’s parent company reported revenues of $55.3 billion for the first three months of the year — a 34% jump from the same period last year — and made close to $18 billion in profit, comfortably blowing past analyst estimates. It also announced a $50 billion stock buyback.

The company’s stock jumped nearly 4% in after-hours trading on Tuesday.

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Tagged Alphabet, first quarter, Google, revenue jump