A Belgian couple has grabbed headlines after they named their 11 children based on different variations of the same four English alphabets – A, E, L, and X.

Gwenny Blanckaert and Marino Vaneeno named their children— Alex (13), Axel (12), Xela (11), Lexa (10), Xael (9), Xeal (8), Exla (5), Leax (4), Xale (2), Elax (1) and Alxe (6 months).

The family of seven girls and four boys is also expecting baby number 12 – a boy – in April next year.

Gwenny, 32, revealed that the tradition began with the birth of their second child.

“My elder eldest son’s name is Alex, after Marino's stepfather because it was a beautiful name,” she told HLN, a Dutch news portal.

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“The name of our second son became Axel and after that, we started puzzling. We realised that they were the same letters, so we decided to continue like this,” she was quoted as saying.

In 2019, Gwenny and Marino said they planned to have more kids after giving birth to their ninth, who they named Xale, according to&nbsp;HLN.

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The couple said they were “over the moon” about the birth of their new son.

&nbsp;“It will be a boy. That will bring the final score to 7-5. Seven girls and five boys,” Gwynne said.

The four letters reportedly allow for 24 more different names, but Gwenny Blanckaert and Marino said they have no intention&nbsp;of having more than 12 children.

&nbsp;“Right from the start, we had set the bar at twelve. And we will stick to that. The day that we sit around the table with twelve children, our family is complete,” she said.

(With inputs from agencies)

A Belgian couple has grabbed headlines after they named their 11 children based on different variations of the same four English alphabets – A, E, L, and X. Gwenny Blanckaert and Marino Vaneeno named their children— Alex (13), Axel (12), Xela (11), Lexa (10), Xael (9), Xeal (8), Exla (5), Leax (4), Xale (2), Elax (1) and Alxe (6 months).

A Belgian couple has grabbed headlines after they named their 11 children based on different variations of the same four English alphabets – A, E, L, and X. Gwenny Blanckaert and Marino Vaneeno named their children— Alex (13), Axel (12), Xela (11), Lexa (10), Xael (9), Xeal (8), Exla (5), Leax (4), Xale (2), Elax (1) and Alxe (6 months). The family of seven girls and four boys is also expecting baby number 12 – a boy – in April next year. Gwenny, 32, revealed that the tradition began with the birth of their second child. “My elder eldest son’s name is Alex, after Marino's stepfather because it was a beautiful name,” she told HLN, a Dutch news portal. Also read | From FAANG to MANGA: Twitter users speculate future of tech companies “The name of our second son became Axel and after that, we started puzzling. We realised that they were the same letters, so we decided to continue like this,” she was quoted as saying. In 2019, Gwenny and Marino said they planned to have more kids after giving birth to their ninth, who they named Xale, according to HLN. Also read | This Taiwanese teacher uses porn site to teach calculus, earns $250,000 per year The couple said they were “over the moon” about the birth of their new son. “It will be a boy. That will bring the final score to 7-5. Seven girls and five boys,” Gwynne said. The four letters reportedly allow for 24 more different names, but Gwenny Blanckaert and Marino said they have no intention of having more than 12 children. “Right from the start, we had set the bar at twelve. And we will stick to that. The day that we sit around the table with twelve children, our family is complete,” she said. (With inputs from agencies)

A, E, L, X: A Belgian couple named their 11 kids using variations of these four letters

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon&nbsp;Musk's brain-chip startup, Neuralink,&nbsp;has raised $205 million in funding&nbsp;from Alphabet Inc's Google Ventures.

Neuralink aims to implant wireless brain-computer chips to help cure neurological conditions including Alzheimer's, dementia, and spinal cord injuries and fuse humankind with artificial intelligence.

The company released a video in April showing a male macaque playing a videogame "Mind Pong" after getting chips embedded on each side of its brain.

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First <a href="https://twitter.com/neuralink?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Neuralink</a> product will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs
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Valor Equity Partners, Craft Ventures and Founders Fund also participated in the series C funding round.&nbsp;

Co-founded by&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;in 2016, San Francisco-based Neuralink will use the funds to take its first product, N1 Link, to the market, and for research and development.

Musk&nbsp;has a history of bringing together diverse experts to develop technology previously limited to academic labs through companies such as Tesla Inc, SpaceX and Boring Co.

SpaceX, a private space company, said in an amended regulatory filing in April, it had raised about $1.16 billion in equity financing.

(With inputs from agencies)

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's brain-chip startup, Neuralink, has raised $205 million in funding from Alphabet Inc's Google Ventures. Neuralink aims to implant wireless brain-computer chips to help cure neurological conditions including Alzheimer's, dementia, and spinal cord injuries and fuse humankind with artificial intelligence.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's brain-chip startup, Neuralink, has raised $205 million in funding from Alphabet Inc's Google Ventures. Neuralink aims to implant wireless brain-computer chips to help cure neurological conditions including Alzheimer's, dementia, and spinal cord injuries and fuse humankind with artificial intelligence. The company released a video in April showing a male macaque playing a videogame "Mind Pong" after getting chips embedded on each side of its brain. First @Neuralink product will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2021 × Valor Equity Partners, Craft Ventures and Founders Fund also participated in the series C funding round. Co-founded by Musk in 2016, San Francisco-based Neuralink will use the funds to take its first product, N1 Link, to the market, and for research and development. Musk has a history of bringing together diverse experts to develop technology previously limited to academic labs through companies such as Tesla Inc, SpaceX and Boring Co. SpaceX, a private space company, said in an amended regulatory filing in April, it had raised about $1.16 billion in equity financing. (With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's brain-chip startup, Neuralink raises over $200 million

Google's parent Alphabet unveiled a new "moonshot" project to develop software for robotics which could be used in a wide range of industries.

To expand beyond its main search and advertising business,&nbsp;Google&nbsp;in 2015 established Alphabet as a holding company overseeing various "other bets", ranging from its autonomous vehicle unit to helium balloons that provide solar-powered internet services in remote areas.

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Intrinsic develops software tools designed to make industrial robots that can be used to make everything from solar panels to cars and has been incubating its technology at&nbsp;Google's research unit, X, for over five years.

The new unit, dubbed Intrinsic, will "become an independent Alphabet company," and seek industrial partners to advance their work helping to make everything from solar panels to cars,&nbsp;the new unit's chief, Wendy Tan-White,&nbsp;said in a blog post.

"Intrinsic&nbsp;is working to unlock the creative and economic potential of industrial robotics for millions more businesses, entrepreneurs, and developers," she said.

"We're developing software tools designed to make industrial robots ... easier to use, less costly and more flexible, so that more people can use them to make new products, businesses and services."

Intrinsic emerged from Alphabet X, the so-called "moonshot" project that launched self-driving car division Waymo and life sciences group Verily.

"We are currently looking for partners in the automotive, electronics, and health care industries who are already using industrial robotics and want to learn together," said Tan-White, who founded the website-building platform Moonfruit.

Intrinsic also may help "support a shift towards a more sustainable and equitable way" of manufacturing by facilitating low-cost production, she said.

"Currently only 10 countries&nbsp;manufacture 70 percent of the world's goods," she said. "This means most things are made far away from their end consumers, which drives&nbsp; global transport emissions, and many countries and businesses miss out on economic opportunities."

Known as Alphabet's "Moonshot Factory", X is a research and development unit that acts as a nursery for the company's many offshoot projects, such as Waymo, Wing, Makani, Loon and others, helping them take root as viable separate entities.

(With inputs from agencies)

Google's parent Alphabet unveiled a new "moonshot" project to develop software for robotics which could be used in a wide range of industries. To expand beyond its main search and advertising business, Google in 2015 established Alphabet as a holding company overseeing various "other bets", ranging from its autonomous vehicle unit to helium balloons that provide solar-powered internet services in remote areas.

Google's parent Alphabet unveiled a new "moonshot" project to develop software for robotics which could be used in a wide range of industries. To expand beyond its main search and advertising business, Google in 2015 established Alphabet as a holding company overseeing various "other bets", ranging from its autonomous vehicle unit to helium balloons that provide solar-powered internet services in remote areas. Intrinsic develops software tools designed to make industrial robots that can be used to make everything from solar panels to cars and has been incubating its technology at Google's research unit, X, for over five years. The new unit, dubbed Intrinsic, will "become an independent Alphabet company," and seek industrial partners to advance their work helping to make everything from solar panels to cars, the new unit's chief, Wendy Tan-White, said in a blog post. "Intrinsic is working to unlock the creative and economic potential of industrial robotics for millions more businesses, entrepreneurs, and developers," she said. "We're developing software tools designed to make industrial robots ... easier to use, less costly and more flexible, so that more people can use them to make new products, businesses and services." Intrinsic emerged from Alphabet X, the so-called "moonshot" project that launched self-driving car division Waymo and life sciences group Verily. "We are currently looking for partners in the automotive, electronics, and health care industries who are already using industrial robotics and want to learn together," said Tan-White, who founded the website-building platform Moonfruit. Intrinsic also may help "support a shift towards a more sustainable and equitable way" of manufacturing by facilitating low-cost production, she said. "Currently only 10 countries manufacture 70 percent of the world's goods," she said. "This means most things are made far away from their end consumers, which drives global transport emissions, and many countries and businesses miss out on economic opportunities." Known as Alphabet's "Moonshot Factory", X is a research and development unit that acts as a nursery for the company's many offshoot projects, such as Waymo, Wing, Makani, Loon and others, helping them take root as viable separate entities. (With inputs from agencies)

Google's parent Alphabet launches new robotics software company Intrinsic

Australian television and newspaper firm Seven West Media Ltd signed multi-year content deals with Facebook Inc and Google as tough new media laws enabled the industry to secure new revenue sources and adapt to the internet age.

The top-rating free-to-air broadcaster and publisher of Perth city's main metro daily said on Monday it would supply content for the Alphabet Inc unit's News Showcase platform for five years and to a similar Facebook product for three. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

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The arrangements mean the US&nbsp;"Big Tech" platforms are now committed to paying two of&nbsp;Australia's three largest traditional news outlets for content, marking an about turn just two months after they had vowed to quit the country over laws forcing them to pay for the links that drive traffic to their websites.

"These partnerships have been made possible by the introduction of the Media Bargaining Code," said Seven CEO James Warburton in a statement, referring to the law which gives the government power to intervene if domestic media companies can't reach agreement with a large internet provider.

"They underpin our sustainability and enable us to continue to build our digital platform."

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, which owns about two-thirds of&nbsp;Australian newspapers, signed global deals with the platforms in the past two months.

Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd, which competes with Seven in free-to-air and publishes the Sydney Morning Herald and&nbsp;Australian Financial Review newspapers, has said it signed a Google deal but is yet to finalise arrangements with Facebook.

Many smaller&nbsp;Australian media outlets, including the state-owned&nbsp;Australian Broadcasting Corp, have signed deals with Google or said they are open to doing deals with Facebook, which blocked all third-party content in&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;for a week in February to protest the laws.

Separately, Google said it passed the milestone of having 100&nbsp;Australian news titles contracted to supply content for News Showcase with a deal with regional publisher Times News Group, owner of seven regional mastheads in the country's south.

(With inputs from agencies)

Australian television and newspaper firm Seven West Media Ltd signed multi-year content deals with Facebook Inc and Google as tough new media laws enabled the industry to secure new revenue sources and adapt to the internet age.

Australian television and newspaper firm Seven West Media Ltd signed multi-year content deals with Facebook Inc and Google as tough new media laws enabled the industry to secure new revenue sources and adapt to the internet age. The top-rating free-to-air broadcaster and publisher of Perth city's main metro daily said on Monday it would supply content for the Alphabet Inc unit's News Showcase platform for five years and to a similar Facebook product for three. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. The arrangements mean the US "Big Tech" platforms are now committed to paying two of Australia's three largest traditional news outlets for content, marking an about turn just two months after they had vowed to quit the country over laws forcing them to pay for the links that drive traffic to their websites. "These partnerships have been made possible by the introduction of the Media Bargaining Code," said Seven CEO James Warburton in a statement, referring to the law which gives the government power to intervene if domestic media companies can't reach agreement with a large internet provider. "They underpin our sustainability and enable us to continue to build our digital platform." Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, which owns about two-thirds of Australian newspapers, signed global deals with the platforms in the past two months. Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd, which competes with Seven in free-to-air and publishes the Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Financial Review newspapers, has said it signed a Google deal but is yet to finalise arrangements with Facebook. Many smaller Australian media outlets, including the state-owned Australian Broadcasting Corp, have signed deals with Google or said they are open to doing deals with Facebook, which blocked all third-party content in Australia for a week in February to protest the laws. Separately, Google said it passed the milestone of having 100 Australian news titles contracted to supply content for News Showcase with a deal with regional publisher Times News Group, owner of seven regional mastheads in the country's south. (With inputs from agencies)

After news law feud, Australia's Seven West Media signs Google, Facebook deals

Google parent Alphabet Inc on Tuesday reported record profit for the second consecutive quarter and a $50 billion share buyback but warned a surge in usage and ad sales during the pandemic may slow as people resume in-person activities. 
 
With online consumer activity remaining elevated in the first quarter, Alphabet beat analysts` revenue estimates and nearly surpassed the sales record it set in the fourth quarter. 
 
Google ad sales jumped 32% in the first quarter compared with a year ago, above expectations of analysts tracked by Refinitiv. Cloud sales increased 45.7%, in line with estimates. 
 
Alphabet shares rose about 4.3% to $2,390.10 in extended trading. 
 
The results provided the first sign that Google services such as search and YouTube may hold on to gains made since lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions forced people to shop and communicate online over the last year. 
 
About 17% of people in the United States, Alphabet`s top region by revenue, were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the first quarter. Activities including in-person dining resumed in big cities in March, and security screenings at US&nbsp;airports had their busiest day in a year. 
 
But Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat told analysts on Tuesday, "it`s too early to forecast the extent to which these changes in consumer behavior and advertising spend will endure." 
 
Google Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler and Porat declined to comment on whether Google had seen a recovery in spending by travel and other industries that were major customers before the pandemic. 
 
Alphabet`s overall quarterly sales rose 34% to $55.3 billion, above analysts` estimate of 26% growth from a year ago and close to the $56.9 billion it reported in the fourth quarter. Revenue benefited by an unspecified amount from Google`s acquisition of smartwatch maker Fitbit in January. 
 
Alphabet`s quarterly profit was $17.9 billion, or $26.29 per share, beating estimates of $15.88 per share and topping its previous-high of $15.2 billion last quarter. 
 
But nearly $4 billion of earnings came from unrealized gains in venture capital investments and recalculating depreciation of some data center equipment. 
 
The high sales pushed operating margins up to 30% for the first time since incorporating as Alphabet in 2015 even as its costs began to pick up again for hiring, legal matters and building out new facilities. Alphabet in 2020 suffered its slowest sales growth in 11 years but posted record profit and boosted its cash hoard by $17 billion after slowing hiring and construction. 
 
The share repurchase authorization by Alphabet`s board follows a $25 billion buyback program announced in 2019. Jefferies analyst Brent Thill estimated Alphabet now has $56 billion left to spend buying its shares. 
 
Advertising rebound 
 
Google`s ad business, the global market leader as measured in sales, accounted for 81% of Alphabet`s first-quarter revenue. 
 
Schindler said retail, technology and consumer product companies were among big search advertisers in the quarter. 
 
Google Cloud, a distant rival to the cloud businesses of Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp, narrowed its operating loss to 44% to $974 million in the first quarter. But Porat told analysts not to glean too much from the drop because one-time factors, including the depreciation, were at play. 
 
Shares of Alphabet, 184th among companies in the S&amp;P 500 index, have surged 80% in the last year. Shares of top rival Facebook Inc, which had been up 62% during the last year entering Tuesday, rose 1.7% after hours. 
 
Though several concerns about Google`s long-term prospects have emerged in recent years, none have significantly affected sales. 
 
Resolution likely remains years away in privacy and antitrust lawsuits against Google that could result in changes to its ad operations. 
 
Discussions about changing US&nbsp;and European laws to impose new oversight on Google, Facebook and other companies, especially regarding privacy and artificial intelligence, have lagged as legislators have been distracted by the pandemic. 
 
Still, issues continue to emerge. On Monday, streaming TV technology company Roku Inc accused Google of engaging in anticompetitive behaviour to benefit its YouTube and hardware businesses. YouTube called them "baseless claims."

Google parent Alphabet Inc on Tuesday reported record profit for the second consecutive quarter and a $50 billion share buyback but warned a surge in usage and ad sales during the pandemic may slow as people resume in-person activities.

Google parent Alphabet Inc on Tuesday reported record profit for the second consecutive quarter and a $50 billion share buyback but warned a surge in usage and ad sales during the pandemic may slow as people resume in-person activities. With online consumer activity remaining elevated in the first quarter, Alphabet beat analysts` revenue estimates and nearly surpassed the sales record it set in the fourth quarter. Google ad sales jumped 32% in the first quarter compared with a year ago, above expectations of analysts tracked by Refinitiv. Cloud sales increased 45.7%, in line with estimates. Alphabet shares rose about 4.3% to $2,390.10 in extended trading. The results provided the first sign that Google services such as search and YouTube may hold on to gains made since lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions forced people to shop and communicate online over the last year. About 17% of people in the United States, Alphabet`s top region by revenue, were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the first quarter. Activities including in-person dining resumed in big cities in March, and security screenings at US airports had their busiest day in a year. But Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat told analysts on Tuesday, "it`s too early to forecast the extent to which these changes in consumer behavior and advertising spend will endure." Google Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler and Porat declined to comment on whether Google had seen a recovery in spending by travel and other industries that were major customers before the pandemic. Alphabet`s overall quarterly sales rose 34% to $55.3 billion, above analysts` estimate of 26% growth from a year ago and close to the $56.9 billion it reported in the fourth quarter. Revenue benefited by an unspecified amount from Google`s acquisition of smartwatch maker Fitbit in January. Alphabet`s quarterly profit was $17.9 billion, or $26.29 per share, beating estimates of $15.88 per share and topping its previous-high of $15.2 billion last quarter. But nearly $4 billion of earnings came from unrealized gains in venture capital investments and recalculating depreciation of some data center equipment. The high sales pushed operating margins up to 30% for the first time since incorporating as Alphabet in 2015 even as its costs began to pick up again for hiring, legal matters and building out new facilities. Alphabet in 2020 suffered its slowest sales growth in 11 years but posted record profit and boosted its cash hoard by $17 billion after slowing hiring and construction. The share repurchase authorization by Alphabet`s board follows a $25 billion buyback program announced in 2019. Jefferies analyst Brent Thill estimated Alphabet now has $56 billion left to spend buying its shares. Advertising rebound Google`s ad business, the global market leader as measured in sales, accounted for 81% of Alphabet`s first-quarter revenue. Schindler said retail, technology and consumer product companies were among big search advertisers in the quarter. Google Cloud, a distant rival to the cloud businesses of Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp, narrowed its operating loss to 44% to $974 million in the first quarter. But Porat told analysts not to glean too much from the drop because one-time factors, including the depreciation, were at play. Shares of Alphabet, 184th among companies in the S&P 500 index, have surged 80% in the last year. Shares of top rival Facebook Inc, which had been up 62% during the last year entering Tuesday, rose 1.7% after hours. Though several concerns about Google`s long-term prospects have emerged in recent years, none have significantly affected sales. Resolution likely remains years away in privacy and antitrust lawsuits against Google that could result in changes to its ad operations. Discussions about changing US and European laws to impose new oversight on Google, Facebook and other companies, especially regarding privacy and artificial intelligence, have lagged as legislators have been distracted by the pandemic. Still, issues continue to emerge. On Monday, streaming TV technology company Roku Inc accused Google of engaging in anticompetitive behaviour to benefit its YouTube and hardware businesses. YouTube called them "baseless claims."

Google parent Alphabet sets profit record, plans $50 billion buyback

Facebook said on Monday it planned two new undersea cables to connect Singapore, Indonesia and North America in a project with Google and regional telecommunication companies to boost internet connection capacity between the regions.

"Named Echo and Bifrost, those will be the first two cables to go through a new diverse route crossing the Java Sea and they will increase overall subsea capacity in the trans-pacific by about 70 per cent," Facebook Vice President of Network Investments, Kevin Salvadori said.

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The cables, according to the executive, will be the first to directly connect North America to some of the main parts of Indonesia and will increase connectivity for the central and eastern provinces of the world's fourth most populous country.

Salvadori said "Echo" is being built in partnership with Alphabet's Google and Indonesian telecommunications' company XL Axiata and should be completed by 2023.

Bifrost, which is being done in partnership with Telin, a subsidiary of Indonesia's Telkom, and Singaporean conglomerate Keppel is due to be completed by 2024.

The two cables, which will need regulatory approval, follow previous investments by Facebook to build up connectivity in Indonesia, one of its top five markets globally.

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While 73 per cent&nbsp;of Indonesia's population of 270 million are online, the majority access the web through mobile data, with less than 10 per cent using a broadband connection, according to a 2020 survey by the Indonesian Internet Providers Association.

Swathes of the country, remain without any internet access.

Facebook said last year it would deploy 3,000 km (1,8641 miles) of fibre in Indonesia across twenty cities in addition to a previous deal to develop public Wi-Fi hot spots.

Aside from the Southeast Asian cables, Facebook was continuing with its broader subsea plans in Asia and globally, including with the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN), Salvadori said.

"We are working with partners and regulators to meet all of the concerns that people have, and we look forward to that cable being a valuable, productive transpacific cable going forward in the near future," he said.

The 12,800 km PLCN, which is being funded by Facebook and Alphabet, had met U.S government resistance over plans for a Hong Kong conduit. It was originally intended to link the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

Facebook said earlier this month it would drop efforts to connect the cable between California and Hong Kong due to "ongoing concerns from the U.S. government about direct communication links between the United States and Hong Kong".

Facebook said on Monday it planned two new undersea cables to connect Singapore, Indonesia and North America in a project with Google and regional telecommunication companies to boost internet connection capacity between the regions.

Facebook said on Monday it planned two new undersea cables to connect Singapore, Indonesia and North America in a project with Google and regional telecommunication companies to boost internet connection capacity between the regions. "Named Echo and Bifrost, those will be the first two cables to go through a new diverse route crossing the Java Sea and they will increase overall subsea capacity in the trans-pacific by about 70 per cent," Facebook Vice President of Network Investments, Kevin Salvadori said. Also read| Facebook, Google CEOs suggest ways to reform key internet law The cables, according to the executive, will be the first to directly connect North America to some of the main parts of Indonesia and will increase connectivity for the central and eastern provinces of the world's fourth most populous country. Salvadori said "Echo" is being built in partnership with Alphabet's Google and Indonesian telecommunications' company XL Axiata and should be completed by 2023. Bifrost, which is being done in partnership with Telin, a subsidiary of Indonesia's Telkom, and Singaporean conglomerate Keppel is due to be completed by 2024. The two cables, which will need regulatory approval, follow previous investments by Facebook to build up connectivity in Indonesia, one of its top five markets globally. Also read| 'Hacktivism' adding to woes of cybersecurity at alarming rate While 73 per cent of Indonesia's population of 270 million are online, the majority access the web through mobile data, with less than 10 per cent using a broadband connection, according to a 2020 survey by the Indonesian Internet Providers Association. Swathes of the country, remain without any internet access. Facebook said last year it would deploy 3,000 km (1,8641 miles) of fibre in Indonesia across twenty cities in addition to a previous deal to develop public Wi-Fi hot spots. Aside from the Southeast Asian cables, Facebook was continuing with its broader subsea plans in Asia and globally, including with the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN), Salvadori said. "We are working with partners and regulators to meet all of the concerns that people have, and we look forward to that cable being a valuable, productive transpacific cable going forward in the near future," he said. The 12,800 km PLCN, which is being funded by Facebook and Alphabet, had met U.S government resistance over plans for a Hong Kong conduit. It was originally intended to link the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Facebook said earlier this month it would drop efforts to connect the cable between California and Hong Kong due to "ongoing concerns from the U.S. government about direct communication links between the United States and Hong Kong".

Facebook ties up with Google for project to lay down new undersea cables

Alphabet Inc's&nbsp;Google has announced&nbsp;that it will&nbsp;cut the service fee it charges developers on its app store by half on the first $1 million they earn in revenue in a year, after a similar move by rival Apple Inc last year.

Both the companies have come under fire from large firms such as Microsoft Corp, Spotify Technology SA, as well as startups and smaller companies, that allege the fees deprive consumers of choices and push up app prices.

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Google&nbsp;said in a blog post on Tuesday that it would cut app store fees to 15 per cent&nbsp;from 30 per cent&nbsp;effective July 1, a move that would impact most of the developers on its app store.&nbsp;

In contrast, Apple said in November it planned to lower its commissions only for developers who make $1 million or less in proceeds in a year from its app store.

Fortnite creator Epic Games said in a statement to Reuters that&nbsp;Google's move only alleviates some of the financial burden of developers.

"Whether it's 15 per cent&nbsp;or 30 per cent, for apps obtained through the&nbsp;Google&nbsp;Play Store, developers are forced to use&nbsp;Google's in-app payment services," Epic said.

Epic has been at loggerheads with Apple since August when the game maker tried to avoid paying fees on the iPhone maker's app store by launching its own in-app payment system, which prompted Apple to ban Fortnite from its store.

Data analytics firm Sensor Tower estimated that it could have cost&nbsp;Google&nbsp;about $587 million&nbsp;or about 5 per cent&nbsp;of the $11.6 billion it earned from&nbsp;Google&nbsp;Play last year had the service fee cut come into effect in 2020.

Alphabet Inc's Google has announced that it will cut the service fee it charges developers on its app store by half on the first $1 million they earn in revenue in a year, after a similar move by rival Apple Inc last year.

Alphabet Inc's Google has announced that it will cut the service fee it charges developers on its app store by half on the first $1 million they earn in revenue in a year, after a similar move by rival Apple Inc last year. Both the companies have come under fire from large firms such as Microsoft Corp, Spotify Technology SA, as well as startups and smaller companies, that allege the fees deprive consumers of choices and push up app prices. Also read| Four more US states join Texas-led antitrust lawsuit against Google Google said in a blog post on Tuesday that it would cut app store fees to 15 per cent from 30 per cent effective July 1, a move that would impact most of the developers on its app store. In contrast, Apple said in November it planned to lower its commissions only for developers who make $1 million or less in proceeds in a year from its app store. Fortnite creator Epic Games said in a statement to Reuters that Google's move only alleviates some of the financial burden of developers. "Whether it's 15 per cent or 30 per cent, for apps obtained through the Google Play Store, developers are forced to use Google's in-app payment services," Epic said. Epic has been at loggerheads with Apple since August when the game maker tried to avoid paying fees on the iPhone maker's app store by launching its own in-app payment system, which prompted Apple to ban Fortnite from its store. Data analytics firm Sensor Tower estimated that it could have cost Google about $587 million or about 5 per cent of the $11.6 billion it earned from Google Play last year had the service fee cut come into effect in 2020.

Google announces cut in app store fee by half on developers' first $1 million in sales

Alphabet Inc's&nbsp;Google has unveiled a&nbsp;$25 million global grant to non-profits and social enterprises globally, including in India, that are working on empowering girls and women.

The company, which has committed support of one million rural women entrepreneurs in India, also stated that its Internet Saathi digital literacy training programme has benefitted over 30 million women across the country.

Google's&nbsp;new Impact Challenge, a philanthropic initiative was unveiled on International Women`s Day by the company's CEO&nbsp;Sundar Pichai.

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the technology giant, is aimed at addressing systemic barriers and inequities so that women have access to economic equality, the opportunity to build financial independence, and pursue entrepreneurism, said Google chief executive Sundar Pichai at a virtual event.

"We are announcing a new commitment to allow 1 million women in the rural villages to become entrepreneurs, through business tutorials, tools, and mentorship," he added.

"In India, in the past few years, we have invested more than USD 40 million alongside the entrepreneurs, the innovators, the non-profits who are doing amazing work. We announced another million-dollar initiative building on that work, in particular, to help to acquire&nbsp;digital skills to those who are most vulnerable, including women," Jacquelline Fuller, Vice President at Google and President of Google.Org, said in a virtual briefing.

She added that one of the first initiatives under that effort is led by the NASSCOM Foundation, wherein the organisation is getting a $500,000 grant from Google.Org to support one lakh women agricultural workers.

"Whatever these teams need, we are going to be alongside them and help carry out their vision," said Jacquelline Fuller, President of Google.org, at the event.

The company said it will accept applications from teams worldwide until April 9.

Fuller also announced that Google.org is going to invest an additional $1 million to help underserved women in India. Even as India is the world`s second-largest internet market, women make up a small percentage of online users in the country.

Five years ago, Google launched a program called `Internet Saathi` to bring internet literacy to women in rural parts of India. The company said the program, for which it collaborated with Indian conglomerate Tata, significantly helped improve women`s participation on the Indian internet.

Four of 10 internet users in rural India are now women, said Google, up from one in 10 in 2015. The company, citing its own research, said the Internet Saathi program benefited more than 30 million women in India and that it`s now concluding the program to focus on other efforts to continue this mission.

Sapna Chadha, Senior Country Marketing Director at Google India and Southeast Asia, said based on learnings from the Internet Saathi program, the company has launched the Women Will web platform that will be complemented by community support, mentorship and accelerator programmes for rural women entrepreneurs.

Alphabet Inc's Google has unveiled a $25 million global grant to non-profits and social enterprises globally, including in India, that are working on empowering girls and women.

Alphabet Inc's Google has unveiled a $25 million global grant to non-profits and social enterprises globally, including in India, that are working on empowering girls and women. The company, which has committed support of one million rural women entrepreneurs in India, also stated that its Internet Saathi digital literacy training programme has benefitted over 30 million women across the country. Google's new Impact Challenge, a philanthropic initiative was unveiled on International Women`s Day by the company's CEO Sundar Pichai. Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the technology giant, is aimed at addressing systemic barriers and inequities so that women have access to economic equality, the opportunity to build financial independence, and pursue entrepreneurism, said Google chief executive Sundar Pichai at a virtual event. "We are announcing a new commitment to allow 1 million women in the rural villages to become entrepreneurs, through business tutorials, tools, and mentorship," he added. "In India, in the past few years, we have invested more than USD 40 million alongside the entrepreneurs, the innovators, the non-profits who are doing amazing work. We announced another million-dollar initiative building on that work, in particular, to help to acquire digital skills to those who are most vulnerable, including women," Jacquelline Fuller, Vice President at Google and President of Google.Org, said in a virtual briefing. She added that one of the first initiatives under that effort is led by the NASSCOM Foundation, wherein the organisation is getting a $500,000 grant from Google.Org to support one lakh women agricultural workers. "Whatever these teams need, we are going to be alongside them and help carry out their vision," said Jacquelline Fuller, President of Google.org, at the event. The company said it will accept applications from teams worldwide until April 9. Fuller also announced that Google.org is going to invest an additional $1 million to help underserved women in India. Even as India is the world`s second-largest internet market, women make up a small percentage of online users in the country. Five years ago, Google launched a program called `Internet Saathi` to bring internet literacy to women in rural parts of India. The company said the program, for which it collaborated with Indian conglomerate Tata, significantly helped improve women`s participation on the Indian internet. Four of 10 internet users in rural India are now women, said Google, up from one in 10 in 2015. The company, citing its own research, said the Internet Saathi program benefited more than 30 million women in India and that it`s now concluding the program to focus on other efforts to continue this mission. Sapna Chadha, Senior Country Marketing Director at Google India and Southeast Asia, said based on learnings from the Internet Saathi program, the company has launched the Women Will web platform that will be complemented by community support, mentorship and accelerator programmes for rural women entrepreneurs.

Google to provide $25 million to social enterprises working on women empowerment

Google is teaming up with the European Investment Fund (EIF) and two other organisations in Latin America and Asia to provide $75 million in funding to small- and medium-sized companies suffering from the impact of COVID-19.

The funds are part of an $800 million initiative announced in March last year in response to the pandemic.

Google, a unit of Alphabet, said on Wednesday that it would invest in two EIF funds, giving $15 million in loan capital to 1,000 European small businesses and $10 million in EIF’s venture capital fund backing 200 life sciences companies.

The EIF is part of the European Investment Bank group, the lending arm of the European Union.

In Latin America, Google will work with the Inter-American Development Bank to allocate $8 million to small companies.

It has also set up a $26 million loan fund with Kiva, an organisation that crowdfunds loans, to help businesses in Africa, the Middle East and Indonesia. Indian companies will get $15 million.

Google is teaming up with the European Investment Fund (EIF) and two other organisations in Latin America and Asia to provide $75 million in funding to small- and medium-sized companies suffering from the impact of COVID-19.

Google is teaming up with the European Investment Fund (EIF) and two other organisations in Latin America and Asia to provide $75 million in funding to small- and medium-sized companies suffering from the impact of COVID-19. The funds are part of an $800 million initiative announced in March last year in response to the pandemic. Google, a unit of Alphabet, said on Wednesday that it would invest in two EIF funds, giving $15 million in loan capital to 1,000 European small businesses and $10 million in EIF’s venture capital fund backing 200 life sciences companies. The EIF is part of the European Investment Bank group, the lending arm of the European Union. In Latin America, Google will work with the Inter-American Development Bank to allocate $8 million to small companies. It has also set up a $26 million loan fund with Kiva, an organisation that crowdfunds loans, to help businesses in Africa, the Middle East and Indonesia. Indian companies will get $15 million.

Google to invest $75 million in coronavirus-hit small businesses

Google on Wednesday backed the efforts of US President-elect Joe Biden&nbsp;to pass a new&nbsp;immigration law and would help cover application fees for immigrants seeking lawful work under a threatened government program.

In a bid to show its support for the administration, Google said on Wednesday it would pay for the application fees of about 500 young immigrants seeking employment under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

It comes as Google and other big US&nbsp;employers transition from four years of criticicing outgoing President Donald Trump for restricting immigration policy and undermining the companies' ability to hire foreign-born workers.

Biden said last week that he would propose unspecified immigration legislation to Congress "immediately" upon taking office on January&nbsp;20. Biden's Democratic Party will control Congress, boosting the chance his ideas become law.

"We will support efforts by the new Congress and incoming Administration to pass comprehensive immigration reform that improves employment-based visa programs that enhance American competitiveness, gives greater assurance to immigrant workers and employers, and promotes better and more humane immigration processing and border security practices," said Google senior vice president Kent Walker in a blog post.

Walker added Google's philanthropic arm would donate $250,000 to the organization United We Dream, which helps immigrants unlawfully living in the United States after arriving as children secure work permits and avoid deportation using the deferred action program, or DACA.

A court ruling expected soon threatens to pause renewals and applications for those permits, Walker said. Recipients are often called "Dreamers."

Google has in the past teamed with fellow large technology companies when making statements on immigration policy. But only one other tech company spoke out on the issue this week.

Uber Technologies Inc told Reuters it continued to support "Dreamers" and welcomed "the new Administration's effort to reform our nation's immigration system."

Google on Wednesday backed the efforts of US President-elect Joe Biden to pass a new immigration law and would help cover application fees for immigrants seeking lawful work under a threatened government program.

Google on Wednesday backed the efforts of US President-elect Joe Biden to pass a new immigration law and would help cover application fees for immigrants seeking lawful work under a threatened government program. In a bid to show its support for the administration, Google said on Wednesday it would pay for the application fees of about 500 young immigrants seeking employment under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. It comes as Google and other big US employers transition from four years of criticicing outgoing President Donald Trump for restricting immigration policy and undermining the companies' ability to hire foreign-born workers. Biden said last week that he would propose unspecified immigration legislation to Congress "immediately" upon taking office on January 20. Biden's Democratic Party will control Congress, boosting the chance his ideas become law. "We will support efforts by the new Congress and incoming Administration to pass comprehensive immigration reform that improves employment-based visa programs that enhance American competitiveness, gives greater assurance to immigrant workers and employers, and promotes better and more humane immigration processing and border security practices," said Google senior vice president Kent Walker in a blog post. Walker added Google's philanthropic arm would donate $250,000 to the organization United We Dream, which helps immigrants unlawfully living in the United States after arriving as children secure work permits and avoid deportation using the deferred action program, or DACA. A court ruling expected soon threatens to pause renewals and applications for those permits, Walker said. Recipients are often called "Dreamers." Google has in the past teamed with fellow large technology companies when making statements on immigration policy. But only one other tech company spoke out on the issue this week. Uber Technologies Inc told Reuters it continued to support "Dreamers" and welcomed "the new Administration's effort to reform our nation's immigration system."

Google backs Joe Biden's efforts to pass new immigration law

Social media giant&nbsp;Facebook on Friday offered the&nbsp;first-ever estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform.

Facebook's rivals Twitter and YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, do not disclose comparable prevalence metrics.

The world's largest social media company&nbsp;said&nbsp;out of every 10,000 content views in the third quarter, 10-11 were hate speech.

Facebook, under scrutiny over its policing of abuses, particularly around November's US&nbsp;presidential election, released the estimate in its quarterly content moderation report.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-social-media-companies-will-handle-post-us-election-scenarios-337122" hreflang="en">How social media companies will handle post-US election scenarios</a>

The tech giant, which has 1.82 billion daily users globally, has drawn flak in the past for its handling of hate speech on the platform in India, which is among its biggest markets.

In its Community Standards Enforcement Report for September 2020 quarter, Facebook said it is including the prevalence of hate speech on its platform globally "for the first time".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-takes-down-group-stop-the-steal-alleging-voter-fraud-by-democrats-342138" hreflang="en">Facebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats</a>

Facebook&nbsp;said it took action on 22.1 million pieces of hate speech content in the third quarter, about 95&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of which was proactively identified, compared to 22.5 million in the previous quarter.

The company defines 'taking action' as removing content, covering it with a warning, disabling accounts, or escalating it to external agencies.

On Instagram, the company took action on 6.5 million pieces of hate speech content (up from 3.2 million in June quarter), about 95 per cent of which was proactively identified (up from about 85 per cent in the previous quarter), it added.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/instagram-to-let-users-live-stream-for-up-to-four-hours-338583" hreflang="en">Instagram to let users live stream for up to four hours</a>

The latest Community Standards Enforcement Report provides metrics on how Facebook enforced its policies from July to September, and includes metrics across 12 policies on Facebook and 10 policies on Instagram.

Facebook Vice President (Integrity) Guy Rosen said the company is also updating its Community Standards website to include additional policies that require more context and can't always be applied at scale.

These policies often require specialised teams to gather more information on a given issue in order to make decisions, he added. 
The Community Standards Enforcement Report is published in conjunction with Facebook's biannual Transparency Report.

The Transparency Report shares numbers on government requests for user data, content restrictions based on local law, intellectual property takedowns and internet disruptions.

During the first six months of 2020, government requests for user data increased by 23 per cent from 140,875 to 173,592, it said.

This summer, civil rights groups organized a widespread advertising boycott to try to pressure&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;to act against hate speech.

The company agreed to disclose the hate speech metric, calculated by examining a representative sample of content seen on&nbsp;Facebook, and submit itself to an independent audit of its enforcement record.

On a call with reporters,&nbsp;Facebook's head of safety and integrity Guy Rosen said the audit would be completed "over the course of 2021."

The Anti-Defamation League, one of the groups behind the boycott, said&nbsp;Facebook's new metric still lacked sufficient context for a full assessment of its performance.

"We still don't know from this report exactly how many pieces of content users are flagging to&nbsp;Facebook, whether or not the action was taken," said ADL spokesman Todd Gutnick. That data matters, he said, as "there are many forms of hate speech that are not being removed, even after they're flagged."

Social media giant Facebook on Friday offered the first-ever estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform. Facebook's rivals Twitter and YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, do not disclose comparable prevalence metrics.

Social media giant Facebook on Friday offered the first-ever estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform. Facebook's rivals Twitter and YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, do not disclose comparable prevalence metrics. The world's largest social media company said out of every 10,000 content views in the third quarter, 10-11 were hate speech. Facebook, under scrutiny over its policing of abuses, particularly around November's US presidential election, released the estimate in its quarterly content moderation report. Also see: How social media companies will handle post-US election scenarios The tech giant, which has 1.82 billion daily users globally, has drawn flak in the past for its handling of hate speech on the platform in India, which is among its biggest markets. In its Community Standards Enforcement Report for September 2020 quarter, Facebook said it is including the prevalence of hate speech on its platform globally "for the first time". Also read: Facebook takes down group 'Stop The Steal' alleging voter fraud by Democrats Facebook said it took action on 22.1 million pieces of hate speech content in the third quarter, about 95 per cent of which was proactively identified, compared to 22.5 million in the previous quarter. The company defines 'taking action' as removing content, covering it with a warning, disabling accounts, or escalating it to external agencies. On Instagram, the company took action on 6.5 million pieces of hate speech content (up from 3.2 million in June quarter), about 95 per cent of which was proactively identified (up from about 85 per cent in the previous quarter), it added. Also read: Instagram to let users live stream for up to four hours The latest Community Standards Enforcement Report provides metrics on how Facebook enforced its policies from July to September, and includes metrics across 12 policies on Facebook and 10 policies on Instagram. Facebook Vice President (Integrity) Guy Rosen said the company is also updating its Community Standards website to include additional policies that require more context and can't always be applied at scale. These policies often require specialised teams to gather more information on a given issue in order to make decisions, he added. The Community Standards Enforcement Report is published in conjunction with Facebook's biannual Transparency Report. The Transparency Report shares numbers on government requests for user data, content restrictions based on local law, intellectual property takedowns and internet disruptions. During the first six months of 2020, government requests for user data increased by 23 per cent from 140,875 to 173,592, it said. This summer, civil rights groups organized a widespread advertising boycott to try to pressure Facebook to act against hate speech. The company agreed to disclose the hate speech metric, calculated by examining a representative sample of content seen on Facebook, and submit itself to an independent audit of its enforcement record. On a call with reporters, Facebook's head of safety and integrity Guy Rosen said the audit would be completed "over the course of 2021." The Anti-Defamation League, one of the groups behind the boycott, said Facebook's new metric still lacked sufficient context for a full assessment of its performance. "We still don't know from this report exactly how many pieces of content users are flagging to Facebook, whether or not the action was taken," said ADL spokesman Todd Gutnick. That data matters, he said, as "there are many forms of hate speech that are not being removed, even after they're flagged."

In a first, Facebook offers estimate of hate speech prevalence on its platform

Internet giant Google is at loggerheads with the justice department of the United States. CEO of google's parent company Alphabet Sundar Pichai and US district judge Amit Mehta has been decided to hear the case. Watch report.

US-Google lawsuit | Indian -born judge Amit Mehta to head case

Big technology monopoly is facing the heat in the United States after two significant reports on diverse issues highlighted how uniquely powerful they are.

A US&nbsp;House of Representatives panel looking into abuses of market power by four big&nbsp;technology companies found they used "killer acquisitions" to smite rivals, charged exorbitant fees and forced small businesses into "oppressive" contracts in the name of profit.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/key-moments-of-antitrust-hearing-bezos-snack-put-your-mask-on-316939">Key moments of antitrust hearing: Bezos' snack, 'Put your mask on'</a>

The antitrust subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee recommended that Alphabet Inc's&nbsp;Google, Apple Inc, Amazon.com&nbsp;and Facebook,&nbsp;with a combined market value of over $5 trillion, should not both control and compete in related businesses.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-why-the-monopoly-of-big-tech-needs-to-be-broken-334838/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The panel's report revealed that the tech giants have maintained their monopoly position&nbsp;by using the vast amounts of data they have&nbsp;gathered on consumers and other businesses in order to muscle out rivals, gain an advantage in new product markets and reduce innovation by others.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/ceos-of-apple-amazon-facebook-and-google-to-testify-in-congress-over-antitrust-issues-310090">CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google to testify in Congress over antitrust issues</a>

The scathing 449-page report, the result of the first such congressional review of the&nbsp;tech&nbsp;industry - suggested expansive changes to antitrust law and described dozens of instances where the companies misused their power, revealing corporate cultures apparently bent on doing what they could to maintain dominance over large portions of the internet.

"To put it simply, companies that once were scrappy, underdog startups that challenged the status quo have become the kinds of&nbsp;monopolies&nbsp;we last saw in the era of oil barons and railroad tycoons," the report said.

In anticipation of the report, Amazon warned in a blog post Tuesday against "fringe notions of antitrust" and market interventions that "would kill off independent retailers and punish consumers by forcing small businesses out of popular online stores, raising prices and reducing consumer choice."

Google said in a statement that it competes "fairly in a fast-moving and highly competitive industry. We disagree with today’s reports, which feature outdated and inaccurate allegations from commercial rivals about Search and other services."

Facebook called itself "an American success story" in response to the report. "We compete with a wide variety of services with millions, even billions, of people using them. Acquisitions are part of every industry, and just one way we innovate new&nbsp;technologies to deliver more value to people," the social network said.

Apple said, "Scrutiny is reasonable and appropriate but we vehemently disagree with the conclusions." The company also defended its commission rates and said it would issue a more extensive response in the coming days.

After more than a year of investigation involving 1.3 million documents and more than 300 interviews, the committee led by Democratic Congressman David Cicilline found companies were running marketplaces where they also competed, creating "a position that enables them to write one set of rules for others, while they play by another."

Coming just weeks before the November&nbsp;3 presidential election, the content of the report became increasingly political, an opportunity for Republicans and Democrats to boost their credibility in the fight against market domination by big&nbsp;tech&nbsp;companies.

That said, Congress is unlikely to act on the findings this year. Since the report reflects the views of the Democratic majority in the House, it sends a clear signal that should Joe Biden win the White House, the pressure on the companies could well continue.

Also, the report is likely to inform existing antitrust probes against the companies. Counsels for the committee, who did not wish to be identified, said they have been speaking to the Federal Trade Commission, which is investigating Facebook and Amazon. Also, Chairman Cicilline has been in contact with state attorneys general, who are investigating Facebook and Google, they said.

Separately, the US&nbsp;Justice Department is investigating large&nbsp;technology companies and is expected to bring a lawsuit against Google soon.

US lawmakers believe that&nbsp;tech platforms have used data to perpetuate a cycle of dominance that accrues to them more and more power. To keep their power in check punitive actions need to be taken.

Recommendations

The panel recommended companies be prohibited from operating in closely aligned businesses. While they did not name any one company, this recommendation would suggest that Google, which runs the auctions for online ad space and participates in those auctions, should potentially be required to separate clearly, or not even operate, the two businesses. For a factbox, click

Facebook's acquisition of Instagram in 2012 is another example of this. Instagram at the time was small and insignificant, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg saw its potential and noted that it was "building networks that are competitive with our own" and "could be very disruptive to us," the report said.

As part of the report, the committee staff drew up a menu of potential changes in antitrust law. The suggestions ranged from the aggressive, such as potentially barring companies like Amazon.com from operating the markets in which they also compete, to the less controversial, like increasing the budgets of the agencies that enforce antitrust law: the Justice Department's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission.

The report also urged Congress to allow antitrust enforcers more leeway in stopping companies from purchasing potential rivals, something that is now difficult.

The antitrust panel will take up the majority report after the October recess for formal adoption and will have a vote on it, the counsels for the committee said.

Big technology monopoly is facing the heat in the United States after two significant reports on diverse issues highlighted how uniquely powerful they are. A US House of Representatives panel looking into abuses of market power by four big technology companies found they used "killer acquisitions" to smite rivals, charged exorbitant fees and forced small businesses into "oppressive" contracts in the name of profit.

Big technology monopoly is facing the heat in the United States after two significant reports on diverse issues highlighted how uniquely powerful they are. A US House of Representatives panel looking into abuses of market power by four big technology companies found they used "killer acquisitions" to smite rivals, charged exorbitant fees and forced small businesses into "oppressive" contracts in the name of profit. Also see: Key moments of antitrust hearing: Bezos' snack, 'Put your mask on' The antitrust subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee recommended that Alphabet Inc's Google, Apple Inc, Amazon.com and Facebook, with a combined market value of over $5 trillion, should not both control and compete in related businesses. The panel's report revealed that the tech giants have maintained their monopoly position by using the vast amounts of data they have gathered on consumers and other businesses in order to muscle out rivals, gain an advantage in new product markets and reduce innovation by others. Also read: CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google to testify in Congress over antitrust issues The scathing 449-page report, the result of the first such congressional review of the tech industry - suggested expansive changes to antitrust law and described dozens of instances where the companies misused their power, revealing corporate cultures apparently bent on doing what they could to maintain dominance over large portions of the internet. "To put it simply, companies that once were scrappy, underdog startups that challenged the status quo have become the kinds of monopolies we last saw in the era of oil barons and railroad tycoons," the report said. In anticipation of the report, Amazon warned in a blog post Tuesday against "fringe notions of antitrust" and market interventions that "would kill off independent retailers and punish consumers by forcing small businesses out of popular online stores, raising prices and reducing consumer choice." Google said in a statement that it competes "fairly in a fast-moving and highly competitive industry. We disagree with today’s reports, which feature outdated and inaccurate allegations from commercial rivals about Search and other services." Facebook called itself "an American success story" in response to the report. "We compete with a wide variety of services with millions, even billions, of people using them. Acquisitions are part of every industry, and just one way we innovate new technologies to deliver more value to people," the social network said. Apple said, "Scrutiny is reasonable and appropriate but we vehemently disagree with the conclusions." The company also defended its commission rates and said it would issue a more extensive response in the coming days. After more than a year of investigation involving 1.3 million documents and more than 300 interviews, the committee led by Democratic Congressman David Cicilline found companies were running marketplaces where they also competed, creating "a position that enables them to write one set of rules for others, while they play by another." Coming just weeks before the November 3 presidential election, the content of the report became increasingly political, an opportunity for Republicans and Democrats to boost their credibility in the fight against market domination by big tech companies. That said, Congress is unlikely to act on the findings this year. Since the report reflects the views of the Democratic majority in the House, it sends a clear signal that should Joe Biden win the White House, the pressure on the companies could well continue. Also, the report is likely to inform existing antitrust probes against the companies. Counsels for the committee, who did not wish to be identified, said they have been speaking to the Federal Trade Commission, which is investigating Facebook and Amazon. Also, Chairman Cicilline has been in contact with state attorneys general, who are investigating Facebook and Google, they said. Separately, the US Justice Department is investigating large technology companies and is expected to bring a lawsuit against Google soon. US lawmakers believe that tech platforms have used data to perpetuate a cycle of dominance that accrues to them more and more power. To keep their power in check punitive actions need to be taken. Recommendations The panel recommended companies be prohibited from operating in closely aligned businesses. While they did not name any one company, this recommendation would suggest that Google, which runs the auctions for online ad space and participates in those auctions, should potentially be required to separate clearly, or not even operate, the two businesses. For a factbox, click Facebook's acquisition of Instagram in 2012 is another example of this. Instagram at the time was small and insignificant, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg saw its potential and noted that it was "building networks that are competitive with our own" and "could be very disruptive to us," the report said. As part of the report, the committee staff drew up a menu of potential changes in antitrust law. The suggestions ranged from the aggressive, such as potentially barring companies like Amazon.com from operating the markets in which they also compete, to the less controversial, like increasing the budgets of the agencies that enforce antitrust law: the Justice Department's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission. The report also urged Congress to allow antitrust enforcers more leeway in stopping companies from purchasing potential rivals, something that is now difficult. The antitrust panel will take up the majority report after the October recess for formal adoption and will have a vote on it, the counsels for the committee said.

Why United States wants to break apart tech monopoly

Wall Street's main indexes closed sharply lower on Thursday, marking their deepest one-day dives in months as investors dumped the high-flying&nbsp;technology&nbsp;sector, while economic data highlighted concerns about a long and difficult recovery.

The&nbsp;technology-centric Nasdaq led the declines as its heavyweight stocks took a hit with the biggest drags from companies including Facebook Inc, Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc, Microsoft Inc and Google-parent Alphabet Inc.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/e-commerce-giant-amazon-will-create-7000-jobs-in-the-united-kingdom-324991" hreflang="en">E-commerce giant Amazon will create 7,000 jobs in the United Kingdom</a>

The five stocks, deemed strong bets because of solid cash positions and continued growth despite the coronavirus crisis, also account for roughly a quarter of the S&amp;P 500's market value and have driven the stock market's narrow&nbsp;technology-led recovery from the pandemic lows hit in March.

The Philadelphia chip index and the S&amp;P tech sector also dropped more than 5 per cent&nbsp;each.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/global-economy-will-take-12-trillion-hit-from-covid-19-international-monetary-fund-308349">Global economy will take $12 trillion hit from COVID-19: International Monetary Fund</a>

The pullback comes a day after the S&amp;P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record levels and the Dow came within 1.5 per cent of its February peak, powered by fiscal and monetary support hopes for a swift economic recovery. But some participants said investors had become too optimistic.

Earlier in the day, data showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, but remained extraordinarily high. The closely watched monthly payrolls report is set for Friday

Separately, a survey showed US&nbsp;services industry growth slowed in August, likely as the boost from the reopening of businesses and fiscal stimulus faded.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 807.77 points, or 2.78 per cent, to close at 28,292.73, the S&amp;P 500 lost 125.78 points, or 3.51 per cent, to 3,455.06 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 598.34 points, or 4.96 per cent, to 11,458.10.

Wall Street's main indexes closed sharply lower on Thursday, marking their deepest one-day dives in months as investors dumped the high-flying technology sector, while economic data highlighted concerns about a long and difficult recovery.

Wall Street's main indexes closed sharply lower on Thursday, marking their deepest one-day dives in months as investors dumped the high-flying technology sector, while economic data highlighted concerns about a long and difficult recovery. The technology-centric Nasdaq led the declines as its heavyweight stocks took a hit with the biggest drags from companies including Facebook Inc, Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc, Microsoft Inc and Google-parent Alphabet Inc. Also read: E-commerce giant Amazon will create 7,000 jobs in the United Kingdom The five stocks, deemed strong bets because of solid cash positions and continued growth despite the coronavirus crisis, also account for roughly a quarter of the S&P 500's market value and have driven the stock market's narrow technology-led recovery from the pandemic lows hit in March. The Philadelphia chip index and the S&P tech sector also dropped more than 5 per cent each. Also read: Global economy will take $12 trillion hit from COVID-19: International Monetary Fund The pullback comes a day after the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record levels and the Dow came within 1.5 per cent of its February peak, powered by fiscal and monetary support hopes for a swift economic recovery. But some participants said investors had become too optimistic. Earlier in the day, data showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, but remained extraordinarily high. The closely watched monthly payrolls report is set for Friday Separately, a survey showed US services industry growth slowed in August, likely as the boost from the reopening of businesses and fiscal stimulus faded. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 807.77 points, or 2.78 per cent, to close at 28,292.73, the S&P 500 lost 125.78 points, or 3.51 per cent, to 3,455.06 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 598.34 points, or 4.96 per cent, to 11,458.10.

Tech tumble jams Wall Street into reverse; sharpest fall since June

Facebook's French subsidiary has agreed to pay $125 million&nbsp;(106 million euros)&nbsp;in back taxes and penalties following persistent government efforts to get online giants to pay more taxes where they make their money.

The agreement came after French tax authorities carried out an extensive audit of a decade of Facebook's operations in the country, from 2009-2018, a company spokesperson said Monday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-transparent-non-partisan-says-india-head-amid-political-controversy-322267" hreflang="en">Facebook 'transparent, non-partisan', says India head amid political controversy</a>

The&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;spokesman did not elaborate further on the details of the agreement. France's tax administration also did not give more details.

Facebook's spokesman also said that since 2018 the company had decided to include its advertising sales in France in its annual accounts covering France.

As a result,&nbsp;Facebook's total net revenue almost doubled in 2019 from a year earlier to 747 million euros, according to a copy of the company's 2019 annual accounts, filed with France's companies registry.

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Facebook&nbsp;France, which employs 208 people, refers to the French tax audit report in its 2019 annual accounts, saying it amounted to a tax adjustment of about 105 million euros. This includes a penalty of about 22 million, the annual accounts showed.

France, which is pushing hard to overhaul international tax rules on digital companies such as&nbsp;Facebook, Alphabet's Google, Apple and Amazon, has said the big tech groups pay too little tax in the country where they have significant sales.

Current international tax rules legally allow companies to funnel sales generated in local markets in Europe to their regional headquarters. Some of the tech companies, including&nbsp;Facebook, have European or international headquarters based in countries with comparatively low corporate tax rates, such as Ireland.

Facebook's French subsidiary has agreed to pay $125 million (106 million euros) in back taxes and penalties following persistent government efforts to get online giants to pay more taxes where they make their money.

Facebook's French subsidiary has agreed to pay $125 million (106 million euros) in back taxes and penalties following persistent government efforts to get online giants to pay more taxes where they make their money. The agreement came after French tax authorities carried out an extensive audit of a decade of Facebook's operations in the country, from 2009-2018, a company spokesperson said Monday. Also read: Facebook 'transparent, non-partisan', says India head amid political controversy The Facebook spokesman did not elaborate further on the details of the agreement. France's tax administration also did not give more details. Facebook's spokesman also said that since 2018 the company had decided to include its advertising sales in France in its annual accounts covering France. As a result, Facebook's total net revenue almost doubled in 2019 from a year earlier to 747 million euros, according to a copy of the company's 2019 annual accounts, filed with France's companies registry. Facebook France, which employs 208 people, refers to the French tax audit report in its 2019 annual accounts, saying it amounted to a tax adjustment of about 105 million euros. This includes a penalty of about 22 million, the annual accounts showed. France, which is pushing hard to overhaul international tax rules on digital companies such as Facebook, Alphabet's Google, Apple and Amazon, has said the big tech groups pay too little tax in the country where they have significant sales. Current international tax rules legally allow companies to funnel sales generated in local markets in Europe to their regional headquarters. Some of the tech companies, including Facebook, have European or international headquarters based in countries with comparatively low corporate tax rates, such as Ireland.

Facebook to pay $125 million in back taxes to France

Tesla Inc. asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval to market a short-range interactive motion-sensing device that could help prevent children from being left behind in hot cars and boost theft-prevention systems.

The California automaker wants permission to use unlicensed millimeter-wave sensors that would operate at higher power levels than allowed under existing rules.

Tesla’s device would utilize four transmit and three receive antennas driven by a radar front-end unit. Tesla says millimeter wave radar technology has advantages over other sensing systems like camera-based or in-seat occupant detection systems.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-invites-elon-musk-after-aliens-built-pyramids-tweet-318124">Also read:&nbsp;Egypt invites Elon Musk after 'aliens built pyramids' tweet</a>

The radar-based system “provides depth perception and can ‘see’ through soft materials, such as a blanket covering a child in a child restraint.”

Tesla added it “can differentiate between a child and an object left on the seat, reducing the likelihood of false alarms” and can detect “micromovements like breathing patterns and heart rates, neither of which can be captured by cameras or in-seat sensors alone.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/elon-musks-upcoming-neuralink-will-let-you-beam-music-directly-into-the-brain-314879">Also read:&nbsp;Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain</a>

Radar imaging, Tesla adds, can assess body size to optimize airbag deployment in a crash depending on whether an adult or child is seated, which it says would be more effective than existing weight-based, in-seat sensor systems.

It would also more accurately determine when to engage seat belt reminders.

The FCC is seeking public comment on Tesla’s request through September 21.

Tesla notes the FCC in 2018 granted a similar request for a device of Alphabet Inc’s Google that works under identical operating parameters.

Valeo North America submitted a request in March to the FCC for its in-vehicle safety-related monitoring device that would also detect children in cars. The request is pending.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says more than 50 children died when left behind in hot cars in both 2019 and 2018. Of those incidents, 54% occurred because someone forgot a child.

Tesla Inc. asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval to market a short-range interactive motion-sensing device that could help prevent children from being left behind in hot cars and boost theft-prevention systems.

Tesla Inc. asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval to market a short-range interactive motion-sensing device that could help prevent children from being left behind in hot cars and boost theft-prevention systems. The California automaker wants permission to use unlicensed millimeter-wave sensors that would operate at higher power levels than allowed under existing rules. Tesla’s device would utilize four transmit and three receive antennas driven by a radar front-end unit. Tesla says millimeter wave radar technology has advantages over other sensing systems like camera-based or in-seat occupant detection systems. Also read: Egypt invites Elon Musk after 'aliens built pyramids' tweet The radar-based system “provides depth perception and can ‘see’ through soft materials, such as a blanket covering a child in a child restraint.” Tesla added it “can differentiate between a child and an object left on the seat, reducing the likelihood of false alarms” and can detect “micromovements like breathing patterns and heart rates, neither of which can be captured by cameras or in-seat sensors alone.” Also read: Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain Radar imaging, Tesla adds, can assess body size to optimize airbag deployment in a crash depending on whether an adult or child is seated, which it says would be more effective than existing weight-based, in-seat sensor systems. It would also more accurately determine when to engage seat belt reminders. The FCC is seeking public comment on Tesla’s request through September 21. Tesla notes the FCC in 2018 granted a similar request for a device of Alphabet Inc’s Google that works under identical operating parameters. Valeo North America submitted a request in March to the FCC for its in-vehicle safety-related monitoring device that would also detect children in cars. The request is pending. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says more than 50 children died when left behind in hot cars in both 2019 and 2018. Of those incidents, 54% occurred because someone forgot a child.

Tesla seeks approval for sensor that could detect child left in hot cars

Tech giant Google on Monday announced that it will be setting up an India digitisation fund worth $10 billion (approximately ₹ 75,000 crores), which it will be deploying over the next 5-7 years to help India go digital. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/now-sundar-pichai-led-alphabet-joins-trillion-dollar-club-274895">Also read: Now, Sundar Pichai-led Alphabet joins a trillion-dollar club</a> 
 
"We will do this through a mix of equity investment, partnerships and an operational infrastructure ecosystem in India. This is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India and its digital economy," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said during the Google for India virtual conference.

"Second, building new products and services that are deeply relevant to India`s unique needs. Third, empowering businesses to continue or embark on digital transformation. And fourth, leveraging technology and Artificial Intelligence for social good in areas like health, agriculture and education," the Google CEO said.

"This is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India and its digital economy," Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, said on a webcast during the annual ‘Google for India’ event.

Remembering the old Doordarshan days Pichai said that "Every evening we were drawn to the television by Doordarshan’s special rendition of “Sare Jahan Se Accha.” I tried to explain this to my colleagues the other day, but I eventually gave up and just showed it to them on YouTube."

Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was also present during the conference.

“The way this new fund is going to be used from creating digital infrastructure and creating startups to further enhance their potential is something I would like to watch closely and personally. Our PM has already announced AtmaNirbhar Bharat where Indian entrepreneurs are being asked to create new digital products which are made in India. India's app economy is also growing,” said Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Tech giant Google on Monday announced that it will be setting up an India digitisation fund worth $10 billion (approximately ₹ 75,000 crores), which it will be deploying over the next 5-7 years to help India go digital.

Tech giant Google on Monday announced that it will be setting up an India digitisation fund worth $10 billion (approximately ₹ 75,000 crores), which it will be deploying over the next 5-7 years to help India go digital. Also read: Now, Sundar Pichai-led Alphabet joins a trillion-dollar club "We will do this through a mix of equity investment, partnerships and an operational infrastructure ecosystem in India. This is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India and its digital economy," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said during the Google for India virtual conference. "Second, building new products and services that are deeply relevant to India`s unique needs. Third, empowering businesses to continue or embark on digital transformation. And fourth, leveraging technology and Artificial Intelligence for social good in areas like health, agriculture and education," the Google CEO said. "This is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India and its digital economy," Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, said on a webcast during the annual ‘Google for India’ event. Remembering the old Doordarshan days Pichai said that "Every evening we were drawn to the television by Doordarshan’s special rendition of “Sare Jahan Se Accha.” I tried to explain this to my colleagues the other day, but I eventually gave up and just showed it to them on YouTube." Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was also present during the conference. “The way this new fund is going to be used from creating digital infrastructure and creating startups to further enhance their potential is something I would like to watch closely and personally. Our PM has already announced AtmaNirbhar Bharat where Indian entrepreneurs are being asked to create new digital products which are made in India. India's app economy is also growing,” said Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. (With inputs from agencies)

Google to invest ₹75,000 crore in India, sets up India Digitisation Fund

Alphabet Inc's Google on Monday said it would start showing fact-checking labels on Google Images search results globally, as tech companies come under increasing pressure to combat the viral spread of misleading claims online.

Google will display the "fact check" labels underneath thumbnails that appear in image search results along with a summary of third-party fact-checkers' findings, as it already does on its general search engine and on Google News results.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/technology/google-launches-experimental-app-keen-resembling-pinterest-307128" hreflang="en">Google launches experimental app 'Keen' resembling Pinterest</a>

The company started showing fact-checking labels to US&nbsp;viewers on its video platform YouTube in April in a bid to curb coronavirus misinformation, which exploded on social media as the pandemic intensified.

Tech companies have been facing calls to police content more aggressively in recent years, after their hands-off approach allowed fake accounts and false claims to become rampant online.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/google-to-ban-discriminatory-advertisements-targeting-housing-job-and-credit-card-305388" hreflang="en">Google to ban discriminatory advertisements targeting housing, job and credit card</a>

YouTube has surfaced links to sources such as Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia to address common hoaxes since 2018, but said in its April announcement that it would start directing efforts toward more fast-moving news cycles.

Shortly after that, it purged the wildly viral "Plandemic" video, which promoted a conspiracy theory about the pandemic to millions of viewers within just a few days.

Twitter and Facebook have also introduced fact-checking programs and warning labels for "manipulated media," although critics say the moves are too limited in scope.

Alphabet Inc's Google on Monday said it would start showing fact-checking labels on Google Images search results globally, as tech companies come under increasing pressure to combat the viral spread of misleading claims online.

Alphabet Inc's Google on Monday said it would start showing fact-checking labels on Google Images search results globally, as tech companies come under increasing pressure to combat the viral spread of misleading claims online. Google will display the "fact check" labels underneath thumbnails that appear in image search results along with a summary of third-party fact-checkers' findings, as it already does on its general search engine and on Google News results. Also read: Google launches experimental app 'Keen' resembling Pinterest The company started showing fact-checking labels to US viewers on its video platform YouTube in April in a bid to curb coronavirus misinformation, which exploded on social media as the pandemic intensified. Tech companies have been facing calls to police content more aggressively in recent years, after their hands-off approach allowed fake accounts and false claims to become rampant online. Also read: Google to ban discriminatory advertisements targeting housing, job and credit card YouTube has surfaced links to sources such as Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia to address common hoaxes since 2018, but said in its April announcement that it would start directing efforts toward more fast-moving news cycles. Shortly after that, it purged the wildly viral "Plandemic" video, which promoted a conspiracy theory about the pandemic to millions of viewers within just a few days. Twitter and Facebook have also introduced fact-checking programs and warning labels for "manipulated media," although critics say the moves are too limited in scope.

Google extends fact-checking to image search

Google's sister company Verily rolled out a site coronavirus testing website for people in the San Francisco Bay Area which quickly hit its capacity after going live in a small pilot project.

Verily is a subsidiary of Alphabet which launched a testing project for the coronavirus pandemic.

<img alt="coronavirus testing website" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e0824711-7bac-4e8f-ba7c-c359616072da" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/_111274650_projectbaseline.jpg" />

(In photo: Verily's website, Project Baseline)

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-donald-trump-and-his-virus-expert-give-contrasting-statements-about-american-response-286719">COVID-19: Donald Trump and his virus expert give contrasting statements about American response</a>

The website was intended to facilitate nationwide testing for the coronavirus and was promoted by US President Donald Trump in a news conference.

Howver, it reportedly told people with the symptoms of the virus that they were not eligible for the screening program and they were asked to create a Google account or log in to an existing Google account and sign an authorization form.

The website site was "hoping&nbsp;of expanding more broadly over time", the company said in a statement.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-federal-reserve-announces-emergency-measures-amid-coronavirus-triggered-slowdown-286811">US Federal Reserve announces emergency measures amid coronavirus-triggered slowdown</a>

While Verily stated the website was limited to California, Trump said that it was for all Americans to check whether they should get tested.

Trump had also given contrasting statements about the American response of COVID-19 saying ''relax, we're doing great''.&nbsp;

Whereas, his lead virus expert had said that ''the worst is yet to come''.

Google's sister company Verily rolled out a site coronavirus testing website for people in the San Francisco Bay Area which quickly hit its capacity after going live in a small pilot project.

Google's sister company Verily rolled out a site coronavirus testing website for people in the San Francisco Bay Area which quickly hit its capacity after going live in a small pilot project. Verily is a subsidiary of Alphabet which launched a testing project for the coronavirus pandemic. (In photo: Verily's website, Project Baseline) Also read: COVID-19: Donald Trump and his virus expert give contrasting statements about American response The website was intended to facilitate nationwide testing for the coronavirus and was promoted by US President Donald Trump in a news conference. Howver, it reportedly told people with the symptoms of the virus that they were not eligible for the screening program and they were asked to create a Google account or log in to an existing Google account and sign an authorization form. The website site was "hoping of expanding more broadly over time", the company said in a statement. Also read: US Federal Reserve announces emergency measures amid coronavirus-triggered slowdown While Verily stated the website was limited to California, Trump said that it was for all Americans to check whether they should get tested. Trump had also given contrasting statements about the American response of COVID-19 saying ''relax, we're doing great''. Whereas, his lead virus expert had said that ''the worst is yet to come''.

Google's coronavirus testing website hits upper ceiling after going live

A recent study has revealed how much people in various countries value their private information and at what price will they be ready to part with it.

It is the first study that attempts to quantify the value of online privacy and data. It assessed how much privacy is worth in six countries by looking at the habits of people in the United States, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Columbia and Argentina.

The study has been conducted by US-based think tank the Technology Policy Institute (TPI).

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-says-investigating-data-exposure-of-267-million-users-269245">Profiles of 267 million users exposed, Facebook says investigating personal data leak</a>

The study found Germans want to be paid more for letting technology platforms share their personal data with third-parties followed by US consumers.

German <a href="https://www.wionews.com/east-asia/protect-users-personal-data-japan-government-to-facebook-172769">Facebook users</a> would want the social media platform to pay them about $8 per month for sharing their contact information, while US users would only seek $3.50.

The study addresses the growing concern about how companies from technology platforms to retailers have been collecting and monetizing personal data.&nbsp;

"Differences in how much people value the privacy of different data types across countries suggests that people in some places may prefer weaker rules while people in other places might prefer stronger rules," Scott Wallsten, president and senior fellow at TPI said.

"Quantifying the value of privacy is necessary for conducting any analysis of proposed privacy policies," he said.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-prosecutors-probing-facebooks-data-deals-report-203195">US prosecutors probing Facebook's data deals: Report</a>

People across the board place the highest value on financial information such as bank balance and biometric information such as fingerprint data in particular and consider location data the least valuable, the study found.

A technology platform, on average, across all people the study assessed, would have to pay consumers a monthly $8.44 to share their bank balance information, $7.56 to share fingerprint information, $6.05 to read an individual's texts, and $5.80 to share information on cash withdrawals.

By contrast, people wanted to be paid only $1.82 per month to share location data and nothing to be sent advertisements via text messages.

<img alt="A graphical depiction of the data compiled in the study" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e72e696a-f1f0-4814-b3f6-327e38f2cc40" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/FACEBBOK.jpg" />

(In photo: A graphical depiction of the data compiled in the study)

The study found Latin American consumers have a preference for seeing advertisements on their smartphone, in contrast to US residents and Germans.

US regulators have imposed hefty fines on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/east-asia/protect-users-personal-data-japan-government-to-facebook-172769">Facebook Inc</a> and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/alphabet-googles-parent-company-now-a-1-trillion-enterprise-fourth-us-company-to-achieve-this-feat-274982">Alphabet</a>-owned <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/alphabet-googles-parent-company-now-a-1-trillion-enterprise-fourth-us-company-to-achieve-this-feat-274982">Google</a>'s <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/alphabet-googles-parent-company-now-a-1-trillion-enterprise-fourth-us-company-to-achieve-this-feat-274982">YouTube </a>unit for privacy violations.

US lawmakers are working on federal privacy legislation while states like California have put in place a new privacy law. 
&nbsp;

A recent study has revealed how much people in various countries value their private information and at what price will they be ready to part with it. It is the first study that attempts to quantify the value of online privacy and data.

A recent study has revealed how much people in various countries value their private information and at what price will they be ready to part with it. It is the first study that attempts to quantify the value of online privacy and data. It assessed how much privacy is worth in six countries by looking at the habits of people in the United States, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Columbia and Argentina. The study has been conducted by US-based think tank the Technology Policy Institute (TPI). Also read: Profiles of 267 million users exposed, Facebook says investigating personal data leak The study found Germans want to be paid more for letting technology platforms share their personal data with third-parties followed by US consumers. German Facebook users would want the social media platform to pay them about $8 per month for sharing their contact information, while US users would only seek $3.50. The study addresses the growing concern about how companies from technology platforms to retailers have been collecting and monetizing personal data. "Differences in how much people value the privacy of different data types across countries suggests that people in some places may prefer weaker rules while people in other places might prefer stronger rules," Scott Wallsten, president and senior fellow at TPI said. "Quantifying the value of privacy is necessary for conducting any analysis of proposed privacy policies," he said. Also read: US prosecutors probing Facebook's data deals: Report People across the board place the highest value on financial information such as bank balance and biometric information such as fingerprint data in particular and consider location data the least valuable, the study found. A technology platform, on average, across all people the study assessed, would have to pay consumers a monthly $8.44 to share their bank balance information, $7.56 to share fingerprint information, $6.05 to read an individual's texts, and $5.80 to share information on cash withdrawals. By contrast, people wanted to be paid only $1.82 per month to share location data and nothing to be sent advertisements via text messages. (In photo: A graphical depiction of the data compiled in the study) The study found Latin American consumers have a preference for seeing advertisements on their smartphone, in contrast to US residents and Germans. US regulators have imposed hefty fines on Facebook Inc and Alphabet-owned Google's YouTube unit for privacy violations. US lawmakers are working on federal privacy legislation while states like California have put in place a new privacy law.

How much do Facebook users want to sell their private information for?

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../google-sparks-criticism-as-it-redesigns-it-search -page-makes-ads-look-like-organic-results-276570">Google</a> parent Alphabet missed revenue expectations in the fourth quarter despite stellar growth at YouTube and in the cloud, earnings figures released Monday showed.

Also read-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-outbreak-google-joins-hands-with-who-to-provide-sos-alert-trusted-info-and-safety-tips-278181">Coronavirus outbreak: Google joins hands with WHO to provide SOS alert, trusted info and safety tips</a>

Detailing its cloud computing and YouTube revenues for the first time, Alphabet reported that profits rose 19 per cent from a year ago in the quarter to nearly $10.7 billion as revenues increased 17 per cent to $46 billion.

Alphabet and Google chief executive <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../google-ceo-calls-for-artificial-intelligence- regulation-275642">Sundar Pichai</a> touted YouTube as a revenue star at the company, with ad revenue reaching $15 billion last year in an increase of about 36 per cent from 2018.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../latest-world-news-social-media-applications- tackling-false-claims-against-coronavirus-278258">YouTube</a> music and television premium services now have more than 20 million paid subscribers, according to Pichai.

Despite assurances by executives that Alphabet sees plenty of money-making potential ahead and is investing to capitalize on long-term trends, Alphabet shares slipped more than four per cent in after-market trades that followed release of the earnings figures.

The California tech giant, which dominates online search and makes the Android mobile operating system, has been working to reduce its dependence on digital advertising which delivers most of its cash.

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"Our investments in deep computer science, including artificial intelligence, ambient computing and cloud computing, provide a strong base for continued growth and new opportunities across Alphabet," said Pichai.

The company said its cloud computing services took in $2.6 billion in revenue during the last three-month period -- up more than 50 per cent -- and nearly $9 billion for the year.

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Chief financial officer Ruth Porat said Alphabet will ramp-up hiring this year. Much of that will be engineering talent for its cloud division which competes with cloud market-leaders <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../amazons-slow-climate-action-defying-company -policy-over-300-employees-speak-out-277288">Amazon</a> and Microsoft.

"We are leaning into investing for longterm growth," Porat said.

"That has been a key principle here and continues to be."

Google advertising took in the majority of revenue at $38 billion in the quarter and more than 80 per cent of its annual revenues of $162 billion.

Colin Sebastian, an analyst at Baird, said the earnings report showed "a deceleration" in growth for Google, which may have been due to the impact of fewer holiday shopping days.

Despite that, Sebastian said he sees "no change to our positive long-term thesis" for Alphabet.

Analyst Nicole Perrin at eMarketer said the results highlight the significance of YouTube, the popular video service for which Alphabet had not up to now disclosed financial data.

"This is something investors have been looking for, but the information should also give advertisers valuable information about the importance of YouTube as a digital ad vehicle," Perrin said.

"YouTube is growing strongly according to this report, and revenues are above where eMarketer had thought they were."&nbsp;

Alphabet's "other bets" which include Waymo autonomous vehicles, life sciences and drone delivery, took in $172 million in revenue in the final three months of the year, ending the 12 months with a big operating loss.

The results come with the company facing intense pressure around the globe over its dominance of the online ecosystem.

It also has been at the centre of a dispute over tax policy for multinational firms. Global negotiators are seeking a new treaty on how to tax digital operations spanning the globe.

"It is something we always need to take a look at," Pichai said on an earnings call with investors and others when asked how regulatory or taxation moves could affect Alphabet's bottom line.

"We are engaged in these issues and we anticipate and structurally work on them early on."

Indian-born Pichai, who had been CEO of Google, was promoted last year to the same role at Alphabet.

Google parent Alphabet missed revenue expectations in the fourth quarter despite stellar growth at YouTube and in the cloud, earnings figures released Monday showed.

Google parent Alphabet missed revenue expectations in the fourth quarter despite stellar growth at YouTube and in the cloud, earnings figures released Monday showed. Also read- Coronavirus outbreak: Google joins hands with WHO to provide SOS alert, trusted info and safety tips Detailing its cloud computing and YouTube revenues for the first time, Alphabet reported that profits rose 19 per cent from a year ago in the quarter to nearly $10.7 billion as revenues increased 17 per cent to $46 billion. Alphabet and Google chief executive Sundar Pichai touted YouTube as a revenue star at the company, with ad revenue reaching $15 billion last year in an increase of about 36 per cent from 2018. YouTube music and television premium services now have more than 20 million paid subscribers, according to Pichai. Despite assurances by executives that Alphabet sees plenty of money-making potential ahead and is investing to capitalize on long-term trends, Alphabet shares slipped more than four per cent in after-market trades that followed release of the earnings figures. The California tech giant, which dominates online search and makes the Android mobile operating system, has been working to reduce its dependence on digital advertising which delivers most of its cash. × "Our investments in deep computer science, including artificial intelligence, ambient computing and cloud computing, provide a strong base for continued growth and new opportunities across Alphabet," said Pichai. The company said its cloud computing services took in $2.6 billion in revenue during the last three-month period -- up more than 50 per cent -- and nearly $9 billion for the year. × Chief financial officer Ruth Porat said Alphabet will ramp-up hiring this year. Much of that will be engineering talent for its cloud division which competes with cloud market-leaders Amazon and Microsoft. "We are leaning into investing for longterm growth," Porat said. "That has been a key principle here and continues to be." Google advertising took in the majority of revenue at $38 billion in the quarter and more than 80 per cent of its annual revenues of $162 billion. Colin Sebastian, an analyst at Baird, said the earnings report showed "a deceleration" in growth for Google, which may have been due to the impact of fewer holiday shopping days. Despite that, Sebastian said he sees "no change to our positive long-term thesis" for Alphabet. Analyst Nicole Perrin at eMarketer said the results highlight the significance of YouTube, the popular video service for which Alphabet had not up to now disclosed financial data. "This is something investors have been looking for, but the information should also give advertisers valuable information about the importance of YouTube as a digital ad vehicle," Perrin said. "YouTube is growing strongly according to this report, and revenues are above where eMarketer had thought they were." Alphabet's "other bets" which include Waymo autonomous vehicles, life sciences and drone delivery, took in $172 million in revenue in the final three months of the year, ending the 12 months with a big operating loss. The results come with the company facing intense pressure around the globe over its dominance of the online ecosystem. It also has been at the centre of a dispute over tax policy for multinational firms. Global negotiators are seeking a new treaty on how to tax digital operations spanning the globe. "It is something we always need to take a look at," Pichai said on an earnings call with investors and others when asked how regulatory or taxation moves could affect Alphabet's bottom line. "We are engaged in these issues and we anticipate and structurally work on them early on." Indian-born Pichai, who had been CEO of Google, was promoted last year to the same role at Alphabet.

Disappointing growth hits Google parent Alphabet shares

The chief executive of Google parent company Alphabet on Monday backed an EU proposal to temporarily ban facial-recognition technology because of the possibility that it could be used for nefarious purposes.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/alphabet-googles-parent-company-now-a-1-trillion-enterprise-fourth-us-company-to-achieve-this-feat-274982">Also Read: Google's parent company now a $1 trillion enterprise</a>

"I think it is important that governments and regulations tackle it sooner rather than later and gives a framework for it," Sundar Pichai told a conference in Brussels organised by think tank Bruegel.

The European Commission, which acts as the EU executive, is taking a tougher line on artificial intelligence (AI) than the United States that would strengthen existing regulations on privacy and data rights, according to an 18-page proposal paper seen by Reuters.

Part of this includes a moratorium of up to five years on using facial recognition technology in public areas, to give the EU time to work out how to prevent abuses, the paper said.

"It can be immediate but maybe there's a waiting period before we really think about how it's being used," Pichai said. "It's up to governments to charter the course" for the use of such technology.

Pichai urged regulators to take a "proportionate approach" when drafting rules, days before the Commission is due to publish proposals on the issue.

Regulators are grappling with ways to govern AI, encouraging innovation while trying to curb potential misuse, as companies and law enforcement agencies increasingly adopt the technology.

There was no question AI needs to be regulated, Pichai said, but rulemakers should tread carefully.

"Sensible regulation must also take a proportionate approach, balancing potential harms with social opportunities. This is especially true in areas that are high risk and high value," he said.

Regulators should tailor rules according to different sectors, Pichai said, citing medical devices and self-driving cars as examples that require different rules.

He urged governments to align their rules and agree on core values.

Earlier this month, the US&nbsp;government published regulatory guidelines on AI aimed at limiting authorities' overreach, and urged Europe to avoid an aggressive approach.

Pichai said it was important to be clear-eyed about what could go wrong with AI, and that while it promised huge benefits there were real concerns about potential negative consequences.

One area of concern is so-called "deepfakes" - video or audio clips that have been manipulated using AI and which potentially could be created of any individual, saying anything in any setting.

Pichai said Google had released open datasets to help the research community build better tools to detect such fakes.

The world's most popular internet search engine said last month that Google Cloud was not offering general-purpose facial-recognition application programming interfaces (APIs) while it establishes policy and technical safeguards.

The chief executive of Google parent company Alphabet on Monday backed an EU proposal to temporarily ban facial-recognition technology because of the possibility that it could be used for nefarious purposes.

The chief executive of Google parent company Alphabet on Monday backed an EU proposal to temporarily ban facial-recognition technology because of the possibility that it could be used for nefarious purposes. Also Read: Google's parent company now a $1 trillion enterprise "I think it is important that governments and regulations tackle it sooner rather than later and gives a framework for it," Sundar Pichai told a conference in Brussels organised by think tank Bruegel. The European Commission, which acts as the EU executive, is taking a tougher line on artificial intelligence (AI) than the United States that would strengthen existing regulations on privacy and data rights, according to an 18-page proposal paper seen by Reuters. Part of this includes a moratorium of up to five years on using facial recognition technology in public areas, to give the EU time to work out how to prevent abuses, the paper said. "It can be immediate but maybe there's a waiting period before we really think about how it's being used," Pichai said. "It's up to governments to charter the course" for the use of such technology. Pichai urged regulators to take a "proportionate approach" when drafting rules, days before the Commission is due to publish proposals on the issue. Regulators are grappling with ways to govern AI, encouraging innovation while trying to curb potential misuse, as companies and law enforcement agencies increasingly adopt the technology. There was no question AI needs to be regulated, Pichai said, but rulemakers should tread carefully. "Sensible regulation must also take a proportionate approach, balancing potential harms with social opportunities. This is especially true in areas that are high risk and high value," he said. Regulators should tailor rules according to different sectors, Pichai said, citing medical devices and self-driving cars as examples that require different rules. He urged governments to align their rules and agree on core values. Earlier this month, the US government published regulatory guidelines on AI aimed at limiting authorities' overreach, and urged Europe to avoid an aggressive approach. Pichai said it was important to be clear-eyed about what could go wrong with AI, and that while it promised huge benefits there were real concerns about potential negative consequences. One area of concern is so-called "deepfakes" - video or audio clips that have been manipulated using AI and which potentially could be created of any individual, saying anything in any setting. Pichai said Google had released open datasets to help the research community build better tools to detect such fakes. The world's most popular internet search engine said last month that Google Cloud was not offering general-purpose facial-recognition application programming interfaces (APIs) while it establishes policy and technical safeguards.

No question artificial intelligence needs to be regulated: Sundar Pichai

Our penchant for knowledge and curiosity has helped make Google's parent company Alphabet worth one trillion dollars.&nbsp;

They are the fourth American company to break this barrier, after Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

While the state-run oil company Saudi Aramco is worth 2 trillion.

A trillion dollars is a million dollars multiplied by a million.

To be specific, Google's parent company Alphabet's stock market value is now 1 trillion dollars.

This just six weeks after founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin gave up their top jobs and handed over the reins to Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai.

<h6><img alt="Google" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="51a56648-f96e-4d41-b467-1446f7689bfb" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%289%29_15.jpg" /> 
Image: Google CEO Sundar Pichai 
&nbsp;</h6>

This change has worked on Wall Street. Last quarter, the company's profits were lesser than market estimates by nearly 2 billion dollars.

But that did little to dent investors' bullishness on the company.

Alphabet's stock retreated briefly, only to resume its climb.

The stock surged up by nearly 17 per cent over the last three months, better than fellow tech giants and the rest of the market.

For the calendar year 2019, Alphabet's stock was up nearly 35 per cent.

Watch:&nbsp;Google's parent company enters Trillion Dollar Club

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-googles-parent-company-enters-trillion-dollar-club-274953/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

And now as 2020 begins, some are already wondering whether it's time to cash in on the extraordinary gains.

But a lot will depend on Alphabet's fourth-quarter earnings report which is scheduled to release early in February.

With this feat, Alphabet has become only the fourth company in American history to reach the magical figure.

Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft are the only other US companies.

And among those, Amazon saw its market value hit the trillion-dollar mark, and soon fall below it.

Shares of the company are down nearly 7 per cent over the last six months.

So the trillion dollar achievement is in essence, a slippery slope.

<h6><img alt="Google" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="20cdd409-4953-4658-a9b5-5e008dfd0280" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/94845-untitled-design-2019-05-20t180449041.jpg" /> 
Image: Google logo | AFP 
&nbsp;</h6>

Apple is currently the world’s most valuable company with a market cap of $1.4 trillion, while Microsoft is valued at $1.3 trillion.

And now Google aka Alphabet has joined the club.

However, Google has stiff competition, not from tech companies, but from the world's largest oil company: Saudi Aramco. Aramco became the world's first two trillion dollar company last month.

That too within 48 hours of becoming a listed company on the Saudi Stock Exchange.

Our penchant for knowledge and curiosity has helped make Google's parent company Alphabet worth one trillion dollars. They are the fourth American company to break this barrier, after Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

Our penchant for knowledge and curiosity has helped make Google's parent company Alphabet worth one trillion dollars. They are the fourth American company to break this barrier, after Apple, Microsoft and Amazon. While the state-run oil company Saudi Aramco is worth 2 trillion. A trillion dollars is a million dollars multiplied by a million. To be specific, Google's parent company Alphabet's stock market value is now 1 trillion dollars. This just six weeks after founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin gave up their top jobs and handed over the reins to Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai. Image: Google CEO Sundar Pichai This change has worked on Wall Street. Last quarter, the company's profits were lesser than market estimates by nearly 2 billion dollars. But that did little to dent investors' bullishness on the company. Alphabet's stock retreated briefly, only to resume its climb. The stock surged up by nearly 17 per cent over the last three months, better than fellow tech giants and the rest of the market. For the calendar year 2019, Alphabet's stock was up nearly 35 per cent. Watch: Google's parent company enters Trillion Dollar Club And now as 2020 begins, some are already wondering whether it's time to cash in on the extraordinary gains. But a lot will depend on Alphabet's fourth-quarter earnings report which is scheduled to release early in February. With this feat, Alphabet has become only the fourth company in American history to reach the magical figure. Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft are the only other US companies. And among those, Amazon saw its market value hit the trillion-dollar mark, and soon fall below it. Shares of the company are down nearly 7 per cent over the last six months. So the trillion dollar achievement is in essence, a slippery slope. Image: Google logo | AFP Apple is currently the world’s most valuable company with a market cap of $1.4 trillion, while Microsoft is valued at $1.3 trillion. And now Google aka Alphabet has joined the club. However, Google has stiff competition, not from tech companies, but from the world's largest oil company: Saudi Aramco. Aramco became the world's first two trillion dollar company last month. That too within 48 hours of becoming a listed company on the Saudi Stock Exchange.

Alphabet: Google's parent company now a $1 trillion enterprise; fourth US company to achieve the feat

Google has started phasing out 'cookies' on its Google Chrome browser. Cookies are small pieces of data sent from a website and stored on the user's computer by their web browser while browsing.

Cookies were designed to facilitate websites to remember relevant information or to record the user's browsing activity.

Businesses track their customers using these cookies, and that's what <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/study-finds-google-system-could-improve-breast-cancer-detection-271720">Google</a> is trying to stop over the next two years. If successful, the move could re-define the consumption of user date online.

According to an official statement, Google is planning to prevent advertising software companies and other organisations from linking their browser cookies with websites they have no jurisdiction over.

<h6><img alt="Cookie" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="399d2829-57fb-4640-b56b-f39330ea8632" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%282%29_34.jpg" /> 
Image:&nbsp;Cookies were designed to facilitate websites to remember relevant information or to record the user's browsing activity | Twitter user @rustybrick&nbsp;</h6>

&nbsp;

Google's rival Apple underwent a similar change in 2017 with its browser Safari by limiting access and the use of cookies.

Currently, Google Chrome has a clear market monopoly with over 64 per cent of global users preferring the browser over others. This is almost thrice as greater as Safari's share, as reported by tracking company Statcounter.

The announcement was expected by industry insiders for months. However, the two-year goal is a fresh addition that was unheard of, until now.

After the announcement of ''cookie'' removal, shares of many advertising software companies fell. These include Criteo, which witnessed an 8 per cent decline, and Trade Desk Inc, which dropped by 1.4 per cent.

Until now, cookies were not regulated which allowed virtually any company to improve and target specific advertisements on the internet.

With cookies and the user data, it ushered in, users were kept logged into a website for multiple days. Specific target advertisements that are user-oriented are also enabled by cookies. Software vendors provide the information to advertisers who then target and sell.

Ever since the ''cookie'' came into being, and especially in contemporary times where data-breach and data privacy are becoming pertinent discourses, users and regulators have questioned the usage of this data by businesses.

Over the last three years, new privacy laws in California and Europe have triggered changes in the modus operandi of internet businesses.

<h6><img alt="Google" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e800b09f-f7f5-4fc2-8c6a-1fc14c5c404d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%281%29_45.jpg" /> 
Image:&nbsp;The Google logo is seen January 8, 2020 at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas | AFP</h6>

&nbsp;

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University College London (UCL) and Aarhus University conducted a joint study into the use of cookies. They analysed five companies that offer consent management platforms (CMPs) for cookies used in the UK.

European Union laws demand that consent for cookies should be informed and explicit, however only 11.8 per cent of the sites met the minimal requirements of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) law.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-fines-google-167-million-over-search-engine-ads-269344">France fines Google $167 million over search engine ads</a>

However, Google added that this cookie-blocker would not be enforced until more user-oriented privacy-focused alternatives are available.&nbsp;

If this cookie-elimination becomes a template pan-industry, it would require investment from website operators.

According to financial analysts, this move would have negligible to no effect on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-settles-longstanding-tax-dispute-with-australia-268943">Google's</a> self-operated advertisement business, for the technology giant has multiple others inlays into user data.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Google has started phasing out 'cookies' on its Google Chrome browser. Cookies are small pieces of data sent from a website and stored on the user's computer by their web browser while browsing.

Google has started phasing out 'cookies' on its Google Chrome browser. Cookies are small pieces of data sent from a website and stored on the user's computer by their web browser while browsing. Cookies were designed to facilitate websites to remember relevant information or to record the user's browsing activity. Businesses track their customers using these cookies, and that's what Google is trying to stop over the next two years. If successful, the move could re-define the consumption of user date online. According to an official statement, Google is planning to prevent advertising software companies and other organisations from linking their browser cookies with websites they have no jurisdiction over. Image: Cookies were designed to facilitate websites to remember relevant information or to record the user's browsing activity | Twitter user @rustybrick Google's rival Apple underwent a similar change in 2017 with its browser Safari by limiting access and the use of cookies. Currently, Google Chrome has a clear market monopoly with over 64 per cent of global users preferring the browser over others. This is almost thrice as greater as Safari's share, as reported by tracking company Statcounter. The announcement was expected by industry insiders for months. However, the two-year goal is a fresh addition that was unheard of, until now. After the announcement of ''cookie'' removal, shares of many advertising software companies fell. These include Criteo, which witnessed an 8 per cent decline, and Trade Desk Inc, which dropped by 1.4 per cent. Until now, cookies were not regulated which allowed virtually any company to improve and target specific advertisements on the internet. With cookies and the user data, it ushered in, users were kept logged into a website for multiple days. Specific target advertisements that are user-oriented are also enabled by cookies. Software vendors provide the information to advertisers who then target and sell. Ever since the ''cookie'' came into being, and especially in contemporary times where data-breach and data privacy are becoming pertinent discourses, users and regulators have questioned the usage of this data by businesses. Over the last three years, new privacy laws in California and Europe have triggered changes in the modus operandi of internet businesses. Image: The Google logo is seen January 8, 2020 at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas | AFP Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University College London (UCL) and Aarhus University conducted a joint study into the use of cookies. They analysed five companies that offer consent management platforms (CMPs) for cookies used in the UK. European Union laws demand that consent for cookies should be informed and explicit, however only 11.8 per cent of the sites met the minimal requirements of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) law. Also read: France fines Google $167 million over search engine ads However, Google added that this cookie-blocker would not be enforced until more user-oriented privacy-focused alternatives are available. If this cookie-elimination becomes a template pan-industry, it would require investment from website operators. According to financial analysts, this move would have negligible to no effect on Google's self-operated advertisement business, for the technology giant has multiple others inlays into user data. (With inputs from Reuters)

Third-party cookies on Google Chrome all set to crumble

Charting The Rise & Rise Of Indian-Born Techie Sundar Pichai

Gravitas: Sundar Pichai named the CEO of Alphabet, The Parent company of Google

Google&nbsp;co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are stepping down from their roles at the helm of&nbsp;parent&nbsp;firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/alphabets-revenue-rebounds-easing-doubts-on-growth-and-boosting-shares-238656">Alphabet</a>&nbsp;and handing the reins to current&nbsp;Google&nbsp;CEO&nbsp;Sundar&nbsp;Pichai, the company said Tuesday.

Pichai&nbsp;will take over from Page as&nbsp;CEO&nbsp;of the holding&nbsp;firm, a Silicon Valley titan that includes&nbsp;Google&nbsp;as well as units focused on "other bets" in areas including self-driving cars and life sciences.

Page and Brin, who is currently&nbsp;Alphabet&nbsp;president, "will continue their involvement as co-founders, shareholders and members of&nbsp;Alphabet's board of directors," the company said.

In a letter to employees, the two wrote: "We've never been ones to hold on to management roles when we think there's a better way to run the company."

They added that 46-year-old&nbsp;Pichai&nbsp;"brings humility and a deep passion for technology to our users, partners and our employees every day" and that there is "no better person to lead&nbsp;Google&nbsp;and&nbsp;Alphabet&nbsp;into the future."

Alphabet&nbsp;was formed in 2015, giving separate identities to&nbsp;Google&nbsp;and newer projects such as autonomous car unit Waymo and smart cities group Sidewalk Labs.

Pichai, born in India, takes the helm at a time when Page and Brin, both 46, have been noticeably absent, and the company faces a torrent of controversies relating to its dominant position in the tech world.

"Google&nbsp;is the vast, vast majority of&nbsp;Alphabet&nbsp;in terms of revenues, profit and everything else, so why not put the guy doing a great job running all of that in charge of (the) whole company?" said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research.

Investigations and controversies

Pichai&nbsp;is likely to fill a void at the company as it faces antitrust investigations and controversies over privacy and data practices in the United States and elsewhere.&nbsp;

The company has also faced allegations of failing to adequately address sexual harassment in the workplace and of straying from the ideals espoused by the founders in the company's early code of conduct, which included the motto "don't be evil."

"He's a technologist, but he's been a steady hand for the last few years and has proven his ability to conduct business at the highest level," said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates.

Kay added the move "ratifies that the (Google) founders have stepped aside almost entirely."

Pichai&nbsp;will have a new role as he faces up to claims from President Donald Trump of "bias" in internet search results, and the latest charge from Amnesty International that&nbsp;Alphabet's business model leads to human rights violations by enabling surveillance of users.

Earlier this year,&nbsp;Pichai&nbsp;met with Trump and appeared to ease the US president's concerns that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/alphabet-facebook-stocks-dive-over-reports-of-us-antitrust-move-against-tech-giants-224064">Google&nbsp;was unwilling to help the US military</a> and was boosting China and its military.

Trump tweeted after the March meeting that&nbsp;Pichai&nbsp;was "totally committed" to US security.

Last December,&nbsp;Pichai&nbsp;kept calm while testifying in Congress as he parried US lawmakers over complaints of political bias and intrusive data collection.

"We build our products in a neutral way,"&nbsp;Pichai&nbsp;said in one exchange with a lawmaker, and added later: "We approach our work without any political bias."

Chennai to Silicon Valley

Born to humble beginnings in the southern city of Chennai,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/european-union-fine-on-google-weighs-down-parent-company-alphabets-profits-214683">Pichai&nbsp;studied engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)</a> in Kharagpur before heading to the United States to further his studies and career.

After leaving India, he attended Stanford University and later studied at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

In recent years,&nbsp;Alphabet&nbsp;has become one of the world's most valuable companies, with a 2018 profit of some $30 billion on revenue of $136.8 billion.

The 2015 reorganisation appeared aimed at installing the startup mentality for new ventures, described by&nbsp;Google&nbsp;as "moonshots."

These ventures, including the life sciences group Verily and the biotech operation Calico, have been losing money.

Kay said the "other bets" have been struggling because even though they have the financial backing from&nbsp;Google's profits, "they don't have the do-or-die element" of other startups.

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are stepping down from their roles at the helm of parent firm Alphabet and handing the reins to current Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the company said Tuesday.

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are stepping down from their roles at the helm of parent firm Alphabet and handing the reins to current Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the company said Tuesday. Pichai will take over from Page as CEO of the holding firm, a Silicon Valley titan that includes Google as well as units focused on "other bets" in areas including self-driving cars and life sciences. Page and Brin, who is currently Alphabet president, "will continue their involvement as co-founders, shareholders and members of Alphabet's board of directors," the company said. In a letter to employees, the two wrote: "We've never been ones to hold on to management roles when we think there's a better way to run the company." They added that 46-year-old Pichai "brings humility and a deep passion for technology to our users, partners and our employees every day" and that there is "no better person to lead Google and Alphabet into the future." Alphabet was formed in 2015, giving separate identities to Google and newer projects such as autonomous car unit Waymo and smart cities group Sidewalk Labs. Pichai, born in India, takes the helm at a time when Page and Brin, both 46, have been noticeably absent, and the company faces a torrent of controversies relating to its dominant position in the tech world. "Google is the vast, vast majority of Alphabet in terms of revenues, profit and everything else, so why not put the guy doing a great job running all of that in charge of (the) whole company?" said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research. Investigations and controversies Pichai is likely to fill a void at the company as it faces antitrust investigations and controversies over privacy and data practices in the United States and elsewhere. The company has also faced allegations of failing to adequately address sexual harassment in the workplace and of straying from the ideals espoused by the founders in the company's early code of conduct, which included the motto "don't be evil." "He's a technologist, but he's been a steady hand for the last few years and has proven his ability to conduct business at the highest level," said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates. Kay added the move "ratifies that the (Google) founders have stepped aside almost entirely." Pichai will have a new role as he faces up to claims from President Donald Trump of "bias" in internet search results, and the latest charge from Amnesty International that Alphabet's business model leads to human rights violations by enabling surveillance of users. Earlier this year, Pichai met with Trump and appeared to ease the US president's concerns that Google was unwilling to help the US military and was boosting China and its military. Trump tweeted after the March meeting that Pichai was "totally committed" to US security. Last December, Pichai kept calm while testifying in Congress as he parried US lawmakers over complaints of political bias and intrusive data collection. "We build our products in a neutral way," Pichai said in one exchange with a lawmaker, and added later: "We approach our work without any political bias." Chennai to Silicon Valley Born to humble beginnings in the southern city of Chennai, Pichai studied engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur before heading to the United States to further his studies and career. After leaving India, he attended Stanford University and later studied at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In recent years, Alphabet has become one of the world's most valuable companies, with a 2018 profit of some $30 billion on revenue of $136.8 billion. The 2015 reorganisation appeared aimed at installing the startup mentality for new ventures, described by Google as "moonshots." These ventures, including the life sciences group Verily and the biotech operation Calico, have been losing money. Kay said the "other bets" have been struggling because even though they have the financial backing from Google's profits, "they don't have the do-or-die element" of other startups.

Sundar Pichai named Alphabet CEO, Google co-founders step down

Sundar Pichai is now CEO of both Google and Alphabet, Pichai has replaced Larry Page. Watch this video to know more.

Major corporate restructuring at Google, Sundar Pichai becomes CEO of  Alphabet

Alphabet (Google) subsidiary Wing has become the first company in the United States to deliver packages by drone.

In Christiansburg, the small Virginia town was chosen as Wing's test location, the 22,000 residents can order products normally shipped by FedEx, medicine from Walgreens and a selection of candy from a local business, all of which will arrive via drone.

Wing, which already operates in two Australian cities as well as Helsinki, announced in a statement that the first drone-powered deliveries had taken place Friday afternoon in Christiansburg, "paving the way for the most advanced drone delivery service in the nation."

One family used the Wing app to order Tylenol, cough drops, Vitamin C tablets, bottled water and tissues, the statement said.

An older resident ordered a birthday present for his wife. Although the majority of the delivery was done by a FedEx truck, the last mile was completed by drone.

The yellow and white drones are loaded with packages at a local centre of operations called the "Nest," where Wing employees pack them with up to three pounds (1.3 kilograms) of goods, deliverable within a 10-kilometre radius.

Once they have arrived at their destination, the drones don't land. Instead, they hover above the house and lower the package with a cable.

Other companies are working to launch similar services, most notably Amazon, UPS and Uber Eats. But Wing was the first to obtain a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), authorising company pilots to fly multiple drones at the same time.

Alphabet (Google) subsidiary Wing has become the first company in the United States to deliver packages by drone. In Christiansburg, the small Virginia town was chosen as Wing's test location, the 22,000 residents can order products normally shipped by FedEx, medicine from Walgreens and a selection of candy from a local business, all of which will arrive via drone.

Alphabet (Google) subsidiary Wing has become the first company in the United States to deliver packages by drone. In Christiansburg, the small Virginia town was chosen as Wing's test location, the 22,000 residents can order products normally shipped by FedEx, medicine from Walgreens and a selection of candy from a local business, all of which will arrive via drone. Wing, which already operates in two Australian cities as well as Helsinki, announced in a statement that the first drone-powered deliveries had taken place Friday afternoon in Christiansburg, "paving the way for the most advanced drone delivery service in the nation." One family used the Wing app to order Tylenol, cough drops, Vitamin C tablets, bottled water and tissues, the statement said. An older resident ordered a birthday present for his wife. Although the majority of the delivery was done by a FedEx truck, the last mile was completed by drone. The yellow and white drones are loaded with packages at a local centre of operations called the "Nest," where Wing employees pack them with up to three pounds (1.3 kilograms) of goods, deliverable within a 10-kilometre radius. Once they have arrived at their destination, the drones don't land. Instead, they hover above the house and lower the package with a cable. Other companies are working to launch similar services, most notably Amazon, UPS and Uber Eats. But Wing was the first to obtain a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), authorising company pilots to fly multiple drones at the same time.

Google completes first drone delivery in United States

Alphabet Inc shares rose about 8 per cent&nbsp;after the company reported quarterly results that eased investors' concerns about growth challenges facing its <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-to-lift-veil-on-facebook-google-algorithms-to-protect-privacy-238610&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi795iK0NLjAhVdnI8KHd4yA3EQFjADegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0DjuqZIq45MxG5qQMQLYOz">Google</a> advertising business.

Driven by ad sales, second-quarter revenue and earnings beat analysts' expectations. Also, the world's largest online search and ads firm, unlike No. 2 online ad player <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-to-create-privacy-panel-pay-5-billion-to-us-to-settle-data-breach-allegations-238141&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwin3vee0NLjAhUJuY8KHX4XCmoQFjAJegQIABAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw3oWENcDFaT7j5nwu9RI2L3">Facebook Inc</a> a day earlier, offered no worrisome guidance about increasing regulatory scrutiny.

The results helped Alphabet dismiss as a rare blip a $1 billion revenue miss in the first quarter, which had prompted an outburst of investor questions and the biggest one-day sell-off in its shares in about seven years.

In after-hours trade on Thursday, the shares rose to $1,226.60, on track for their biggest single-day increase in four years though still down about 4% from their highs before the April slide.

Alphabet's shares have lagged peers on Wall Street this year, rising about 9 per cent through Thursday's close, compared to a roughly 20% gain for the S&amp;P 500 broadly.

Questions linger about whether privacy, content moderation and antitrust rules proposed or already passed in the United States and other high-revenue countries will slash ad prices. Google also faces an industrywide slowdown in ad sales in the United States and Europe, with revenue from emerging markets not yet picking up the slack.

Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai told analysts on Thursday that advances in ad targeting and new services for consumers worldwide would spur growth. He said the company had survived calls for regulation before.

"We understand there will be scrutiny," and "we will engage constructively," he said.

WEAKENING CONCERNS

Alphabet, which generates about 85 per cent of its revenue from sales of ad space and ad technology, reported total second-quarter revenue of $38.9 billion. That was up 19% over last year and compared with 17% growth in the first quarter. Analysts on average estimated 16.8% growth and $38.2 billion in revenue, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

The last time that Alphabet had two consecutive quarters of revenue growth below 20% was three years ago.

Executives said the latest results backed their contention that the performance recently has been affected by currency exchange rates and one-off fluctuations rather than advertiser flight or some deeper challenge to its business.

Alphabet's chief financial officer, Ruth Porat, appeared to dispel other analyst concerns, saying the company has seen "virtually no impact" to revenue from efforts to stop running ads on YouTube videos that some have characterized as extremist or hateful.

Alphabet authorized up to $25 billion in new stock buybacks, aiming to make use of its $121 billion in cash.

Pichai said quarterly revenue from licensing cloud computing services and workplace software jumped to about $2 billion, from its last disclosure of $1 billion at the end of 2017. He said the cloud unit would triple its sales staff over the next few years.

Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell told Reuters in an email that the buyback and cloud updates "suggests that management cares about stock performance, which will be a relief to shareholders!"

Net income for the second quarter rose to $9.95 billion, or $14.21 per share, compared with analysts' estimates of $8.02 billion, or $11.32 per share.

Alphabet’s quarterly costs at $29.76 billion were about flat with the same period a year ago. The operating margin was 24%, up from 18% in the first quarter.

Alphabet in its earnings release on Thursday did not mention any government investigations.

Facebook Inc, along with the release of its earnings on Wednesday, said the FTC had informed it last month that it was under antitrust investigation. The social media giant also acknowledged a broad US&nbsp;Department of Justice's antitrust review of large internet companies.

Reuters reported last month that the US&nbsp;Federal Trade Commission was gearing up to investigate Google over complaints of anti-competitive behaviour.

Accusations lodged against Google by rivals and other critics span its advertising, app store, search and other businesses.

On Thursday, the Texas attorney general's office announced that a bipartisan group of state attorneys general is weighing a range of antitrust actions against big tech companies.

Alphabet Inc shares rose about 8 per cent after the company reported quarterly results that eased investors' concerns about growth challenges facing its Google advertising business.

Alphabet Inc shares rose about 8 per cent after the company reported quarterly results that eased investors' concerns about growth challenges facing its Google advertising business. Driven by ad sales, second-quarter revenue and earnings beat analysts' expectations. Also, the world's largest online search and ads firm, unlike No. 2 online ad player Facebook Inc a day earlier, offered no worrisome guidance about increasing regulatory scrutiny. The results helped Alphabet dismiss as a rare blip a $1 billion revenue miss in the first quarter, which had prompted an outburst of investor questions and the biggest one-day sell-off in its shares in about seven years. In after-hours trade on Thursday, the shares rose to $1,226.60, on track for their biggest single-day increase in four years though still down about 4% from their highs before the April slide. Alphabet's shares have lagged peers on Wall Street this year, rising about 9 per cent through Thursday's close, compared to a roughly 20% gain for the S&P 500 broadly. Questions linger about whether privacy, content moderation and antitrust rules proposed or already passed in the United States and other high-revenue countries will slash ad prices. Google also faces an industrywide slowdown in ad sales in the United States and Europe, with revenue from emerging markets not yet picking up the slack. Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai told analysts on Thursday that advances in ad targeting and new services for consumers worldwide would spur growth. He said the company had survived calls for regulation before. "We understand there will be scrutiny," and "we will engage constructively," he said. WEAKENING CONCERNS Alphabet, which generates about 85 per cent of its revenue from sales of ad space and ad technology, reported total second-quarter revenue of $38.9 billion. That was up 19% over last year and compared with 17% growth in the first quarter. Analysts on average estimated 16.8% growth and $38.2 billion in revenue, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. The last time that Alphabet had two consecutive quarters of revenue growth below 20% was three years ago. Executives said the latest results backed their contention that the performance recently has been affected by currency exchange rates and one-off fluctuations rather than advertiser flight or some deeper challenge to its business. Alphabet's chief financial officer, Ruth Porat, appeared to dispel other analyst concerns, saying the company has seen "virtually no impact" to revenue from efforts to stop running ads on YouTube videos that some have characterized as extremist or hateful. Alphabet authorized up to $25 billion in new stock buybacks, aiming to make use of its $121 billion in cash. Pichai said quarterly revenue from licensing cloud computing services and workplace software jumped to about $2 billion, from its last disclosure of $1 billion at the end of 2017. He said the cloud unit would triple its sales staff over the next few years. Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell told Reuters in an email that the buyback and cloud updates "suggests that management cares about stock performance, which will be a relief to shareholders!" Net income for the second quarter rose to $9.95 billion, or $14.21 per share, compared with analysts' estimates of $8.02 billion, or $11.32 per share. Alphabet’s quarterly costs at $29.76 billion were about flat with the same period a year ago. The operating margin was 24%, up from 18% in the first quarter. Alphabet in its earnings release on Thursday did not mention any government investigations. Facebook Inc, along with the release of its earnings on Wednesday, said the FTC had informed it last month that it was under antitrust investigation. The social media giant also acknowledged a broad US Department of Justice's antitrust review of large internet companies. Reuters reported last month that the US Federal Trade Commission was gearing up to investigate Google over complaints of anti-competitive behaviour. Accusations lodged against Google by rivals and other critics span its advertising, app store, search and other businesses. On Thursday, the Texas attorney general's office announced that a bipartisan group of state attorneys general is weighing a range of antitrust actions against big tech companies.

Alphabet's revenue rebounds easing doubts on growth

China's Huawei Technologies laid off more than two-thirds of the 850-strong workforce at its Futurewei Technologies research arm in the United States, after being blacklisted by the government.

Futurewei, which has offices in Silicon Valley and the greater Seattle, Chicago and Dallas areas, said it cut more than 600 jobs. The unit, set up in part to work with universities and researchers, recorded $510 million in operating costs last year.

Huawei is the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturers. The US Commerce Department in May placed the firm on its "entity list" of organizations that pose security risks. The Justice Department has filed charges against the firm alleging theft of trade secrets and other crimes.

Huawei said the job cuts, effective July 22, were "due to the curtailment of business operations" caused by the US government's actions.

The trade blacklist has made it illegal for Futurewei to transfer sensitive technologies to its parent. The blacklist also restricts Huawei from purchasing products from US technology companies.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump agreed at a meeting with the heads of top technology companies including Alphabet Inc's Google to make "timely" decisions on requests by US companies to sell to Huawei.

Futurewei began laying off workers on Monday, Reuters had reported earlier citing employees, including one who spoke as he left the company's Silicon Valley campus.

One employee, who declined to give his name, said he had been laid off, as he put a bag full of personal belongings into his car. At least half a dozen staff with boxes were seen leaving the office before noon on Monday.

An employee not affected by the layoffs said work had come to a standstill since Huawei was blacklisted.

"On the 17th of May, Huawei asked everyone at Futurewei to upload everything to the Huawei cloud, right before the ban took effect," that employee said. "After that basically Futurewei has stopped doing any work - almost stopped everything."

Futurewei has filed more than 2,100 patents in such areas as telecommunications, 5G cellular networks, and video and camera technologies, according to data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Huawei employed around 1,500 people in the United States including the 850 in Futurewei prior to the layoffs. The rest of Huawei's US employees manage its supply chain, customer support, or service functions such as public affairs.

It had added sales executives and chip certification engineers given plans to enter the U.S. smartphone market.

But its headcount has steadily declined since January 2018, when a highly-anticipated deal to enter the U.S. smartphone market with AT&amp;T and Verizon collapsed last minute due to pressure from the US government.

China's Huawei Technologies laid off more than two-thirds of the 850-strong workforce at its Futurewei Technologies research arm in the United States, after being blacklisted by the government.

China's Huawei Technologies laid off more than two-thirds of the 850-strong workforce at its Futurewei Technologies research arm in the United States, after being blacklisted by the government. Futurewei, which has offices in Silicon Valley and the greater Seattle, Chicago and Dallas areas, said it cut more than 600 jobs. The unit, set up in part to work with universities and researchers, recorded $510 million in operating costs last year. Huawei is the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturers. The US Commerce Department in May placed the firm on its "entity list" of organizations that pose security risks. The Justice Department has filed charges against the firm alleging theft of trade secrets and other crimes. Huawei said the job cuts, effective July 22, were "due to the curtailment of business operations" caused by the US government's actions. The trade blacklist has made it illegal for Futurewei to transfer sensitive technologies to its parent. The blacklist also restricts Huawei from purchasing products from US technology companies. On Monday, US President Donald Trump agreed at a meeting with the heads of top technology companies including Alphabet Inc's Google to make "timely" decisions on requests by US companies to sell to Huawei. Futurewei began laying off workers on Monday, Reuters had reported earlier citing employees, including one who spoke as he left the company's Silicon Valley campus. One employee, who declined to give his name, said he had been laid off, as he put a bag full of personal belongings into his car. At least half a dozen staff with boxes were seen leaving the office before noon on Monday. An employee not affected by the layoffs said work had come to a standstill since Huawei was blacklisted. "On the 17th of May, Huawei asked everyone at Futurewei to upload everything to the Huawei cloud, right before the ban took effect," that employee said. "After that basically Futurewei has stopped doing any work - almost stopped everything." Futurewei has filed more than 2,100 patents in such areas as telecommunications, 5G cellular networks, and video and camera technologies, according to data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Huawei employed around 1,500 people in the United States including the 850 in Futurewei prior to the layoffs. The rest of Huawei's US employees manage its supply chain, customer support, or service functions such as public affairs. It had added sales executives and chip certification engineers given plans to enter the U.S. smartphone market. But its headcount has steadily declined since January 2018, when a highly-anticipated deal to enter the U.S. smartphone market with AT&T and Verizon collapsed last minute due to pressure from the US government.

Huawei's US research arm slashes jobs as trade ban bites

Two junior Indian antitrust research associates and a law school student were behind a complaint that sparked a probe into Google's alleged anti-competitive practices in the country, in what has become another regulatory challenge for the US firm.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered a full-blown investigation into Alphabet Inc's Google in April for alleged abuse of its Android platform to hurt rivals, but the complainants'&nbsp;names came to light only when the order was made public last week.

The case was filed by Umar Javeed and Sukarma Thapar, who work as research associates at the CCI, and Umar's brother Aaqib, a law school student who interned with the CCI briefly in 2018, their LinkedIn profiles showed. All three declined interview requests for this article.

Though it's unusual for CCI researchers to file cases with the watchdog, antitrust lawyers said, there is nothing wrong with it. They acted in their personal capacity, a senior government official said, adding that all are aged in their 20s.

"They deserve appreciation, they have done a commendable job," SL Bunker, a former senior member of the CCI, told Reuters on Monday. "The developments will be watched eagerly as the case involves many intricacies and its implications will be the world over."&nbsp;

The CCI didn't respond to a request for comment.

A recent antitrust case in the country against Google involved a matchmaking firm backed by top lawyers. The US&nbsp;company was fined $20 million in that case last year, though it is under appeal.

In the latest case, the three young informants relied on the European Commission's order from last year in which Google was fined $5 billion for forcing manufacturers to pre-install its apps on Android devices. Their complaint is against both Google LLC and the company's India unit.

The CCI's preliminary finding was that Google appeared to be dominant on the basis of the material brought forward by the informants, who were identified in the order as Android users.

Google didn't respond to an email seeking comment, but has previously said it would work with the CCI "to demonstrate how Android has led to more competition and innovation, not less".

The amount of any fine that could be imposed on Google if the CCI rules against it was not clear. Google's Indian unit posted revenue of more than $1.3 billion for the 2018 fiscal year, according to Indian media.&nbsp;

Umar has been working at the CCI since 2017 and obtained his law degree in 2014 from the University of Kashmir, while Aaqib is due to graduate from the Kashmir university this year. Thapar, who graduated from an Indian law school in 2015, joined the CCI last year, according to their LinkedIn profiles.

When one Indian antitrust lawyer asked Umar on LinkedIn whether it wasn't strange that CCI's research associates were filing cases at the watchdog, he replied, "I don't think so ... you can`t tell a police officer to not report an illegal activity because of him being an officer."

Two junior Indian antitrust research associates and a law school student were behind a complaint that sparked a probe into Google's alleged anti-competitive practices in the country, in what has become another regulatory challenge for the US firm.

Two junior Indian antitrust research associates and a law school student were behind a complaint that sparked a probe into Google's alleged anti-competitive practices in the country, in what has become another regulatory challenge for the US firm. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered a full-blown investigation into Alphabet Inc's Google in April for alleged abuse of its Android platform to hurt rivals, but the complainants' names came to light only when the order was made public last week. The case was filed by Umar Javeed and Sukarma Thapar, who work as research associates at the CCI, and Umar's brother Aaqib, a law school student who interned with the CCI briefly in 2018, their LinkedIn profiles showed. All three declined interview requests for this article. Though it's unusual for CCI researchers to file cases with the watchdog, antitrust lawyers said, there is nothing wrong with it. They acted in their personal capacity, a senior government official said, adding that all are aged in their 20s. "They deserve appreciation, they have done a commendable job," SL Bunker, a former senior member of the CCI, told Reuters on Monday. "The developments will be watched eagerly as the case involves many intricacies and its implications will be the world over." The CCI didn't respond to a request for comment. A recent antitrust case in the country against Google involved a matchmaking firm backed by top lawyers. The US company was fined $20 million in that case last year, though it is under appeal. In the latest case, the three young informants relied on the European Commission's order from last year in which Google was fined $5 billion for forcing manufacturers to pre-install its apps on Android devices. Their complaint is against both Google LLC and the company's India unit. The CCI's preliminary finding was that Google appeared to be dominant on the basis of the material brought forward by the informants, who were identified in the order as Android users. Google didn't respond to an email seeking comment, but has previously said it would work with the CCI "to demonstrate how Android has led to more competition and innovation, not less". The amount of any fine that could be imposed on Google if the CCI rules against it was not clear. Google's Indian unit posted revenue of more than $1.3 billion for the 2018 fiscal year, according to Indian media. Umar has been working at the CCI since 2017 and obtained his law degree in 2014 from the University of Kashmir, while Aaqib is due to graduate from the Kashmir university this year. Thapar, who graduated from an Indian law school in 2015, joined the CCI last year, according to their LinkedIn profiles. When one Indian antitrust lawyer asked Umar on LinkedIn whether it wasn't strange that CCI's research associates were filing cases at the watchdog, he replied, "I don't think so ... you can`t tell a police officer to not report an illegal activity because of him being an officer."

India's latest Google probe sparked by junior antitrust researchers

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