SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — US internet giant Google, whose Android mobile operating system powers most of the world’s smartphones, said Sunday it was beginning to cut ties with China’s Huawei, which Washington considers a national security threat. In the midst of a trade war with Beijing, President Donald Trump has barred US companies from engaging in telecommunications trade with foreign companies said to threaten American national security. The measure targets Huawei, a Chinese […]
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Google disbands artificial intelligence ethics board
by Glenn Chapman Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google on Thursday confirmed that it has disbanded a recently assembled artificial intelligence ethics advisory panel in the face of controversy over its membership. The end of the Advanced Technology External Advisory Council (ATEAC) came just days after a group of Google employees launched a public campaign against having the president of conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation among its members. Another member of […]
EU fines Google 1.49 billion Euros for anti-trust breach
by Alex PIGMAN The EU’s powerful anti-trust regulator slapped tech giant Google with a new fine on Wednesday over unfair competition, in Europe’s latest salvo against Silicon Valley. In its third major decision against the search engine behemoth, Brussels sanctioned Google’s once popular AdSense advertising service, saying it illegally restricted client websites from displaying ads from ad service rivals. Google and the EU have been at loggerheads about the monopoly of Google over internet search […]
US warns of WTO action over ‘discriminatory’ new digital taxes
The US warned Tuesday it was considering a complaint at the World Trade Organization over “discriminatory” new taxes on American digital giants such as a Facebook and Google planned by France and other EU nations. “We think the whole theoretical basis of digital service taxes is ill-conceived and the effect is highly discriminatory against US-based multinationals,” Chip Harter, a Treasury official and US delegate for global tax talks, said in Paris. Speaking ahead of two […]
Google fights European copyright overhaul
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Internet giant Google on Monday urged the European Parliament to resist approving a planned overhaul of the bloc’s online copyright law that the company said would hurt Europe for “decades to come”. European lawmakers could vote as soon as next week on the landmark legislation that is intended to modernise copyright for the digital age but has set off a furious lobbying war in Brussels. Tech giants, artistic creators and […]
YouTube to block comments on most videos showing minors
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — YouTube said Thursday it will disable user comments on a broad array of videos featuring children to thwart “predatory behavior” after revelations about a glitch exploited for sharing of child pornography. The Google-owned video sharing service announced further steps to crack down on inappropriate comments a week after an investigation showing how comments and connections on child porn were being displayed alongside innocuous videos. “We recognize that comments […]
Google acquires Fossil smartwatch tech for $40 mn
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google agreed to pay $40 million for the smartwatch technology of the fashion and accessory group Fossil, the companies said Thursday, enabling the California tech giant to expand in the growing wearable tech market. As part of the deal, Texas-based Fossil Group’s research and development team working on the smartwatch will join Google, which will acquire the intellectual property for Fossil smartwatches, the firms said. The move would give […]
Google joins tech move east, to invest $1 bn in New York campus
by Rob Lever Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Google became the latest US tech giant to announce a major expansion plan, unveiling a $1 billion investment Monday to create a new campus that could double its New York City workforce to 14,000. The move by Google comes following Amazon’s announcement of new headquarters sites in New York and suburban Washington DC worth some $5 billion, and Apple’s $1 billion expansion to Texas and […]
Japan plans tighter regulation of tech giants
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan is planning to tighten regulation of tech giants like Google and Facebook after an expert panel called for better oversight on competition and privacy, an official said Thursday. Japan has followed in the footsteps of other countries in scrutinizing the dominant role played by the world’s largest information technology companies, including Big Four tech firms Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. The government has now issued a report based on expert […]
CEO says Google has ‘checks and balances’ against bias
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said Monday that the internet giant steers clear of “political bias,” 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 “to keep our country safe and secure.” The prepared remarks released Monday, a day ahead […]
Google launches AI-driven audio news feed
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google said Thursday it was launching a radio-style, on-demand audio news feed available on smart speakers, personalized with the help of artificial intelligence. The technology giant said it had partnerships with more than a dozen news organizations to deliver an audio feed in the same manner as its smartphone news feed. “This new experience will bring you an audio news playlist assembled in that moment, for you,” Google product […]
Google extends telecom service Fi to iPhones
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google said Wednesday it was expanding its “virtual” telecommunication service that was limited to select Android-powered smartphones to a wider range of devices, including iPhones. Freshly renamed “Google Fi” service aims to take on traditional carriers by letting people pay based on how much data they use and roam internationally. Fi was limited to newer Pixel handsets made by Google and a few Android-powered smartphones made by other companies […]





