Southeast Asia's Internet economy was forecast to grow 39 per cent this year to $100 billion as millions of people in the region went online to shop for the first time and ride-share firms grew in popularity, an industry report showed on Thursday.

The annual report by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-offers-incognito-mode-for-maps-in-privacy-push-253314">Google</a>, Singapore's state investor Temasek Holdings and global business consultants Bain &amp; Company also lifted its forecast for the region's growth through 2025 to $300 billion, from $240 billion previously.

The region's online industry has more than tripled in the past four years alone as young users turn to their phones to do everything from banking, playing games and purchasing plane tickets.

"This pace of growth has exceeded all expectations," the 64-page report, which was first produced in 2016, said. "Internet access is now affordable for large segments of the population and consumer trust in digital services has improved significantly."

More than $37 billion has been invested in Southeast Asian online companies over the last four years with the majority going into e-Commerce firms like Zilingo and ride-hailing Unicorns such as Grab and Gojek, the report found.

Ride-hailing alone was worth $13 billion, quadrupling in value since 2015, and expected to reach $40 billion by 2025 when food delivery will be worth as much as transport.

Southeast Asia's average growth rate of 5 per cent per year since 2014 puts it far ahead of the global average and makes it an attractive investment destination as the Chinese economy is hobbled by the Sino-United States trade war.

There are 360 million Internet users across the countries covered in the report - Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapores-fake-news-law-takes-effect-as-critics-sound-alarm-253218">Singapore</a>, and the Philippines - up from 260 million four years earlier.

Southeast Asia's Internet economy was forecast to grow 39 per cent this year to $100 billion as millions of people in the region went online to shop for the first time and ride-share firms grew in popularity, an industry report showed on Thursday.

Southeast Asia's Internet economy was forecast to grow 39 per cent this year to $100 billion as millions of people in the region went online to shop for the first time and ride-share firms grew in popularity, an industry report showed on Thursday. The annual report by Google, Singapore's state investor Temasek Holdings and global business consultants Bain & Company also lifted its forecast for the region's growth through 2025 to $300 billion, from $240 billion previously. The region's online industry has more than tripled in the past four years alone as young users turn to their phones to do everything from banking, playing games and purchasing plane tickets. "This pace of growth has exceeded all expectations," the 64-page report, which was first produced in 2016, said. "Internet access is now affordable for large segments of the population and consumer trust in digital services has improved significantly." More than $37 billion has been invested in Southeast Asian online companies over the last four years with the majority going into e-Commerce firms like Zilingo and ride-hailing Unicorns such as Grab and Gojek, the report found. Ride-hailing alone was worth $13 billion, quadrupling in value since 2015, and expected to reach $40 billion by 2025 when food delivery will be worth as much as transport. Southeast Asia's average growth rate of 5 per cent per year since 2014 puts it far ahead of the global average and makes it an attractive investment destination as the Chinese economy is hobbled by the Sino-United States trade war. There are 360 million Internet users across the countries covered in the report - Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines - up from 260 million four years earlier.

Southeast Asia's internet economy to hit $300 billion by 2025: Report

Hundreds of&nbsp;workers&nbsp;from&nbsp;Google,&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;and other&nbsp;technology companies on Friday&nbsp;joined&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-dispatch-climate-change-protest-in-150-countries-250860">climate-change marches</a> in San Francisco and Seattle, saying their employers had been too slow to tackle global warming and needed to take more drastic action.

While students set the global agenda and led local marches,&nbsp;US&nbsp;West Coast&nbsp;tech&nbsp;workers&nbsp;said they turned out in support and called on makers of software and hardware as well as providers of services such as cloud data storage to do more.

Watch Video:&nbsp;The biggest climate protest till date

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The marches cap a week in which Alphabet Inc's&nbsp;Google&nbsp;said it had increased its wind and solar energy deals by more than 40 per cent, and&nbsp;Amazon.com Inc&nbsp;pledged to use only renewable energy by 2030.

"We're out on the streets because we want them to do more," said Danilo Quilaton, 34, a product designer for&nbsp;Amazon's video streaming subsidiary Twitch.

He called Thursday's pledge by his company a big win.

"Amazon&nbsp;promised some things, but we still have to hold them liable," said Quilaton, who held a sign that read, "I work at&nbsp;Amazon. I want zero deals with oil &amp; gas" companies.

The number of people carrying signs referring to&nbsp;tech&nbsp;companies and shouting&nbsp;tech-related slogans on the streets of San Francisco and Seattle numbered in the hundreds or low thousands, a fraction of the&nbsp;tech&nbsp;workforce.

But their presence was bigger than in past&nbsp;protests&nbsp;and represented a change in an industry whose engineers have often focussed on their work, rather than social issues.

"Amazon, let’s raise the bar, not the temperature," read one protester's sign outside the glass domes at&nbsp;Amazon's headquarters in Seattle known as the Spheres, local symbols of the industry's wealth.

"Tech&nbsp;is having an awakening," said&nbsp;Google&nbsp;business analyst Marie Collins in San Francisco.

"Tech&nbsp;workers&nbsp;are realizing they have to take collective action."

One sign with the hashtag #techwontbuildit called for zero emissions by 2030, no deals to provide&nbsp;technology to oil and gas companies and zero corporate sponsorships of groups&nbsp;that deny&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change, echoing internal petitions at the big companies.

The coordination across various companies paralleled recent&nbsp;joint efforts by staff to oppose work on military contracts, support immigrants and other issues.

Tech&nbsp;workers&nbsp;by late morning&nbsp;joined youth-led marches, which filled a dozen blocks of San Francisco's Market Street.

In Seattle, hundreds of&nbsp;tech&nbsp;workers&nbsp;gathered at&nbsp;Amazon's headquarters and marched to&nbsp;join&nbsp;bigger groups.

The companies have signalled sympathy with&nbsp;workers&nbsp;on addressing&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change.

But&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;Chief Executive Jeff Bezos on Thursday said it would be a bad idea to leave the cloud company's oil and gas customers with outdated tools as they are trying to evolve their businesses.

'Hold them accountable'

An&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;spokeswoman on Friday said the company understands that some employees feel strongly about&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change and so does&nbsp;Amazon.&nbsp;

Google, which on Thursday announced its clean energy deals, did not immediately return a request for comment.

Though much of the public thinks of&nbsp;technology as a clean industry, unlike transportation or mainstream manufacturing, the employees said soaring electricity consumption for the data centres used in cloud computing was a major problem.

“We are the ones who build the products,” said an organizer who asked to be identified only as Steven.

“We are the ones who have the power to hold them accountable.”

Hundreds of workers from Google, Amazon and other technology companies on Friday joined climate-change marches in San Francisco and Seattle, saying their employers had been too slow to tackle global warming and needed to take more drastic action.

Hundreds of workers from Google, Amazon and other technology companies on Friday joined climate-change marches in San Francisco and Seattle, saying their employers had been too slow to tackle global warming and needed to take more drastic action. While students set the global agenda and led local marches, US West Coast tech workers said they turned out in support and called on makers of software and hardware as well as providers of services such as cloud data storage to do more. Watch Video: The biggest climate protest till date × The marches cap a week in which Alphabet Inc's Google said it had increased its wind and solar energy deals by more than 40 per cent, and Amazon.com Inc pledged to use only renewable energy by 2030. "We're out on the streets because we want them to do more," said Danilo Quilaton, 34, a product designer for Amazon's video streaming subsidiary Twitch. He called Thursday's pledge by his company a big win. "Amazon promised some things, but we still have to hold them liable," said Quilaton, who held a sign that read, "I work at Amazon. I want zero deals with oil & gas" companies. The number of people carrying signs referring to tech companies and shouting tech-related slogans on the streets of San Francisco and Seattle numbered in the hundreds or low thousands, a fraction of the tech workforce. But their presence was bigger than in past protests and represented a change in an industry whose engineers have often focussed on their work, rather than social issues. "Amazon, let’s raise the bar, not the temperature," read one protester's sign outside the glass domes at Amazon's headquarters in Seattle known as the Spheres, local symbols of the industry's wealth. "Tech is having an awakening," said Google business analyst Marie Collins in San Francisco. "Tech workers are realizing they have to take collective action." One sign with the hashtag #techwontbuildit called for zero emissions by 2030, no deals to provide technology to oil and gas companies and zero corporate sponsorships of groups that deny climate change, echoing internal petitions at the big companies. The coordination across various companies paralleled recent joint efforts by staff to oppose work on military contracts, support immigrants and other issues. Tech workers by late morning joined youth-led marches, which filled a dozen blocks of San Francisco's Market Street. In Seattle, hundreds of tech workers gathered at Amazon's headquarters and marched to join bigger groups. The companies have signalled sympathy with workers on addressing climate change. But Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos on Thursday said it would be a bad idea to leave the cloud company's oil and gas customers with outdated tools as they are trying to evolve their businesses. 'Hold them accountable' An Amazon spokeswoman on Friday said the company understands that some employees feel strongly about climate change and so does Amazon. Google, which on Thursday announced its clean energy deals, did not immediately return a request for comment. Though much of the public thinks of technology as a clean industry, unlike transportation or mainstream manufacturing, the employees said soaring electricity consumption for the data centres used in cloud computing was a major problem. “We are the ones who build the products,” said an organizer who asked to be identified only as Steven. “We are the ones who have the power to hold them accountable.”

In tech 'awakening,' US workers at Google, Amazon join climate protests

Online video content is a new addiction for Indians. An average viewer is now watching the online content about eight hours 28 minutes each week, more than the time they spend viewing TV every week, according to a survey.

Many users get hooked to Youtube and digital videos to the extent that they spend hours in a day consuming content it has to offer.

Be it checking the schedule of your bus or train. To the weather and the news.All create a dependency on digital media which further fuels smartphone addiction.

So when it comes to internet adoption trends - many reports say that India is growing as one of the leading markets in the world.

An e-marketer forecast has revealed that India is likely to overtake the US in terms of time spent on digital videos by the year 2020.

While popular apps like Youtube, Tiktok and online platforms like Hotstar and Netflix drive up the number.

A major contributor to this trend - is the rise of short digital videos.

The report says that the average daily time spent by Indians online is likely to increase from 1 hour 20 minutes in 2017 to 2 hours 21 minutes by next year.

Not just this - India consumes the highest data per user and subscriber in the world.

The telecom regulatory authority of India has estimated this to be around 7.69 gigabytes per month.

Now almost all of this is happening due to access to cheap android smartphones and 4G cellular data.

But it certainly has some advantages to it.There is no doubt that the usage of digital videos is exploding in India.

According to reports, nearly 70 per cent of online viewers resort to youtube to learn something.

Digital videos have also become an important source for consuming news. From trailers to movie clips to song launches, social media has become an indispensable part of the Indian film industry.

Social media's journey has not only been deeply linked to the internet growth story of India but also to video consumption habits of Indians.

Through online channels, Indian viewers largely watch movies, followed by news, TV shows and sports, amongst others.

Online video content is a new addiction for Indians. An average viewer is now watching the online content about eight hours 28 minutes each week, more than the time they spend viewing TV every week, according to a survey.

Online video content is a new addiction for Indians. An average viewer is now watching the online content about eight hours 28 minutes each week, more than the time they spend viewing TV every week, according to a survey. Many users get hooked to Youtube and digital videos to the extent that they spend hours in a day consuming content it has to offer. Be it checking the schedule of your bus or train. To the weather and the news.All create a dependency on digital media which further fuels smartphone addiction. So when it comes to internet adoption trends - many reports say that India is growing as one of the leading markets in the world. An e-marketer forecast has revealed that India is likely to overtake the US in terms of time spent on digital videos by the year 2020. While popular apps like Youtube, Tiktok and online platforms like Hotstar and Netflix drive up the number. A major contributor to this trend - is the rise of short digital videos. The report says that the average daily time spent by Indians online is likely to increase from 1 hour 20 minutes in 2017 to 2 hours 21 minutes by next year. Not just this - India consumes the highest data per user and subscriber in the world. The telecom regulatory authority of India has estimated this to be around 7.69 gigabytes per month. Now almost all of this is happening due to access to cheap android smartphones and 4G cellular data. But it certainly has some advantages to it.There is no doubt that the usage of digital videos is exploding in India. According to reports, nearly 70 per cent of online viewers resort to youtube to learn something. Digital videos have also become an important source for consuming news. From trailers to movie clips to song launches, social media has become an indispensable part of the Indian film industry. Social media's journey has not only been deeply linked to the internet growth story of India but also to video consumption habits of Indians. Through online channels, Indian viewers largely watch movies, followed by news, TV shows and sports, amongst others.

India to overtake United States on time spent on internet videos: Survey

A coalition of US states unveiled on Friday an antitrust investigation of Facebook, the first of what is expected to be a wave of action against dominant technology firms.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced the action on behalf of seven other states and the District of Columbia to probe "whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk."

The case may be the first in a series of antitrust actions against Big Tech firms and highlights growing "techlash," based on worries about platforms that control the flow of online information and dominate key economic sectors.

"We will use every investigative tool at our disposal to determine whether Facebook's actions may have endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumers' choices, or increased the price of advertising," James said.

Joining the action were attorneys general of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee, said, James.

Earlier this year the US Justice Department said it would launch a "review" of major online platforms to determine if they have stifled innovation or reduced competition.

It was not immediately clear if the states would be working in coordination with federal officials.

'Rising fears'

Facebook offered no immediate comment, but in the past, it has claimed it is not a monopoly and that consumers have many choices for how to connect with people online.

The new probe "shows how unease with large tech companies is spreading beyond Congress and the federal government agencies to the states," said Michael Carrier, professor of antitrust law at Rutgers University.

"With each passing day, there are greater fears about these companies controlling our online lives."

Yet the legal basis for an antitrust action remains unclear, said Eric Goldman, director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University.

"It remains to be seen if the (attorneys general) has any merit to their complaints or if they will be conducting a fishing expedition hoping to find some damning evidence," Goldman said.

"Companies as large as Google or Facebook probably have minor problematic practices the AGs could target, but I'm still waiting for any evidence that would support more structural challenges to the internet giants' practices."

'More on Monday'

A separate coalition of states was set to launch another antitrust initiative, with Google reportedly a target.

The office of the Texas attorney general scheduled an event Monday in Washington with a "broad coalition of states" to unveil a probe into "whether large tech companies have engaged in anticompetitive behaviour that stifled competition, restricted access, and harmed consumers."

Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said the company's services "help people every day, create more choice for consumers, and support thousands of jobs and small businesses across the country" and pledged to "work constructively with regulators."

'What's the remedy?'

Maurice Stucke, a University of Tennessee law professor, said he expects one of the areas being investigated will be online advertising markets, which are dominated by Google and Facebook.

"This is a great area to look at because the market has been criticized as being opaque," Stucke said.

Stucke said the investigations may go further by looking at how tech platforms control data, potentially examining "the intersection between competition law and privacy."

Amazon and Apple may also be in the crosshairs. Critics have complained that Amazon wields too much power in online retail and that Apple may disadvantage rivals offering services in its app store.

In the European Union, Google has faced a series of antitrust actions and Amazon is now being targeted by enforcers.

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has made a breakup of the big tech firms a part of her campaign platform.

But some analysts say the case against the tech firms faces challenges because the companies have in many cases provided services for free and brought prices down, making it hard to prove they harmed "consumer welfare," a longstanding judicial precedent.

Jessica Melugin of the Competitive Enterprise Institute said the state officials are stretching the limits of antitrust.

"This sort of high-profile activism may benefit state AGs' political ambitions, but impose harmful costs on consumers, businesses, and the economy," she said in a statement.

But Stucke said it would be wrong to view antitrust law as solely focused on consumer prices, and that it may be applied to questions of competition and innovation.

The probes could end up with a variety of outcomes including fines, restrictions on conduct or a breakup, Stucke maintained.

"You'd have to show how the remedy would address the concerns," he said.

A coalition of US states unveiled on Friday an antitrust investigation of Facebook, the first of what is expected to be a wave of action against dominant technology firms.

A coalition of US states unveiled on Friday an antitrust investigation of Facebook, the first of what is expected to be a wave of action against dominant technology firms. New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced the action on behalf of seven other states and the District of Columbia to probe "whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk." The case may be the first in a series of antitrust actions against Big Tech firms and highlights growing "techlash," based on worries about platforms that control the flow of online information and dominate key economic sectors. "We will use every investigative tool at our disposal to determine whether Facebook's actions may have endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumers' choices, or increased the price of advertising," James said. Joining the action were attorneys general of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee, said, James. Earlier this year the US Justice Department said it would launch a "review" of major online platforms to determine if they have stifled innovation or reduced competition. It was not immediately clear if the states would be working in coordination with federal officials. 'Rising fears' Facebook offered no immediate comment, but in the past, it has claimed it is not a monopoly and that consumers have many choices for how to connect with people online. The new probe "shows how unease with large tech companies is spreading beyond Congress and the federal government agencies to the states," said Michael Carrier, professor of antitrust law at Rutgers University. "With each passing day, there are greater fears about these companies controlling our online lives." Yet the legal basis for an antitrust action remains unclear, said Eric Goldman, director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University. "It remains to be seen if the (attorneys general) has any merit to their complaints or if they will be conducting a fishing expedition hoping to find some damning evidence," Goldman said. "Companies as large as Google or Facebook probably have minor problematic practices the AGs could target, but I'm still waiting for any evidence that would support more structural challenges to the internet giants' practices." 'More on Monday' A separate coalition of states was set to launch another antitrust initiative, with Google reportedly a target. The office of the Texas attorney general scheduled an event Monday in Washington with a "broad coalition of states" to unveil a probe into "whether large tech companies have engaged in anticompetitive behaviour that stifled competition, restricted access, and harmed consumers." Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said the company's services "help people every day, create more choice for consumers, and support thousands of jobs and small businesses across the country" and pledged to "work constructively with regulators." 'What's the remedy?' Maurice Stucke, a University of Tennessee law professor, said he expects one of the areas being investigated will be online advertising markets, which are dominated by Google and Facebook. "This is a great area to look at because the market has been criticized as being opaque," Stucke said. Stucke said the investigations may go further by looking at how tech platforms control data, potentially examining "the intersection between competition law and privacy." Amazon and Apple may also be in the crosshairs. Critics have complained that Amazon wields too much power in online retail and that Apple may disadvantage rivals offering services in its app store. In the European Union, Google has faced a series of antitrust actions and Amazon is now being targeted by enforcers. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has made a breakup of the big tech firms a part of her campaign platform. But some analysts say the case against the tech firms faces challenges because the companies have in many cases provided services for free and brought prices down, making it hard to prove they harmed "consumer welfare," a longstanding judicial precedent. Jessica Melugin of the Competitive Enterprise Institute said the state officials are stretching the limits of antitrust. "This sort of high-profile activism may benefit state AGs' political ambitions, but impose harmful costs on consumers, businesses, and the economy," she said in a statement. But Stucke said it would be wrong to view antitrust law as solely focused on consumer prices, and that it may be applied to questions of competition and innovation. The probes could end up with a variety of outcomes including fines, restrictions on conduct or a breakup, Stucke maintained. "You'd have to show how the remedy would address the concerns," he said.

Antitrust probe of Facebook may be first step against Big Tech

The US Department of Justice has asked Google to provide records on past investigations, as part of its extensive probe of tech giants over possible anti-competitive practices, the internet titan said Friday.&nbsp;

Washington has not named the companies it has targeted in its probe&nbsp;which began in July but it appears directed at the likes of dominant tech players such as Google, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/antitrust-probe-of-facebook-may-be-first-step-against-big-tech-248217">Facebook</a>, Twitter and Amazon.

"We have answered many questions on these issues over many years, in the United States as well as overseas, across many aspects of our business, so this is not new for us," Kent Walker, Google's senior vice president of global affairs, said in a blog post.

"The DOJ (Department of Justice) has asked us to provide information about these past investigations, and we expect state attorneys general will ask similar questions," Walker said, confirming rumors in the US media that a coalition of US states would soon launch an antitrust investigation of the group.

"We have always worked constructively with regulators and we will continue to do so," he said.

Google was "one of America's top spenders on research and development, making investments that spur innovation: Things that were science fiction a few years ago are now free for everyone," he stressed.

Lawmakers and activists have raised concerns about the growing dominance of online giants such as Google, Facebook and Amazon in key segments of the digital economy.

A coalition of US states, including New York, on Friday launched an antitrust investigation of Facebook, the first of what is expected to be a wave of action against dominant technology firms.

The US Department of Justice has asked Google to provide records on past investigations, as part of its extensive probe of tech giants over possible anti-competitive practices, the internet titan said Friday.

The US Department of Justice has asked Google to provide records on past investigations, as part of its extensive probe of tech giants over possible anti-competitive practices, the internet titan said Friday. Washington has not named the companies it has targeted in its probe which began in July but it appears directed at the likes of dominant tech players such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon. "We have answered many questions on these issues over many years, in the United States as well as overseas, across many aspects of our business, so this is not new for us," Kent Walker, Google's senior vice president of global affairs, said in a blog post. "The DOJ (Department of Justice) has asked us to provide information about these past investigations, and we expect state attorneys general will ask similar questions," Walker said, confirming rumors in the US media that a coalition of US states would soon launch an antitrust investigation of the group. "We have always worked constructively with regulators and we will continue to do so," he said. Google was "one of America's top spenders on research and development, making investments that spur innovation: Things that were science fiction a few years ago are now free for everyone," he stressed. Lawmakers and activists have raised concerns about the growing dominance of online giants such as Google, Facebook and Amazon in key segments of the digital economy. A coalition of US states, including New York, on Friday launched an antitrust investigation of Facebook, the first of what is expected to be a wave of action against dominant technology firms.

US Department of Justice seeks Google records as US states launch antitrust probe of Big Tech

Google agreed Wednesday to pay $170 million to settle charges that it illegally collected and shared data from children on its <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-to-pay-out-150-200-mn-over-youtube-privacy-claims-reports-246791">YouTube video service</a>, a deal critics said was too soft on the internet giant.

The settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and the New York state Attorney General is the largest amount in a case involving the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, a 1998 federal law, officials said.

Officials said YouTube violated the law that requires <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-reveals-years-long-indiscriminate-iphone-hack-246581">child-directed websites</a> and online services to provide notice of their information practices and obtain parental consent prior to collecting personal information from children under 13.

The company marketed itself as a destination for children and benefitted by selling advertising to toymakers and others seeking to connect with young audiences, according to the FTC.

"YouTube touted its popularity with children to prospective corporate clients," said FTC chairman Joe Simons.

"Yet when it came to complying with COPPA, the company refused to acknowledge that portions of its platform were clearly directed to kids. There's no excuse for YouTube's violations of the law."

The settlement also calls for YouTube to change the way it handles children's content.

"We will treat data from anyone watching children's content on YouTube as coming from a child, regardless of the age of the user," YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki said in a statement.

"This means that we will limit data collection and use on videos made for kids only to what is needed to support the operation of the service. We will also stop serving personalised ads on this content entirely, and some features will no longer be available on this type of content, like comments and notifications."

Wojcicki added that Google would create a $100 million fund "dedicated to the creation of thoughtful, original children's content on YouTube and YouTube Kids globally."

The settlement, which must be approved by a federal court, calls for the FTC to receive $136 million and New York state the remaining $34 million.

The deal was approved by a 3-2 vote of the FTC commissioners, with the two Democrats calling for tougher penalties.

The deal "repeats many of the same mistakes from the flawed Facebook settlement: no individual accountability, insufficient remedies to address the company's financial incentives, and a fine that still allows the company to profit from its lawbreaking," Democratic commissioner Rohit Chopra said in a dissent.

"The terms of the settlement were not even significant enough to make Google issue a warning to its investors."

Activists who filed a complaint last year against YouTube also said the deal falls short.

"We are gratified that the FTC has finally forced Google to confront its longstanding lie that it wasn't targeting children on YouTube," said Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, one of the groups in the complaint.

The "paltry financial penalty of $170 million" is a mere slap and "sends a signal that if you are a politically powerful corporation, you do not have to fear any serious financial consequences when you break the law," Chester said.

"Google made billions off the backs of children, developing a host of intrusive and manipulative marketing practices that take advantage of their developmental vulnerabilities. More fundamental changes will be required to ensure that YouTube is a safe and fair platform for young people."

Simons said the deal goes beyond the legal requirements of the law by creating a system through which content creators must self-designate if their products are child-directed.

"This obligation exceeds what any third party in the marketplace currently is required to do," FTC chairman Simons said in a statement with commissioner Christine Wilson.

Simons and Wilson said that it would be difficult to get a harsher penalty imposed in court which would require proving that Google knew about its violations.

Google agreed Wednesday to pay $170 million to settle charges that it illegally collected and shared data from children on its YouTube video service, a deal critics said was too soft on the internet giant.

Google agreed Wednesday to pay $170 million to settle charges that it illegally collected and shared data from children on its YouTube video service, a deal critics said was too soft on the internet giant. The settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and the New York state Attorney General is the largest amount in a case involving the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, a 1998 federal law, officials said. Officials said YouTube violated the law that requires child-directed websites and online services to provide notice of their information practices and obtain parental consent prior to collecting personal information from children under 13. The company marketed itself as a destination for children and benefitted by selling advertising to toymakers and others seeking to connect with young audiences, according to the FTC. "YouTube touted its popularity with children to prospective corporate clients," said FTC chairman Joe Simons. "Yet when it came to complying with COPPA, the company refused to acknowledge that portions of its platform were clearly directed to kids. There's no excuse for YouTube's violations of the law." The settlement also calls for YouTube to change the way it handles children's content. "We will treat data from anyone watching children's content on YouTube as coming from a child, regardless of the age of the user," YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki said in a statement. "This means that we will limit data collection and use on videos made for kids only to what is needed to support the operation of the service. We will also stop serving personalised ads on this content entirely, and some features will no longer be available on this type of content, like comments and notifications." Wojcicki added that Google would create a $100 million fund "dedicated to the creation of thoughtful, original children's content on YouTube and YouTube Kids globally." The settlement, which must be approved by a federal court, calls for the FTC to receive $136 million and New York state the remaining $34 million. The deal was approved by a 3-2 vote of the FTC commissioners, with the two Democrats calling for tougher penalties. The deal "repeats many of the same mistakes from the flawed Facebook settlement: no individual accountability, insufficient remedies to address the company's financial incentives, and a fine that still allows the company to profit from its lawbreaking," Democratic commissioner Rohit Chopra said in a dissent. "The terms of the settlement were not even significant enough to make Google issue a warning to its investors." Activists who filed a complaint last year against YouTube also said the deal falls short. "We are gratified that the FTC has finally forced Google to confront its longstanding lie that it wasn't targeting children on YouTube," said Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, one of the groups in the complaint. The "paltry financial penalty of $170 million" is a mere slap and "sends a signal that if you are a politically powerful corporation, you do not have to fear any serious financial consequences when you break the law," Chester said. "Google made billions off the backs of children, developing a host of intrusive and manipulative marketing practices that take advantage of their developmental vulnerabilities. More fundamental changes will be required to ensure that YouTube is a safe and fair platform for young people." Simons said the deal goes beyond the legal requirements of the law by creating a system through which content creators must self-designate if their products are child-directed. "This obligation exceeds what any third party in the marketplace currently is required to do," FTC chairman Simons said in a statement with commissioner Christine Wilson. Simons and Wilson said that it would be difficult to get a harsher penalty imposed in court which would require proving that Google knew about its violations.

Google to pay FTC $170 million for illegally collecting, sharing data from kids on YouTube

Google will pay $150-200 million to settle allegations YouTube violated a children's privacy law while gathering data to better target its adverts, US media reports said Friday.

The US Federal Trade Commission agreed the amount of the settlement against YouTube parent Google, which if approved by the Justice Department would be the largest settlement in a case involving children's privacy, the New York Times reported.

The allegations against YouTube were made by privacy groups who said the platform had violated laws protecting children's privacy by gathering data on users under the age of 13 without obtaining permission from parents, Politico reported.

The FTC is expected to announce its decision on the settlement in September, the New York Times said.

US regulators have long argued Google fails to protect children from harmful content and data collection on its YouTube platform.

Advocacy group The Center for Digital Democracy said in a statement that the proposed settlement would be "woefully low" given Google's size and revenue, and called on the FTC to "enjoin Google from committing further violations" of children's privacy law.

Google remains the money-making engine for parent company Alphabet, with most of its revenue coming from digital ads, which accounted for $116 billion of the $136 billion the Silicon Valley-based company took in last year.

In January, France's CNIL data watchdog slapped Google with a record 50-million-euro fine for failing to meet the EU's tough General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force early last year.&nbsp;

Google is appealing the fine.

Fellow US tech giant Facebook recently settled a record $5 billion fine with the US Federal Trade Commission for misusing users' private data.

Google will pay $150-200 million to settle allegations YouTube violated a children's privacy law while gathering data to better target its adverts, US media reports said Friday.

Google will pay $150-200 million to settle allegations YouTube violated a children's privacy law while gathering data to better target its adverts, US media reports said Friday. The US Federal Trade Commission agreed the amount of the settlement against YouTube parent Google, which if approved by the Justice Department would be the largest settlement in a case involving children's privacy, the New York Times reported. The allegations against YouTube were made by privacy groups who said the platform had violated laws protecting children's privacy by gathering data on users under the age of 13 without obtaining permission from parents, Politico reported. The FTC is expected to announce its decision on the settlement in September, the New York Times said. US regulators have long argued Google fails to protect children from harmful content and data collection on its YouTube platform. Advocacy group The Center for Digital Democracy said in a statement that the proposed settlement would be "woefully low" given Google's size and revenue, and called on the FTC to "enjoin Google from committing further violations" of children's privacy law. Google remains the money-making engine for parent company Alphabet, with most of its revenue coming from digital ads, which accounted for $116 billion of the $136 billion the Silicon Valley-based company took in last year. In January, France's CNIL data watchdog slapped Google with a record 50-million-euro fine for failing to meet the EU's tough General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force early last year. Google is appealing the fine. Fellow US tech giant Facebook recently settled a record $5 billion fine with the US Federal Trade Commission for misusing users' private data.

Google to pay out $150-200 mn over YouTube privacy claims: Reports

Anthony Levandowski, a pioneer in self-driving car technology, was criminally charged on Tuesday with stealing trade secrets from his former employer Google before joining rival Uber Technologies Inc.

The 33-count indictment made public by the US Department of Justice largely mirrors allegations that the Waymo unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc, where Levandowski had worked, made in a 2017 civil lawsuit against Uber, which later settled.

His lawyers said Levandowski stole nothing, and that they looked forward to proving his innocence at trial.

Levandowski, 39, pleaded not guilty to the charges through one of his lawyers, at an arraignment before US Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins in San Jose, California.

The judge set a preliminary bail package of $300,000 cash and the pledging as collateral of two properties worth $2 million. Another hearing to set final bail terms was scheduled for September 4, as government lawyers said they needed more time to assess Levandowski's finances.

Levandowski surrendered his US and French passports and will wear an ankle bracelet to monitor his whereabouts. A prosecutor expressed concern at the arraignment that Levandowski might be a flight risk.

The defendant, who wore a blue sports jacket and black jeans as his plea was entered, could face up to 10 years in prison on each count if convicted.

Levandowski's prosecution is one of Silicon Valley's highest-profile trade secret theft cases, as engineers race to develop technology for self-driving vehicles, which industry experts view as a $1 trillion market opportunity within three decades.

Prosecutors accused Levandowski of stealing materials in late 2015 and early 2016 related to Waymo's self-driving car technology.

They said he did this after deciding to leave and form his own self-driving company, Ottomotto, which Uber later bought.

The alleged stolen materials included details related to Lidar, a crucial sensor technology, according to the indictment.

All people are free to change jobs, US Attorney David Anderson said at a news conference. "But what we cannot do is stuff our pockets on the way out the door."

Anderson declined to answer a reporter's question on whether Uber could also face any criminal charges. An Uber spokesman said the company had cooperated with the government throughout its investigation and would continue to do so.

Levandowski left Waymo in early 2016 and eventually took over Uber's self-driving car project before being fired.

"For more than a decade, Anthony Levandowski has been an industry-leading innovator in self-driving technologies," and the government's case is a "rehash" of discredited claims, his lawyer Miles Ehrlich told reporters at the courthouse.

Lawyers for Levandowski said the downloads in question occurred while their client was still working at Waymo, and that he was authorized to use the information.

Pronto, a self-driving software company that Levandowski co-founded in 2018, said in a statement it replaced him as chief executive with Robbie Miller, who had been chief safety officer. It also said it was "fully supportive" of Levandowski and his family.

Legal battles involving Levandowski have cost Uber precious time on its self-driving car project, seen as important to its long-term profitability.

Levandowski did not testify at the trial between Waymo and Uber before they settled, and has not spoken publicly about it.

The lawsuit was another public controversy for Uber, which was trying to emerge from scandals under former Chief Executive Travis Kalanick, including over how it treated female employees.

Kalanick had called self-driving cars an "existential" threat for the ride-hailing company.

Prosecutors said there remain legal limits to competition.

"Silicon Valley is not the Wild West," FBI special agent in charge John Bennett said at a news conference. "The fast pace and competitive environment does not mean federal laws don't apply or they can be ignored."

Waymo said it appreciated prosecutors' work on the case. "We have always believed competition should be fuelled by innovation," a spokeswoman said in a statement.

Alphabet shares closed down 36 cents at $1,170.82, while Uber fell 20 cents to $33.11.

Anthony Levandowski, a pioneer in self-driving car technology, was criminally charged on Tuesday with stealing trade secrets from his former employer Google before joining rival Uber Technologies Inc.

Anthony Levandowski, a pioneer in self-driving car technology, was criminally charged on Tuesday with stealing trade secrets from his former employer Google before joining rival Uber Technologies Inc. The 33-count indictment made public by the US Department of Justice largely mirrors allegations that the Waymo unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc, where Levandowski had worked, made in a 2017 civil lawsuit against Uber, which later settled. His lawyers said Levandowski stole nothing, and that they looked forward to proving his innocence at trial. Levandowski, 39, pleaded not guilty to the charges through one of his lawyers, at an arraignment before US Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins in San Jose, California. The judge set a preliminary bail package of $300,000 cash and the pledging as collateral of two properties worth $2 million. Another hearing to set final bail terms was scheduled for September 4, as government lawyers said they needed more time to assess Levandowski's finances. Levandowski surrendered his US and French passports and will wear an ankle bracelet to monitor his whereabouts. A prosecutor expressed concern at the arraignment that Levandowski might be a flight risk. The defendant, who wore a blue sports jacket and black jeans as his plea was entered, could face up to 10 years in prison on each count if convicted. Levandowski's prosecution is one of Silicon Valley's highest-profile trade secret theft cases, as engineers race to develop technology for self-driving vehicles, which industry experts view as a $1 trillion market opportunity within three decades. Prosecutors accused Levandowski of stealing materials in late 2015 and early 2016 related to Waymo's self-driving car technology. They said he did this after deciding to leave and form his own self-driving company, Ottomotto, which Uber later bought. The alleged stolen materials included details related to Lidar, a crucial sensor technology, according to the indictment. All people are free to change jobs, US Attorney David Anderson said at a news conference. "But what we cannot do is stuff our pockets on the way out the door." Anderson declined to answer a reporter's question on whether Uber could also face any criminal charges. An Uber spokesman said the company had cooperated with the government throughout its investigation and would continue to do so. Levandowski left Waymo in early 2016 and eventually took over Uber's self-driving car project before being fired. "For more than a decade, Anthony Levandowski has been an industry-leading innovator in self-driving technologies," and the government's case is a "rehash" of discredited claims, his lawyer Miles Ehrlich told reporters at the courthouse. Lawyers for Levandowski said the downloads in question occurred while their client was still working at Waymo, and that he was authorized to use the information. Pronto, a self-driving software company that Levandowski co-founded in 2018, said in a statement it replaced him as chief executive with Robbie Miller, who had been chief safety officer. It also said it was "fully supportive" of Levandowski and his family. Legal battles involving Levandowski have cost Uber precious time on its self-driving car project, seen as important to its long-term profitability. Levandowski did not testify at the trial between Waymo and Uber before they settled, and has not spoken publicly about it. The lawsuit was another public controversy for Uber, which was trying to emerge from scandals under former Chief Executive Travis Kalanick, including over how it treated female employees. Kalanick had called self-driving cars an "existential" threat for the ride-hailing company. Prosecutors said there remain legal limits to competition. "Silicon Valley is not the Wild West," FBI special agent in charge John Bennett said at a news conference. "The fast pace and competitive environment does not mean federal laws don't apply or they can be ignored." Waymo said it appreciated prosecutors' work on the case. "We have always believed competition should be fuelled by innovation," a spokeswoman said in a statement. Alphabet shares closed down 36 cents at $1,170.82, while Uber fell 20 cents to $33.11.

Ex-Google engineer indicted for stealing self-driving car secrets, pleads not guilty

France delayed the planned signing of a pledge by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-a-world-first-facebook-to-give-data-on-hate-speech-suspects-to-french-courts-230477">Internet platforms to fight hate speech online</a> amid pressure from the United States, a French minister said, adding that he was still hopeful the US will join the initiative.

France, which is hosting the G7 summit in Biarritz, was initially hoping to make social media giants sign a so-called "Charter for an Open, Free, and Safe Internet" on Friday, according to the official programme.

"The Charter will be signed by major digital stakeholders in Paris on 23 August, before being presented to the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-trump-set-to-meet-at-g7-summit-on-august-26-244877"> G7 States in Biarritz</a>," the programme read.

But no ceremony took place on Friday and Europe 1 radio said US President Donald Trump had pressured the chief executives of these social networks from signing the pledge publicly.

France's junior minister for the digital industry told reporters the signing was only delayed and would eventually take place on Monday.

"The initial idea was to make the platforms come to Biarritz and until now, the United States was against the signature of this pledge," Cedric O said.

"Diplomatically, it was sensitive to make US platforms come to Biarritz and sign something while the American president wasn't there," he said.

Google, Facebook, and Snapchat were among the platforms due to sign the charter, according to Cedric O.

The charter aims to create a collective movement guaranteeing transparency and cooperation for the safe and positive use of the Internet, the French G7 presidency said.

It builds on the Christchurch call by widening the scope of commitments made by platforms, particularly in terms of taking down content, moderating, ensuring transparency and supporting victims.

"There's no doubt on the fact that the social networks will sign the pledge," Cedric O said.

"The platforms played ball and made a commitment on the pledge, all the countries taking part too, the remaining question today is whether the US will join us, which would be a great success," he added.

France delayed the planned signing of a pledge by Internet platforms to fight hate speech online amid pressure from the United States, a French minister said, adding that he was still hopeful the US will join the initiative.

France delayed the planned signing of a pledge by Internet platforms to fight hate speech online amid pressure from the United States, a French minister said, adding that he was still hopeful the US will join the initiative. France, which is hosting the G7 summit in Biarritz, was initially hoping to make social media giants sign a so-called "Charter for an Open, Free, and Safe Internet" on Friday, according to the official programme. "The Charter will be signed by major digital stakeholders in Paris on 23 August, before being presented to the G7 States in Biarritz," the programme read. But no ceremony took place on Friday and Europe 1 radio said US President Donald Trump had pressured the chief executives of these social networks from signing the pledge publicly. France's junior minister for the digital industry told reporters the signing was only delayed and would eventually take place on Monday. "The initial idea was to make the platforms come to Biarritz and until now, the United States was against the signature of this pledge," Cedric O said. "Diplomatically, it was sensitive to make US platforms come to Biarritz and sign something while the American president wasn't there," he said. Google, Facebook, and Snapchat were among the platforms due to sign the charter, according to Cedric O. The charter aims to create a collective movement guaranteeing transparency and cooperation for the safe and positive use of the Internet, the French G7 presidency said. It builds on the Christchurch call by widening the scope of commitments made by platforms, particularly in terms of taking down content, moderating, ensuring transparency and supporting victims. "There's no doubt on the fact that the social networks will sign the pledge," Cedric O said. "The platforms played ball and made a commitment on the pledge, all the countries taking part too, the remaining question today is whether the US will join us, which would be a great success," he added.

France delays signing of Internet pledge amid US pressure

US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-misstates-location-of-ohio-shooting-rampage-241057">Donald Trump</a> on Tuesday stepped up his accusations against&nbsp;Google, claiming without offering evidence that the technology company worked to subvert his 2016 presidential campaign and warning he was watching it "very closely" ahead of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-and-sanders-emerge-as-top-two-candidates-for-the-2020-us-presidential-electionspolls-241096">2020 election</a>.

Trump, in a series of early posts on Twitter, also slammed&nbsp;Google's Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai, and again raised questions about the search engine's work with China, despite his administration's earlier comments that any such work was limited.

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... are NOT planning to illegally subvert the 2020 Election despite all that has been said to the contrary. It all sounded good until I watched Kevin Cernekee, a Google engineer, say terrible things about what they did in 2016 and that they want to “Make sure that Trump losses...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1158797734394191873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"We go to great lengths to build our products and enforce our policies in ways that don't take political leanings into account," a&nbsp;Google&nbsp;spokesperson said in an email statement.

Trump, who is seeking re-election in 2020, has repeatedly slammed&nbsp;Google&nbsp;and a host of other technology companies, echoing conservative critics' claims of unfair treatment and raising the spectre of regulation.

Lawmakers have also raised the possibility of regulating the industry, in part over security and misinformation concerns following the 2016 election, and findings of Russian interference in that vote that relied heavily on leveraging technology and social media.

Trump on Tuesday accused&nbsp;Google&nbsp;of "very illegal" acts but offered no evidence, and no formal charges have been announced.

"Distorting results for political purposes would harm our business and go against our mission of providing helpful content to all of our users," the spokesperson added.

Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what steps the administration was taking towards the company.

Trump and&nbsp;Google's Pichai had met at the White House last month. Following the meeting, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said they both had been assured that any of&nbsp;Google's work with China was "very, very limited."

Days later, Trump warned&nbsp;Google&nbsp;with a post on Twitter.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday stepped up his accusations against Google, claiming without offering evidence that the technology company worked to subvert his 2016 presidential campaign and warning he was watching it "very closely" ahead of the 2020 election.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday stepped up his accusations against Google, claiming without offering evidence that the technology company worked to subvert his 2016 presidential campaign and warning he was watching it "very closely" ahead of the 2020 election. Trump, in a series of early posts on Twitter, also slammed Google's Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai, and again raised questions about the search engine's work with China, despite his administration's earlier comments that any such work was limited. ... are NOT planning to illegally subvert the 2020 Election despite all that has been said to the contrary. It all sounded good until I watched Kevin Cernekee, a Google engineer, say terrible things about what they did in 2016 and that they want to “Make sure that Trump losses... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2019 × "We go to great lengths to build our products and enforce our policies in ways that don't take political leanings into account," a Google spokesperson said in an email statement. Trump, who is seeking re-election in 2020, has repeatedly slammed Google and a host of other technology companies, echoing conservative critics' claims of unfair treatment and raising the spectre of regulation. Lawmakers have also raised the possibility of regulating the industry, in part over security and misinformation concerns following the 2016 election, and findings of Russian interference in that vote that relied heavily on leveraging technology and social media. Trump on Tuesday accused Google of "very illegal" acts but offered no evidence, and no formal charges have been announced. "Distorting results for political purposes would harm our business and go against our mission of providing helpful content to all of our users," the spokesperson added. Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what steps the administration was taking towards the company. Trump and Google's Pichai had met at the White House last month. Following the meeting, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said they both had been assured that any of Google's work with China was "very, very limited." Days later, Trump warned Google with a post on Twitter.

Ahead of 2020 US presidential election Trump accused Google of 'very illegal' acts

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-suspends-app-pre-installs-on-huawei-phones-225167">Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies</a> warned on Tuesday a US trade blacklisting will impact short-term revenue growth, even as its half-year revenue surged 23 per cent thanks to soaring smartphone sales at home.

In its first results since Washington placed it on a so-called entity list in May that effectively banned US firms from supplying to it, Huawei also said it remained focused on improving the global smartphone business which bore the brunt of supply chain disruptions caused by the US action.

"Revenue grew fast up through May," Huawei Chairman Liang Hua told reporters at an earnings briefing.

"Given the foundation, we laid in the first half of the year, we continue to see the growth even after we were added to the entity list. That's not to say we don't have difficulties ahead. We do, and they may affect the pace of our growth in the short term," he said.

The US government alleges the Chinese firm is a national security risk as its equipment could be used by Beijing to spy, which Huawei has repeatedly denied.

It has since been given a three-month reprieve till August 19, and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/hong-kong-stocks-fall-amid-us-china-trade-tensions-protests-in-city-239117">US President Trump</a> signalled Washington would be relaxing the sanctions on Huawei, though details are unknown.

Huawei's founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei told reporters last month that the impact of the blacklisting was worse than expected. It could cost the company $30 billion in revenue, and that Huawei's revenue this year and in 2020 could stay roughly the same as 2018 at around $100 billion, he said.

Liang said on Tuesday Huawei remained confident in its ability to cope with the blacklisting and its 5G product roll-out had not been affected. The company has won 11 5G contracts since the blacklist was put in place out of a total of 50 bagged so far, he said.

Analysts said strong domestic smartphone sales and new 5G carrier contracts were helping to offset the impact from the export ban that threatens to cut Huawei's access to advanced US components and software such as Google Android apps.

Unlisted Huawei, which only started disclosing quarterly results this year, said revenue in the first half rose to 401.3 billion yuan ($58.28 billion), faster than the 15 per cent growth of a year earlier.

Shipments of its smartphones jumped 24 per cent to 118 million units, as robust sales in China more than offset a global sales drop.

According to data from Canalys, Huawei expanded its lead in China's smartphone market in the second quarter by more than 10 percentage points to nearly 40 per cent of the market, while overseas smartphones sales had a slight drop year-on-year.

Liang said that the company's proprietary Hongmeng mobile operating system was still under development for connected devices and that its preference was to continue to use Google's Android operating system for mobile.

Huawei has given little information about Hongmeng, its own back-up operating system under development in case it was cut off from US-made software.

"Hongmeng is part of our long-term strategy...we are definitely not bluffing," Liang said.

Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies warned on Tuesday a US trade blacklisting will impact short-term revenue growth, even as its half-year revenue surged 23 per cent thanks to soaring smartphone sales at home.

Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies warned on Tuesday a US trade blacklisting will impact short-term revenue growth, even as its half-year revenue surged 23 per cent thanks to soaring smartphone sales at home. In its first results since Washington placed it on a so-called entity list in May that effectively banned US firms from supplying to it, Huawei also said it remained focused on improving the global smartphone business which bore the brunt of supply chain disruptions caused by the US action. "Revenue grew fast up through May," Huawei Chairman Liang Hua told reporters at an earnings briefing. "Given the foundation, we laid in the first half of the year, we continue to see the growth even after we were added to the entity list. That's not to say we don't have difficulties ahead. We do, and they may affect the pace of our growth in the short term," he said. The US government alleges the Chinese firm is a national security risk as its equipment could be used by Beijing to spy, which Huawei has repeatedly denied. It has since been given a three-month reprieve till August 19, and US President Trump signalled Washington would be relaxing the sanctions on Huawei, though details are unknown. Huawei's founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei told reporters last month that the impact of the blacklisting was worse than expected. It could cost the company $30 billion in revenue, and that Huawei's revenue this year and in 2020 could stay roughly the same as 2018 at around $100 billion, he said. Liang said on Tuesday Huawei remained confident in its ability to cope with the blacklisting and its 5G product roll-out had not been affected. The company has won 11 5G contracts since the blacklist was put in place out of a total of 50 bagged so far, he said. Analysts said strong domestic smartphone sales and new 5G carrier contracts were helping to offset the impact from the export ban that threatens to cut Huawei's access to advanced US components and software such as Google Android apps. Unlisted Huawei, which only started disclosing quarterly results this year, said revenue in the first half rose to 401.3 billion yuan ($58.28 billion), faster than the 15 per cent growth of a year earlier. Shipments of its smartphones jumped 24 per cent to 118 million units, as robust sales in China more than offset a global sales drop. According to data from Canalys, Huawei expanded its lead in China's smartphone market in the second quarter by more than 10 percentage points to nearly 40 per cent of the market, while overseas smartphones sales had a slight drop year-on-year. Liang said that the company's proprietary Hongmeng mobile operating system was still under development for connected devices and that its preference was to continue to use Google's Android operating system for mobile. Huawei has given little information about Hongmeng, its own back-up operating system under development in case it was cut off from US-made software. "Hongmeng is part of our long-term strategy...we are definitely not bluffing," Liang said.

Huawei warns on US ban after China smartphone sales drive first half revenue

The American multinational tech company, Google is all set to launch the successor of Pixel 3 in October this year.

A lot has already been speculated about the next-generation Pixel phones- Google Pixel 4&nbsp;and Google Pixel 4 XL.

The phones are likely to be designed with FaceID-like face recognition technology.&nbsp;

According to reports, Google recently conducted a new experiment on the roads of the US to train the Face ID technology. The tech giant went out on the roads and asked people for their facial details in return for $5 gift certificates.

The "field search" was done to improve the algorithms and the accuracy of the artificial intelligence ahead of the launch of the phones.

The experiment was performed to train Google on a wide range of faces. The experiment aimed at improving&nbsp;the accuracy of its artificial intelligence models powered with the Face unlock feature.

According to the company's spokesperson, the scan on multiple faces was carried out to ensure that the feature works on diverse faces.

Google, meanwhile, has ensured "security and privacy" as core principles for Pixel.

The tech giant has asserted that the sample of the face collected will be kept "encrypted and access restricted".

The same will not be uploaded on Google's server, nor will it be ever shared with other Google services.

The company added that each participant has been given an abstract number and they can demand the removal of the data at any&nbsp;time.

The face data will be kept for 18 months.

The American multinational tech company, Google is all set to launch the successor of Pixel 3 in October this year. A lot has already been speculated about the next-generation Pixel phones- Google Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 4 XL.

The American multinational tech company, Google is all set to launch the successor of Pixel 3 in October this year. A lot has already been speculated about the next-generation Pixel phones- Google Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 4 XL. The phones are likely to be designed with FaceID-like face recognition technology. According to reports, Google recently conducted a new experiment on the roads of the US to train the Face ID technology. The tech giant went out on the roads and asked people for their facial details in return for $5 gift certificates. The "field search" was done to improve the algorithms and the accuracy of the artificial intelligence ahead of the launch of the phones. The experiment was performed to train Google on a wide range of faces. The experiment aimed at improving the accuracy of its artificial intelligence models powered with the Face unlock feature. According to the company's spokesperson, the scan on multiple faces was carried out to ensure that the feature works on diverse faces. Google, meanwhile, has ensured "security and privacy" as core principles for Pixel. The tech giant has asserted that the sample of the face collected will be kept "encrypted and access restricted". The same will not be uploaded on Google's server, nor will it be ever shared with other Google services. The company added that each participant has been given an abstract number and they can demand the removal of the data at any time. The face data will be kept for 18 months.

Ahead of launch of Pixel 4, Google offered $5 to people in return for their facial details 

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

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/huaweis-ties-with-partners-fedex-flex-fray-on-us-china-tensions-238632">Huawei Technologies</a> on Friday released its first 5G phone in China and said it would soon launch smart TVs equipped with its Hongmeng operating system.

Huawei, which is grappling with sanctions from Washington that threaten to cut its access to US technology and components, on Friday rolled out the Mate 20 X 5G phone for the China market with a price tag of 6199 yuan ($901).

Huawei also said at the launch event at its Shenzhen headquarters that it would unveil TV-like products called "Smart Screens" next month, which will be the first products based on its proprietary Hongmeng Operating System, according to Xinhua.

Huawei has given little information about Hongmeng, its own back-up operating system under development in case it was cut off from US-made software.

The company previously hinted that the operating system could replace Google's Android, though a senior executive earlier this month said Huawei intends to continue to use Android, and that Hongmeng is not an operating system for smartphones but connected devices.

Huawei's consumer business group CEO Richard Yu said Huawei's Smart Screens aims to be the central interface for entertainment and communication in the living room, according to a press release.

Huawei is set to report its half-year results on Tuesday. Analysts said robust smartphone sales in China are expected to offset impact in the overseas market since Huawei was put on Washington's trade blacklist in mid-May.

Huawei Technologies on Friday released its first 5G phone in China and said it would soon launch smart TVs equipped with its Hongmeng operating system. Huawei, which is grappling with sanctions from Washington that threaten to cut its access to US technology and components, on Friday rolled out the Mate 20 X 5G phone for the China market with a price tag of 6199 yuan ($901).

Huawei Technologies on Friday released its first 5G phone in China and said it would soon launch smart TVs equipped with its Hongmeng operating system. Huawei, which is grappling with sanctions from Washington that threaten to cut its access to US technology and components, on Friday rolled out the Mate 20 X 5G phone for the China market with a price tag of 6199 yuan ($901). Huawei also said at the launch event at its Shenzhen headquarters that it would unveil TV-like products called "Smart Screens" next month, which will be the first products based on its proprietary Hongmeng Operating System, according to Xinhua. Huawei has given little information about Hongmeng, its own back-up operating system under development in case it was cut off from US-made software. The company previously hinted that the operating system could replace Google's Android, though a senior executive earlier this month said Huawei intends to continue to use Android, and that Hongmeng is not an operating system for smartphones but connected devices. Huawei's consumer business group CEO Richard Yu said Huawei's Smart Screens aims to be the central interface for entertainment and communication in the living room, according to a press release. Huawei is set to report its half-year results on Tuesday. Analysts said robust smartphone sales in China are expected to offset impact in the overseas market since Huawei was put on Washington's trade blacklist in mid-May.

Huawei rolls out 5G phone and flags first Hongmeng device

Australia said it would establish the world's first dedicated office to police <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=2ahUKEwj36anBpdLjAhXJrY8KHYA-CLwQFjAHegQIAxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1s3tXY3k3_9nycsyvVh1Tr">Facebook Inc</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/big-tech-faces-broad-us-justice-department-antitrust-probe-238042&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj36anBpdLjAhXJrY8KHYA-CLwQFjAGegQIBRAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1uT8BUjqeLr30Z5u6gK1Kq">Google</a>&nbsp;as part of reforms designed to rein in the US technology giants, potentially setting a precedent for global lawmakers.

The move tightens the regulatory screws on the online platforms, which have governments from the United States to Europe scrambling to address concerns ranging from anti-trust issues to the spread of "fake news" and hate speech.

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the $5 billion fine slapped on Facebook in the United States this month for privacy breaches showed regulators were now taking such issues extremely seriously.

Watch Video:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-facebook-fined-but-does-it-make-a-dent-238501/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"These companies are among the most powerful and valuable in the world," Frydenberg told reporters in Sydney after the release of a much-anticipated report on future regulation of the dominant digital platforms.

"They need to be held to account and their activities need to be more transparent."

Canberra would form a special branch of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the antitrust watchdog, to scrutinise how the companies used algorithms to match advertisements with viewers, giving them a stronghold on the main income generator of media operators.

The new office was one of 23 recommendations in the ACCC's report, including strengthening privacy laws, protections for the news media and a code of conduct requiring regulatory approval to govern how internet giants profit from users' content.

Frydenberg said the government intended to "lift the veil" on the closely guarded algorithms the firms use to collect and monetise users' data, and accepted the ACCC's "overriding conclusion that there is a need for reform".

The proposals would be subject to a 12-week public consultation process before the government acts on the report, he added.

Google and Facebook have opposed tighter regulation while traditional media owners, including Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, have backed reform.

News Corp's local executive chairman, Michael Miller, welcomed the "strength of the language and the identification of the problems", and said the publisher would work with the government to ensure "real change".

Facebook and Google said they would engage with the government during the consultation process, but had no comment on the specific recommendations.

The firms have previously rejected the need for tighter regulation and said the ACCC had underestimated the level of competition for online advertising.

ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said the regulator had five investigations of the two companies underway, and "I believe more will follow".

He said he was shocked at the amount of personal data the firms collected, often without users' knowledge.

"There needs to be a lot more transparency and oversight of Google and Facebook and their operations and practices," he said.

Among other recommendations in the report, the ACCC said it wanted privacy law updated to give people the right to erase personal data stored online, aligning Australia with some elements of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation.

"We cannot leave these issues to be dealt with by commercial entities with substantial reach and market power. It's really up to government and regulators to get up to date and stay up to date in relation to all these issues," Sims said.

While the regulator did not recommend breaking up the tech giants, Sims also did not rule it out.

"If it turns out that ... divestiture is a better approach, then that can always be recommended down the track," he said.

Australia said it would establish the world's first dedicated office to police Facebook Inc and Google as part of reforms designed to rein in the US technology giants, potentially setting a precedent for global lawmakers.

Australia said it would establish the world's first dedicated office to police Facebook Inc and Google as part of reforms designed to rein in the US technology giants, potentially setting a precedent for global lawmakers. The move tightens the regulatory screws on the online platforms, which have governments from the United States to Europe scrambling to address concerns ranging from anti-trust issues to the spread of "fake news" and hate speech. Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the $5 billion fine slapped on Facebook in the United States this month for privacy breaches showed regulators were now taking such issues extremely seriously. Watch Video: "These companies are among the most powerful and valuable in the world," Frydenberg told reporters in Sydney after the release of a much-anticipated report on future regulation of the dominant digital platforms. "They need to be held to account and their activities need to be more transparent." Canberra would form a special branch of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the antitrust watchdog, to scrutinise how the companies used algorithms to match advertisements with viewers, giving them a stronghold on the main income generator of media operators. The new office was one of 23 recommendations in the ACCC's report, including strengthening privacy laws, protections for the news media and a code of conduct requiring regulatory approval to govern how internet giants profit from users' content. Frydenberg said the government intended to "lift the veil" on the closely guarded algorithms the firms use to collect and monetise users' data, and accepted the ACCC's "overriding conclusion that there is a need for reform". The proposals would be subject to a 12-week public consultation process before the government acts on the report, he added. Google and Facebook have opposed tighter regulation while traditional media owners, including Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, have backed reform. News Corp's local executive chairman, Michael Miller, welcomed the "strength of the language and the identification of the problems", and said the publisher would work with the government to ensure "real change". Facebook and Google said they would engage with the government during the consultation process, but had no comment on the specific recommendations. The firms have previously rejected the need for tighter regulation and said the ACCC had underestimated the level of competition for online advertising. ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said the regulator had five investigations of the two companies underway, and "I believe more will follow". He said he was shocked at the amount of personal data the firms collected, often without users' knowledge. "There needs to be a lot more transparency and oversight of Google and Facebook and their operations and practices," he said. Among other recommendations in the report, the ACCC said it wanted privacy law updated to give people the right to erase personal data stored online, aligning Australia with some elements of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. "We cannot leave these issues to be dealt with by commercial entities with substantial reach and market power. It's really up to government and regulators to get up to date and stay up to date in relation to all these issues," Sims said. While the regulator did not recommend breaking up the tech giants, Sims also did not rule it out. "If it turns out that ... divestiture is a better approach, then that can always be recommended down the track," he said.

Now, Australia to 'lift veil' on Facebook, Google algorithms to protect privacy

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/russia-in-africa-can-it-offer-an-alternative-to-the-us-and-china-223760">US and Chinese officials</a> will hold two days of talks in Shanghai next week to try to make progress on their year-long trade dispute, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday.

It will be the first face-to-face meeting since talks collapsed in May after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-attacks-robert-mueller-ahead-of-testimony-on-russia-probe-237817">President Donald Trump</a> accused Beijing of reneging on its commitments.

Mnuchin said he and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will lead the US delegation.

Mnuchin said on CNBC he hopes to make progress but added there are "a lot of issues" pending so he expects another round of talks would follow in Washington.

Senior officials have spoken by phone twice in the last two weeks in the bid to jump-start the negotiations.

At a meeting in Japan last month, US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to cease further hostilities in the year-long trade war while the two sides worked to revive negotiations.

The countries have imposed tariffs on $360 billion in two-way trade and Trump has threatened even more punishing duties on Chinese goods.

Mnuchin implied that the national security concerns that have led Washington to impose tough sanctions on Chinese telecom giant Huawei are on a separate track from the trade talks.

But he downplayed concerns about links between Google and Beijing.

"We're not aware of Google working with the Chinese government in a way that raises concerns," Mnuchin said.

"They assured us that there is very, very limited work. The only work they're doing is some minimal open source work."

Trump last week said he wants his administration to "take a look" into whether Google has been working with the Chinese government an allegation swiftly denied by the US internet giant.

US and Chinese officials will hold two days of talks in Shanghai next week to try to make progress on their year-long trade dispute, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday.

US and Chinese officials will hold two days of talks in Shanghai next week to try to make progress on their year-long trade dispute, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday. It will be the first face-to-face meeting since talks collapsed in May after President Donald Trump accused Beijing of reneging on its commitments. Mnuchin said he and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will lead the US delegation. Mnuchin said on CNBC he hopes to make progress but added there are "a lot of issues" pending so he expects another round of talks would follow in Washington. Senior officials have spoken by phone twice in the last two weeks in the bid to jump-start the negotiations. At a meeting in Japan last month, US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to cease further hostilities in the year-long trade war while the two sides worked to revive negotiations. The countries have imposed tariffs on $360 billion in two-way trade and Trump has threatened even more punishing duties on Chinese goods. Mnuchin implied that the national security concerns that have led Washington to impose tough sanctions on Chinese telecom giant Huawei are on a separate track from the trade talks. But he downplayed concerns about links between Google and Beijing. "We're not aware of Google working with the Chinese government in a way that raises concerns," Mnuchin said. "They assured us that there is very, very limited work. The only work they're doing is some minimal open source work." Trump last week said he wants his administration to "take a look" into whether Google has been working with the Chinese government an allegation swiftly denied by the US internet giant.

US, China to hold two days of talks in Shanghai next week: Steven Mnuchin

The US Justice Department said on Tuesday it was opening a broad investigation of major digital technology firms into whether they engage in anti-competitive practices, the strongest sign the Trump administration is stepping up its scrutiny of Big Tech.

The review will look into "whether and how market-leading online platforms have achieved market power and are engaging in practices that have reduced competition, stifled innovation, or otherwise harmed consumers," the Justice Department said in a statement.

The Justice Department did not identify specific companies but said the review would consider concerns raised about "search, social media, and some retail services online" -- an apparent reference to Alphabet Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Facebook Inc, and potentially Apple Inc.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to provide a list of companies that would be scrutinized.

Google and Apple declined to comment, referring to prior statements by executives, while Facebook and Amazon did not immediately comment.

Facebook fell 1.7% in after-hours trading, while Alphabet fell 1%, Amazon was down 1.2% and Apple was 0.4% lower.

The announcement comes a day before the Federal Trade Commission is set to announce a $5 billion penalty to Facebook for failing to properly protect user privacy.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said the Justice Department "must now be bold and fearless in stopping Big Tech’s misuse of its monopolistic power. Too long absent and apathetic, enforcers now must prevent privacy abuse, anti-competitive tactics, innovation roadblocks, and other hallmarks of excessive market power."

In June, Reuters reported the Trump administration was gearing up to investigate whether Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Alphabet's Google misuse their massive market power, setting up what could be an unprecedented, wide-ranging probe of some of the world’s largest companies.

A person briefed on the matter said the Justice review may also include some state attorneys general.

The Justice Department said the review "is to assess the competitive conditions in the online marketplace in an objective and fair-minded manner and to ensure Americans have access to free markets in which companies compete on the merits to provide services that users want."

Reuters reported on May 31 that the Justice Department was preparing an investigation of Google to determine whether the tech giant broke antitrust law.

Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill alike are expressing growing concerns about the size of the largest tech firms and their market power. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has called for breaking up companies like Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook and unwinding prior acquisitions.

Last week, the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel pressed executives from the four firms about their competitive practices and noted that Google, Facebook, Amazon had a rising share of key markets.

The US Justice Department said on Tuesday it was opening a broad investigation of major digital technology firms into whether they engage in anti-competitive practices, the strongest sign the Trump administration is stepping up its scrutiny of Big Tech.

The US Justice Department said on Tuesday it was opening a broad investigation of major digital technology firms into whether they engage in anti-competitive practices, the strongest sign the Trump administration is stepping up its scrutiny of Big Tech. The review will look into "whether and how market-leading online platforms have achieved market power and are engaging in practices that have reduced competition, stifled innovation, or otherwise harmed consumers," the Justice Department said in a statement. The Justice Department did not identify specific companies but said the review would consider concerns raised about "search, social media, and some retail services online" -- an apparent reference to Alphabet Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Facebook Inc, and potentially Apple Inc. A Justice Department spokesman declined to provide a list of companies that would be scrutinized. Google and Apple declined to comment, referring to prior statements by executives, while Facebook and Amazon did not immediately comment. Facebook fell 1.7% in after-hours trading, while Alphabet fell 1%, Amazon was down 1.2% and Apple was 0.4% lower. The announcement comes a day before the Federal Trade Commission is set to announce a $5 billion penalty to Facebook for failing to properly protect user privacy. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said the Justice Department "must now be bold and fearless in stopping Big Tech’s misuse of its monopolistic power. Too long absent and apathetic, enforcers now must prevent privacy abuse, anti-competitive tactics, innovation roadblocks, and other hallmarks of excessive market power." In June, Reuters reported the Trump administration was gearing up to investigate whether Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Alphabet's Google misuse their massive market power, setting up what could be an unprecedented, wide-ranging probe of some of the world’s largest companies. A person briefed on the matter said the Justice review may also include some state attorneys general. The Justice Department said the review "is to assess the competitive conditions in the online marketplace in an objective and fair-minded manner and to ensure Americans have access to free markets in which companies compete on the merits to provide services that users want." Reuters reported on May 31 that the Justice Department was preparing an investigation of Google to determine whether the tech giant broke antitrust law. Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill alike are expressing growing concerns about the size of the largest tech firms and their market power. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has called for breaking up companies like Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook and unwinding prior acquisitions. Last week, the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel pressed executives from the four firms about their competitive practices and noted that Google, Facebook, Amazon had a rising share of key markets.

Big Tech faces broad US Justice Department antitrust probe

The European Union's (EU) powerful antitrust authority launched an in-depth <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amazon-workers-in-germany-strike-over-pay-verdi-union-says-236173">investigation into Amazon</a> on Wednesday, amid suspicions the US-based online behemoth misuses merchant data hosted on its website.

The formal investigation opens a new chapter in the European Union's campaign to curtail the dominance of US tech firms with Google, Facebook and Apple also regular targets of regulators in Brussels.

"I have... decided to take a very close look at <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amazon-warehouse-workers-in-minnesota-set-walkout-on-prime-day-234450">Amazon's business practices</a> and its dual role as marketplace and retailer (and) to assess its compliance with EU competition rules," the EU's antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

At the heart of the case is Amazon's service to third party merchants who use the world's biggest online retailer to access customers and broaden their reach.

In providing this service, Amazon "continuously collects data about the activity on its platform", the commission said.

Preliminary findings, according to the statement, indicate that Amazon "appears to use competitively sensitive information -- about marketplace sellers, their products and transactions on the marketplace."&nbsp;

The investigation, which has no deadline, is likely to be the final offensive by Vestager against big tech before the end of her current mandate on October 31.

In an email to AFP, Amazon said: "We will cooperate fully with the European Commission and continue working hard to support businesses of all sizes and help them grow."

In some areas, insurgents and religious leaders tell communities that vaccines are a Western conspiracy aiming to sterilise Muslim children, or that such programmes are an elaborate cover for Western or Afghan government spies.

Last year, the Taliban warned the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that the group would no longer protect its workers.

The threat forced the ICRC to significantly scale back its Afghan operations.

The European Union's (EU) powerful antitrust authority launched an in-depth investigation into Amazon on Wednesday, amid suspicions the US-based online behemoth misuses merchant data hosted on its website.

The European Union's (EU) powerful antitrust authority launched an in-depth investigation into Amazon on Wednesday, amid suspicions the US-based online behemoth misuses merchant data hosted on its website. The formal investigation opens a new chapter in the European Union's campaign to curtail the dominance of US tech firms with Google, Facebook and Apple also regular targets of regulators in Brussels. "I have... decided to take a very close look at Amazon's business practices and its dual role as marketplace and retailer (and) to assess its compliance with EU competition rules," the EU's antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. At the heart of the case is Amazon's service to third party merchants who use the world's biggest online retailer to access customers and broaden their reach. In providing this service, Amazon "continuously collects data about the activity on its platform", the commission said. Preliminary findings, according to the statement, indicate that Amazon "appears to use competitively sensitive information -- about marketplace sellers, their products and transactions on the marketplace." The investigation, which has no deadline, is likely to be the final offensive by Vestager against big tech before the end of her current mandate on October 31. In an email to AFP, Amazon said: "We will cooperate fully with the European Commission and continue working hard to support businesses of all sizes and help them grow." In some areas, insurgents and religious leaders tell communities that vaccines are a Western conspiracy aiming to sterilise Muslim children, or that such programmes are an elaborate cover for Western or Afghan government spies. Last year, the Taliban warned the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that the group would no longer protect its workers. The threat forced the ICRC to significantly scale back its Afghan operations.

European Union launches probe into Amazon's use of merchant data

Microsoft missed its chance to be the dominant firm in mobile technology because it was "distracted" during a lengthy antitrust battle with US authorities, company co-founder Bill Gates said Monday.

Gates, speaking at a forum in Washington, said Microsoft would be even more valuable if it had won the battle over operating software for mobile devices against Google and its Android platform.

"We were in the field of doing operating systems for personal computers. We knew that mobile phones would be very popular," Gates said during an on-stage interview sponsored by the Economic Club of Washington.

"We missed being the dominant mobile operating system by a very tiny amount. We were distracted during our antitrust trial. We didn't assign the best people to do the work."

Gates, who moved away from day-to-day management a decade ago, said the failure in mobile was "the biggest mistake I made" at Microsoft because it was "clearly within our skill set."

"We were clearly the company that should have achieved that, and we didn't," he said.

"Android is a huge asset for Google."

Gates praised the current chief executive Satya Nadella for helping reshape Microsoft and bring it back to the being the world's most valuable company with a market capitalization of over $1 trillion.

But he said Microsoft and other big software firms also erred in allowing Amazon to become the leading cloud computing firm through its Amazon Web Services platform.

"It is a surprise and it's a huge credit to (Amazon CEO) Jeff Bezos and his team that they got out in front and with AWS did the best cloud product," Gates said.

"Today Microsoft is a strong number two... (but) there are many companies including Microsoft that should feel bad" in failing to get ahead of Amazon in the cloud.

Now a technology advisor at Microsoft, Gates said he only spends about one-sixth of his time at the company and devotes much of his time to his philanthropic foundation and an energy venture fund which makes investments aimed at helping curb emissions and reverse climate change.

Gates said he is not disturbed at being overtaken by Bezos as the world's wealthiest individual. Asked about being number two on the billionaires' list, he quipped that "it's a sign that I haven't given my money away fast enough to drop out of the top 10."

Microsoft missed its chance to be the dominant firm in mobile technology because it was "distracted" during a lengthy antitrust battle with US authorities, company co-founder Bill Gates said Monday.

Microsoft missed its chance to be the dominant firm in mobile technology because it was "distracted" during a lengthy antitrust battle with US authorities, company co-founder Bill Gates said Monday. Gates, speaking at a forum in Washington, said Microsoft would be even more valuable if it had won the battle over operating software for mobile devices against Google and its Android platform. "We were in the field of doing operating systems for personal computers. We knew that mobile phones would be very popular," Gates said during an on-stage interview sponsored by the Economic Club of Washington. "We missed being the dominant mobile operating system by a very tiny amount. We were distracted during our antitrust trial. We didn't assign the best people to do the work." Gates, who moved away from day-to-day management a decade ago, said the failure in mobile was "the biggest mistake I made" at Microsoft because it was "clearly within our skill set." "We were clearly the company that should have achieved that, and we didn't," he said. "Android is a huge asset for Google." Gates praised the current chief executive Satya Nadella for helping reshape Microsoft and bring it back to the being the world's most valuable company with a market capitalization of over $1 trillion. But he said Microsoft and other big software firms also erred in allowing Amazon to become the leading cloud computing firm through its Amazon Web Services platform. "It is a surprise and it's a huge credit to (Amazon CEO) Jeff Bezos and his team that they got out in front and with AWS did the best cloud product," Gates said. "Today Microsoft is a strong number two... (but) there are many companies including Microsoft that should feel bad" in failing to get ahead of Amazon in the cloud. Now a technology advisor at Microsoft, Gates said he only spends about one-sixth of his time at the company and devotes much of his time to his philanthropic foundation and an energy venture fund which makes investments aimed at helping curb emissions and reverse climate change. Gates said he is not disturbed at being overtaken by Bezos as the world's wealthiest individual. Asked about being number two on the billionaires' list, he quipped that "it's a sign that I haven't given my money away fast enough to drop out of the top 10."

Microsoft missed mobile dominance by 'tiny' margin: Bill Gates

Google, which quit China in 2010 in protest over Beijing's strict censorship policies, is not relaunching its services in the country without the "right conditions," CEO Sundar Pichai has said.&nbsp;

Google faced outrage last year when it was reported that the company may have been looking to get back into the search engine business in China, the world's second largest economy.&nbsp;

In an interview to CNN, the 46-year-old Indian-origin CEO of Google said the company was not actively working on a new Chinese search engine, though he acknowledged that Google was ignoring China and its hundreds of millions of internet users.

"There are no plans for us to consider relaunching our service in China," Pichai said. He added, "we have always looked at serving the next billion users....Our mission compass is to provide information."

Google is committed to following international laws and regulations, he said. 
&nbsp; 
Though China doesn't share Google's value of a free and open internet, the company, reaching more users is "always a set of continued conversations we have at Google."

Pichai said that Google would need the "right conditions" to relaunch in the country, and censorship-free internet is an "important condition" for making that decision. But he declined to share further details, the report said.

"I don't want to speculate on a hypothetical situation," he said. "We have no plans. And, you know, we are not spending time on it."

China has long been a conundrum for tech companies, which are drawn to its massive user base and thriving online shopping market.&nbsp;

But human rights abuses and tightening authority by the ruling Communist Party of China over free speech and information has forced companies to grapple with ethical questions, the CNN report said.&nbsp;

According to the US State Department, since 2017, up to 2 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyzs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities have been held against their will in internment camps.

When asked to respond to US General Joseph Dunford's claim that Google's work in China "is a direct benefit" to the nation's military, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sundar-pichai-announces-googles-retreat-from-us-militarys-ai-weapons-project-143079">Pichai said Google</a> had "good conversations" about that controversy and said it has "cleared up any misunderstandings."

"We are not doing any work in China. We have a limited presence in China," he said.&nbsp;

That includes "limited AI," or artificial intelligence, work through an open-source project called TensorFlow, he said. The company also does "some non-profit work," Pichai said.

Google, which quit China in 2010 in protest over Beijing's strict censorship policies, is not relaunching its services in the country without the "right conditions," CEO Sundar Pichai has said.

Google, which quit China in 2010 in protest over Beijing's strict censorship policies, is not relaunching its services in the country without the "right conditions," CEO Sundar Pichai has said. Google faced outrage last year when it was reported that the company may have been looking to get back into the search engine business in China, the world's second largest economy. In an interview to CNN, the 46-year-old Indian-origin CEO of Google said the company was not actively working on a new Chinese search engine, though he acknowledged that Google was ignoring China and its hundreds of millions of internet users. "There are no plans for us to consider relaunching our service in China," Pichai said. He added, "we have always looked at serving the next billion users....Our mission compass is to provide information." Google is committed to following international laws and regulations, he said. Though China doesn't share Google's value of a free and open internet, the company, reaching more users is "always a set of continued conversations we have at Google." Pichai said that Google would need the "right conditions" to relaunch in the country, and censorship-free internet is an "important condition" for making that decision. But he declined to share further details, the report said. "I don't want to speculate on a hypothetical situation," he said. "We have no plans. And, you know, we are not spending time on it." China has long been a conundrum for tech companies, which are drawn to its massive user base and thriving online shopping market. But human rights abuses and tightening authority by the ruling Communist Party of China over free speech and information has forced companies to grapple with ethical questions, the CNN report said. According to the US State Department, since 2017, up to 2 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyzs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities have been held against their will in internment camps. When asked to respond to US General Joseph Dunford's claim that Google's work in China "is a direct benefit" to the nation's military, Pichai said Google had "good conversations" about that controversy and said it has "cleared up any misunderstandings." "We are not doing any work in China. We have a limited presence in China," he said. That includes "limited AI," or artificial intelligence, work through an open-source project called TensorFlow, he said. The company also does "some non-profit work," Pichai said.

No plans to relaunch in China without 'right conditions': CEO Sundar Pichai

Congested Google servers in the eastern United States caused problems for<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-preparing-antitrust-probe-of-google-report-223296"> users of Snapchat and YouTube</a> on Sunday, with complaints on social media that the popular apps weren't accessible.

Google acknowledged the issue, writing in a statement on its <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/huawei-unwanted-asian-shops-shun-phone-trade-ins-on-google-suspension-worries-220614">Cloud Platform status page</a> that it was dealing with "high levels of network congestion in the eastern USA, affecting multiple services in Google Cloud, G Suite and YouTube."

"Users may see slow performance or intermittent errors," it said, adding that engineers had completed the first of two steps to restore normal operations.

Earlier in the day, social media users complained of trouble loading a slew of popular websites and apps.

"Google, YouTube, Snapchat, Shopify, all currently down. Is the internet melting?" asked one Twitter post.

Snapchat and Google-owned YouTube both acknowledged the server issue on their Twitter accounts.

Cloud computing is one of Google's most lucrative services, but faces stiff competition from other technology companies like Amazon and Microsoft.

In March, the world's largest social network, Facebook, blamed a "server configuration change" for a massive outage affecting its applications around the world.

The outage affected users for at least 12 hours in most areas of the world, with the biggest impact in North America and Europe, a tracking website said at the time.

Congested Google servers in the eastern United States caused problems for users of Snapchat and YouTube on Sunday, with complaints on social media that the popular apps weren't accessible.

Congested Google servers in the eastern United States caused problems for users of Snapchat and YouTube on Sunday, with complaints on social media that the popular apps weren't accessible. Google acknowledged the issue, writing in a statement on its Cloud Platform status page that it was dealing with "high levels of network congestion in the eastern USA, affecting multiple services in Google Cloud, G Suite and YouTube." "Users may see slow performance or intermittent errors," it said, adding that engineers had completed the first of two steps to restore normal operations. Earlier in the day, social media users complained of trouble loading a slew of popular websites and apps. "Google, YouTube, Snapchat, Shopify, all currently down. Is the internet melting?" asked one Twitter post. Snapchat and Google-owned YouTube both acknowledged the server issue on their Twitter accounts. Cloud computing is one of Google's most lucrative services, but faces stiff competition from other technology companies like Amazon and Microsoft. In March, the world's largest social network, Facebook, blamed a "server configuration change" for a massive outage affecting its applications around the world. The outage affected users for at least 12 hours in most areas of the world, with the biggest impact in North America and Europe, a tracking website said at the time.

Google servers cause problems for YouTube, Snapchat in US

After Android ban, will Huawei develop own operation system?

Huawei launched its new Honor 20 series smartphones in London on Tuesday in a presentation that emphasised the Chinese company's technology but made no reference of a possible rupture with Google.

Huawei, the world's second-biggest phone maker, runs its devices on Google's Android platform but the US Commerce Department blocked Huawei from buying US goods last week, throwing future software updates into question.

On Tuesday, the United States temporarily eased restrictions on Huawei, granting the Chinese phonemaker a licence to buy US goods until August 19, meaning that updates of popular Google apps like Gmail and YouTube can continue until then.

George Zhao, president of Huawei's youth-focused brand Honor, told hundreds of reporters, bloggers and analysts that he was "really happy to see so many friends" at the event.

He unveiled the Honor 20 Pro, Honor 20 and Honor 20 Lite, which will retail at 599 euros ($669), 499 euros and 299 euros respectively.

Huawei launched its new Honor 20 series smartphones in London on Tuesday in a presentation that emphasised the Chinese company's technology but made no reference of a possible rupture with Google.

Huawei launched its new Honor 20 series smartphones in London on Tuesday in a presentation that emphasised the Chinese company's technology but made no reference of a possible rupture with Google. Huawei, the world's second-biggest phone maker, runs its devices on Google's Android platform but the US Commerce Department blocked Huawei from buying US goods last week, throwing future software updates into question. On Tuesday, the United States temporarily eased restrictions on Huawei, granting the Chinese phonemaker a licence to buy US goods until August 19, meaning that updates of popular Google apps like Gmail and YouTube can continue until then. George Zhao, president of Huawei's youth-focused brand Honor, told hundreds of reporters, bloggers and analysts that he was "really happy to see so many friends" at the event. He unveiled the Honor 20 Pro, Honor 20 and Honor 20 Lite, which will retail at 599 euros ($669), 499 euros and 299 euros respectively.

Huawei launches new Honor phones, doesn't mention Android

Chinese telecoms equipment maker <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-eases-some-restrictions-on-chinas-huawei-to-keep-networks-operating-220249">Huawei called</a> itself the victim of US "bullying" on Tuesday and said it was working with Google to counter trade restrictions imposed by Washington last week, a senior Huawei executive said.

The US government said it imposed the restrictions because of Huawei's involvement in activities contrary to national security or foreign policy interests.

On Monday, it temporarily eased the curbs to minimize disruption for customers, a move dismissed by Huawei's founder who said the tech firm had prepared for US action.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-suspends-some-business-with-huawei-after-trump-blacklist-source-220001">Alphabet Inc's Google </a>Sunday suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing, citing a source familiar with the matter.

"They (Google) have zero motivation to block us. We are working closely with Google to find out how Huawei can handle the situation and the impact from the US Department of Commerce decision," Abraham Liu, Huawei's representative to the EU institutions told Reuters.

Liu said Huawei did not blame Google for its decision and that it was too early to say what the consequences will be.

"Huawei is becoming the victim of the bullying by the US administration. This is not just an attack against Huawei. It is an attack on the liberal, rules-based order," Liu added.

Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei called itself the victim of US "bullying" on Tuesday and said it was working with Google to counter trade restrictions imposed by Washington last week, a senior Huawei executive said.

Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei called itself the victim of US "bullying" on Tuesday and said it was working with Google to counter trade restrictions imposed by Washington last week, a senior Huawei executive said. The US government said it imposed the restrictions because of Huawei's involvement in activities contrary to national security or foreign policy interests. On Monday, it temporarily eased the curbs to minimize disruption for customers, a move dismissed by Huawei's founder who said the tech firm had prepared for US action. Alphabet Inc's Google Sunday suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing, citing a source familiar with the matter. "They (Google) have zero motivation to block us. We are working closely with Google to find out how Huawei can handle the situation and the impact from the US Department of Commerce decision," Abraham Liu, Huawei's representative to the EU institutions told Reuters. Liu said Huawei did not blame Google for its decision and that it was too early to say what the consequences will be. "Huawei is becoming the victim of the bullying by the US administration. This is not just an attack against Huawei. It is an attack on the liberal, rules-based order," Liu added.

Huawei accuses US of bullying, says working with Google to counter ban

Technology giant Google said Thursday Singapore's new law against "fake news" could hurt innovation, a crucial element in the high-tech sector which the government is developing as an economic growth driver.

Parliament late Wednesday passed legislation that gives<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-passes-fake-news-law-despite-fierce-criticism-217079"> government ministers powers</a> to order social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to put warnings next to posts authorities deem to be false -- and in extreme cases have them taken down.

If an action is judged to be malicious and damaging to Singapore's interests, companies could be hit with fines of up to Sg$1 million ($735,000).

Individuals could face jail terms of up to 10 years.

Officials have said the law does not cover opinion but will focus on fighting outright falsehoods carried on social media that can foment disorder in the ethnically diverse nation.

Ordering "corrections" to be placed alongside falsehoods will be the primary response by government officials rather than fines or jail terms, they said.

Tech firms, rights activists and journalists, however, said it could be used to curb freedom of speech.

"Misinformation is a challenging issue and we are working hard to address it," a Google spokesman said, a day after the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation bill was passed.

"We remain concerned that this law will hurt innovation and the growth of the digital information ecosystem.

"How the law is implemented matters, and we are committed to working with policymakers on this process."

Singapore has been expanding its high-tech sector and has convinced many of the world's top companies to establish their regional offices and key facilities on the tiny island.

Google, Twitter and Facebook already have their Asia Pacific headquarters in the city-state.

Last year, Facebook announced it will invest more than $1.0 billion to build a data centre in Singapore, its first in Asia, which is expected to be operational around 2022.

Singapore is also host to several firms engaged in high-tech manufacturing and a nascent tech start-up scene.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch said Thursday the passage of the bill is a "hammer blow against the independence of many on-line news portals" and "will have a chilling effect on internet freedom throughout Southeast Asia".

Addressing parliament on Tuesday, law and home affairs minister K. Shanmugam said the law was necessary as the tech companies could not be relied upon to regulate themselves.

He also denied it was aimed at curtailing free speech.

"Free speech should not be affected by this bill. We are talking here about falsehoods... bots... trolls... fake accounts and so on," he said. 
&nbsp;

Technology giant Google said Thursday Singapore's new law against "fake news" could hurt innovation, a crucial element in the high-tech sector which the government is developing as an economic growth driver.

Technology giant Google said Thursday Singapore's new law against "fake news" could hurt innovation, a crucial element in the high-tech sector which the government is developing as an economic growth driver. Parliament late Wednesday passed legislation that gives government ministers powers to order social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to put warnings next to posts authorities deem to be false -- and in extreme cases have them taken down. If an action is judged to be malicious and damaging to Singapore's interests, companies could be hit with fines of up to Sg$1 million ($735,000). Individuals could face jail terms of up to 10 years. Officials have said the law does not cover opinion but will focus on fighting outright falsehoods carried on social media that can foment disorder in the ethnically diverse nation. Ordering "corrections" to be placed alongside falsehoods will be the primary response by government officials rather than fines or jail terms, they said. Tech firms, rights activists and journalists, however, said it could be used to curb freedom of speech. "Misinformation is a challenging issue and we are working hard to address it," a Google spokesman said, a day after the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation bill was passed. "We remain concerned that this law will hurt innovation and the growth of the digital information ecosystem. "How the law is implemented matters, and we are committed to working with policymakers on this process." Singapore has been expanding its high-tech sector and has convinced many of the world's top companies to establish their regional offices and key facilities on the tiny island. Google, Twitter and Facebook already have their Asia Pacific headquarters in the city-state. Last year, Facebook announced it will invest more than $1.0 billion to build a data centre in Singapore, its first in Asia, which is expected to be operational around 2022. Singapore is also host to several firms engaged in high-tech manufacturing and a nascent tech start-up scene. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch said Thursday the passage of the bill is a "hammer blow against the independence of many on-line news portals" and "will have a chilling effect on internet freedom throughout Southeast Asia". Addressing parliament on Tuesday, law and home affairs minister K. Shanmugam said the law was necessary as the tech companies could not be relied upon to regulate themselves. He also denied it was aimed at curtailing free speech. "Free speech should not be affected by this bill. We are talking here about falsehoods... bots... trolls... fake accounts and so on," he said.

Singapore 'fake news' law could hurt innovation: Google

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/we-screwed-up-not-buying-google-shares-berkshires-munger-says-216030&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiTq66FxIviAhWM7HMBHaiZDWQ4ChAWMAR6BAgGEAI&amp;usg=AOvVaw2HRh7Eon5PGhmbO3C4rvnU">Google </a>bucked the soaring smartphone price trend Tuesday, unveiling a high-performance Pixel handset aimed at the middle of the market as part of a wide-ranging pitch to developers of its new hardware, software and privacy efforts.

The Pixel 3a phone, which includes many of the artificial intelligence features of its flagship devices, is priced from $399, executives said as Google opened its annual I/O developers conference near its headquarters in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View.

"There has been a troubling trend of high-end phones getting more expensive," Google head of hardware Rick Osterloh said. "So, we challenged ourselves to deliver a high-end experience in a new Pixel 3a starting at $399." The new Pixel was available at Google's online shop.

Osterloh contended that the price is about half that of latest generation premium smartphones but is built with a camera, digital assistant and other features found in top-end handsets."They just redefined what a mid-priced phone can do," Forrester Research principal analyst Frank Gillett said at the event."But they didn't tell us what compromises they made on the hardware."

Google's expertise is software, so getting features like artificial intelligence to work on less costly smartphones plays to the internet giant's strength, according to Gillett.

Enabling artificial intelligence to handle sophisticated features on a smartphone means less user data needs to be shared with online data centres to handle tasks, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said while discussing steps being taken to strengthen privacy and security of users.

"We always want to do more for users, but do it with fewer data over time," Pichai said. "We strongly believe that privacy and security are for everyone."

&nbsp;Budget appeal&nbsp;

The Pixel 3a makes its debut in a tightening smartphone market, particularly when it comes to premium models, with Google having failed to garner significant market share.

Over the past quarter, South Korea's Samsung led all manufacturers with a 23 per cent share in a global market that fell 6.6 per cent, according to research firm IDC.

China's Huawei, US-based Apple and three other Chinese firms rounded out the top five, according to IDC.

Google stepped up its hardware ambitions last year with the acquisition of the smartphone division of Taiwan-based HTC.

The new Pixel 3a device is being introduced as Apple and Samsung have boosted prices of their newest handsets to over $1,000 and with Google's flagship Pixel 3 selling from around $800.

Pixel 3a has featured "extremely attractive to users on a budget," and comes as a threat to the leading Android-powered smartphone maker Samsung, according to Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi.

Google also introduced a Nest Hub Max device that combines a 10-inch (25-centimetre) display with a camera, microphone, sound system and a digital assistant.

Smarts built into Max include facial recognition that allows the device to personalize experiences and even alert owners when someone it doesn't recognize is in a home, according to executives.

Max will be priced at $229 when it launches later this year in Australia, Britain and the US.

Analyst Gillett saw the Max price as "jaw-dropping" given it combines a smart camera, video screen and high-quality stereo.

&nbsp;Privacy-minded&nbsp;

Google executives dived deep into ways it is improving its software, particularly with privacy and machine learning in mind.

Along with weaving podcasts and 3-D augmented reality images into search results, Google is enabling more of the computing to be done on handsets where users have control.

"Instead of sending data to the cloud, we shipped machine learning models directly to your device," Pichai said.

"We always want to do more for users, but do it with fewer data over time."

While the "devil is in the details" regarding how much of what Google mobile software learns about users will be "grist" for its money-making online ads, weaving improved privacy into its offerings could improve the company's position with regulators, according to Gillett.

Google bucked the soaring smartphone price trend Tuesday, unveiling a high-performance Pixel handset aimed at the middle of the market as part of a wide-ranging pitch to developers of its new hardware, software and privacy efforts.

Google bucked the soaring smartphone price trend Tuesday, unveiling a high-performance Pixel handset aimed at the middle of the market as part of a wide-ranging pitch to developers of its new hardware, software and privacy efforts. The Pixel 3a phone, which includes many of the artificial intelligence features of its flagship devices, is priced from $399, executives said as Google opened its annual I/O developers conference near its headquarters in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View. "There has been a troubling trend of high-end phones getting more expensive," Google head of hardware Rick Osterloh said. "So, we challenged ourselves to deliver a high-end experience in a new Pixel 3a starting at $399." The new Pixel was available at Google's online shop. Osterloh contended that the price is about half that of latest generation premium smartphones but is built with a camera, digital assistant and other features found in top-end handsets."They just redefined what a mid-priced phone can do," Forrester Research principal analyst Frank Gillett said at the event."But they didn't tell us what compromises they made on the hardware." Google's expertise is software, so getting features like artificial intelligence to work on less costly smartphones plays to the internet giant's strength, according to Gillett. Enabling artificial intelligence to handle sophisticated features on a smartphone means less user data needs to be shared with online data centres to handle tasks, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said while discussing steps being taken to strengthen privacy and security of users. "We always want to do more for users, but do it with fewer data over time," Pichai said. "We strongly believe that privacy and security are for everyone." Budget appeal The Pixel 3a makes its debut in a tightening smartphone market, particularly when it comes to premium models, with Google having failed to garner significant market share. Over the past quarter, South Korea's Samsung led all manufacturers with a 23 per cent share in a global market that fell 6.6 per cent, according to research firm IDC. China's Huawei, US-based Apple and three other Chinese firms rounded out the top five, according to IDC. Google stepped up its hardware ambitions last year with the acquisition of the smartphone division of Taiwan-based HTC. The new Pixel 3a device is being introduced as Apple and Samsung have boosted prices of their newest handsets to over $1,000 and with Google's flagship Pixel 3 selling from around $800. Pixel 3a has featured "extremely attractive to users on a budget," and comes as a threat to the leading Android-powered smartphone maker Samsung, according to Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi. Google also introduced a Nest Hub Max device that combines a 10-inch (25-centimetre) display with a camera, microphone, sound system and a digital assistant. Smarts built into Max include facial recognition that allows the device to personalize experiences and even alert owners when someone it doesn't recognize is in a home, according to executives. Max will be priced at $229 when it launches later this year in Australia, Britain and the US. Analyst Gillett saw the Max price as "jaw-dropping" given it combines a smart camera, video screen and high-quality stereo. Privacy-minded Google executives dived deep into ways it is improving its software, particularly with privacy and machine learning in mind. Along with weaving podcasts and 3-D augmented reality images into search results, Google is enabling more of the computing to be done on handsets where users have control. "Instead of sending data to the cloud, we shipped machine learning models directly to your device," Pichai said. "We always want to do more for users, but do it with fewer data over time." While the "devil is in the details" regarding how much of what Google mobile software learns about users will be "grist" for its money-making online ads, weaving improved privacy into its offerings could improve the company's position with regulators, according to Gillett.

Google bucks soaring smartphone prices with new Pixel

Google-parent Alphabet said Tuesday that Eric Schmidt, who was chief of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/european-union-fine-on-google-weighs-down-parent-company-alphabets-profits-214683">internet giant for a decade</a>, will leave the board in June.

Schmidt, who turned 64 this month, stepped down as chairman of the Alphabet board at the start of last year, remaining a member but shifting to a role as a technical advisor.

Schmidt will not seek re-election to the board when his term expires in June, but will continue to advise on technical matters, according to Alphabet.

"Eric has made an extraordinary contribution to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-facebook-to-pay-publishers-for-use-of-news-in-eu-205923">Google and Alphabet as CEO</a>, chairman, and board member," board chairman John Hennessy said in a statement.

"We are extremely grateful for his guidance and leadership over many years." Schmidt was on the board for more than 18 years, joining in March 2001. He was chief executive of Google from the middle of that same year until March 2011.

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin recruited the proven businessman and skilled software engineer as chief executive in 2001, bringing a mature hand to the helm of the then three-year-old internet search company.

Schmidt, Page and Brin were considered a power triumvirate in control of Google. Page replaced Schmidt as chief executive a decade later.

Google unveiled a surprise corporate overhaul in 2015, forming a new parent company dubbed Alphabet to include internet search and a handful of independent companies.

Page became chief executive at Alphabet, a holding company for the tech giant's search products and "other bets" such Waymo self-driving car unit and Google Fiber internet service.

Sundar Pichai was promoted to chief of Google.

Schmidt was at Google's helm during pivotal years during which it grew into an online advertising and search juggernaut, the company name becoming a verb in the process.

When stepping down as chairman of the board, Schmidt said he intended to spend more time on philanthropic, scientific and technology endeavors.

His net worth was estimated to be around $14 billion by Forbes.&nbsp;

Google-parent Alphabet said Tuesday that Eric Schmidt, who was chief of the internet giant for a decade, will leave the board in June. Schmidt, who turned 64 this month, stepped down as chairman of the Alphabet board at the start of last year, remaining a member but shifting to a role as a technical advisor.

Google-parent Alphabet said Tuesday that Eric Schmidt, who was chief of the internet giant for a decade, will leave the board in June. Schmidt, who turned 64 this month, stepped down as chairman of the Alphabet board at the start of last year, remaining a member but shifting to a role as a technical advisor. Schmidt will not seek re-election to the board when his term expires in June, but will continue to advise on technical matters, according to Alphabet. "Eric has made an extraordinary contribution to Google and Alphabet as CEO, chairman, and board member," board chairman John Hennessy said in a statement. "We are extremely grateful for his guidance and leadership over many years." Schmidt was on the board for more than 18 years, joining in March 2001. He was chief executive of Google from the middle of that same year until March 2011. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin recruited the proven businessman and skilled software engineer as chief executive in 2001, bringing a mature hand to the helm of the then three-year-old internet search company. Schmidt, Page and Brin were considered a power triumvirate in control of Google. Page replaced Schmidt as chief executive a decade later. Google unveiled a surprise corporate overhaul in 2015, forming a new parent company dubbed Alphabet to include internet search and a handful of independent companies. Page became chief executive at Alphabet, a holding company for the tech giant's search products and "other bets" such Waymo self-driving car unit and Google Fiber internet service. Sundar Pichai was promoted to chief of Google. Schmidt was at Google's helm during pivotal years during which it grew into an online advertising and search juggernaut, the company name becoming a verb in the process. When stepping down as chairman of the board, Schmidt said he intended to spend more time on philanthropic, scientific and technology endeavors. His net worth was estimated to be around $14 billion by Forbes.

Ex-CEO Eric Schmidt to leave Google board

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/google-facebook-twitter-have-to-do-more-to-fight-fake-news-european-union-212915&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwijmJKSnffhAhUDaI8KHQzpANUQFjAHegQIARAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2r-KzzMSaAafQjXa5G7qQ2">Google</a> parent Alphabet on Monday reported that profit in the first three months of this year sagged under the weight of a hefty antitrust fine in the European Union.

Alphabet said that profit in the first-quarter fell 29 percent to $6.7 billion on revenue that climbed 17 percent to $36.3 billion.

The earnings took a hit from a European Commission fine that amounted to $1.7 billion at the end of March, according to the quarterly update.

Google shares were down 7.2 percent to $1,202.39 in after-market trades that followed the release of the earnings report.

Though profits excluding the one-time costs were better than expected, revenue growth was below forecasts for the technology colossus which is the dominant internet search company and operator of the ubiquitous Android mobile operating system.

Chief financial officer Ruth Porat said in the release the results showed "robust growth" led by mobile search, ad revenues from YouTube videos and cloud computing.

"We remain focused on, and excited by, the significant growth opportunities across our businesses," Porat&nbsp;said.

Google's lucrative advertising platform remained the largest revenue driver for Alphabet, delivering more than $30 billion of revenues, but costs rose sharply as well.

Investors seemed concerned that earnings figures showed the growth rate of ad clicks slowed while the trend toward lower-priced mobile ads continued.

Rising cloud

The California giant showed widening losses for its "other bets" including the Waymo self-driving car project, Verily life sciences and services for internet for remote parts of the world and drone delivery.

"Other bets" showed an operating loss of $858 million, up from $571 million a year ago while revenues rose modestly to $170 million.

Some of the projects are moving closer to fruition.

Wing became the first drone delivery company to receive air carrier certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Waymo has begun a limited rollout of its robotaxis in Arizona in partnership with automakers.

And, while the company's Pixel smartphones have seen traction slowed by heavy competition in the premium handset market, it was pleased with momentum for Home devices infused with digital assistant software.

Porat teased a hardware announcement along those lines at Google's annual developers conference next week in its home town of Mountain View, California.

It is seeing growth in cloud computing for businesses, a market where Google is competing against Amazon, Microsoft and others.

"Google Cloud Platform remains one of the fastest growing businesses in Alphabet with strong customer momentum reflected in particular in demand for our computer and data analytics products," Porat said in a call with analysts.

Google planned to continue investing heavily in data centres, engineers, and digital content for streaming video offerings on YouTube.

Google and 'techlash'

But Google continues to face pressure around the world from regulators, notably in Europe amid multiple investigations over alleged abuse of its dominance in internet search, advertising and its mobile system.

The latest fine imposed by Brussels cited Google's AdSense advertising service, saying it illegally restricted client websites from displaying messages from ad service rivals.

Google is separately working to satisfy EU regulators investigating its hugely popular Android devices following a $5 billion fine last year.

This month, Google said it would offer smartphone users five browsers and search engines as part of the company's effort to meet EU competition concerns.

Brussels accused Google of using the Android system's dominance of smartphones and tablets to promote the use of its own Google search engine and Chrome browser and shut out rivals.

In the United States, Google has been a target of President Donald Trump and his allies, accusing the search giant of "bias" and silencing conservative voices, claims denied by the Silicon Valley firm. 
&nbsp;

Google parent Alphabet on Monday reported that profit in the first three months of this year sagged under the weight of a hefty antitrust fine in the European Union.

Google parent Alphabet on Monday reported that profit in the first three months of this year sagged under the weight of a hefty antitrust fine in the European Union. Alphabet said that profit in the first-quarter fell 29 percent to $6.7 billion on revenue that climbed 17 percent to $36.3 billion. The earnings took a hit from a European Commission fine that amounted to $1.7 billion at the end of March, according to the quarterly update. Google shares were down 7.2 percent to $1,202.39 in after-market trades that followed the release of the earnings report. Though profits excluding the one-time costs were better than expected, revenue growth was below forecasts for the technology colossus which is the dominant internet search company and operator of the ubiquitous Android mobile operating system. Chief financial officer Ruth Porat said in the release the results showed "robust growth" led by mobile search, ad revenues from YouTube videos and cloud computing. "We remain focused on, and excited by, the significant growth opportunities across our businesses," Porat said. Google's lucrative advertising platform remained the largest revenue driver for Alphabet, delivering more than $30 billion of revenues, but costs rose sharply as well. Investors seemed concerned that earnings figures showed the growth rate of ad clicks slowed while the trend toward lower-priced mobile ads continued. Rising cloud The California giant showed widening losses for its "other bets" including the Waymo self-driving car project, Verily life sciences and services for internet for remote parts of the world and drone delivery. "Other bets" showed an operating loss of $858 million, up from $571 million a year ago while revenues rose modestly to $170 million. Some of the projects are moving closer to fruition. Wing became the first drone delivery company to receive air carrier certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration. Waymo has begun a limited rollout of its robotaxis in Arizona in partnership with automakers. And, while the company's Pixel smartphones have seen traction slowed by heavy competition in the premium handset market, it was pleased with momentum for Home devices infused with digital assistant software. Porat teased a hardware announcement along those lines at Google's annual developers conference next week in its home town of Mountain View, California. It is seeing growth in cloud computing for businesses, a market where Google is competing against Amazon, Microsoft and others. "Google Cloud Platform remains one of the fastest growing businesses in Alphabet with strong customer momentum reflected in particular in demand for our computer and data analytics products," Porat said in a call with analysts. Google planned to continue investing heavily in data centres, engineers, and digital content for streaming video offerings on YouTube. Google and 'techlash' But Google continues to face pressure around the world from regulators, notably in Europe amid multiple investigations over alleged abuse of its dominance in internet search, advertising and its mobile system. The latest fine imposed by Brussels cited Google's AdSense advertising service, saying it illegally restricted client websites from displaying messages from ad service rivals. Google is separately working to satisfy EU regulators investigating its hugely popular Android devices following a $5 billion fine last year. This month, Google said it would offer smartphone users five browsers and search engines as part of the company's effort to meet EU competition concerns. Brussels accused Google of using the Android system's dominance of smartphones and tablets to promote the use of its own Google search engine and Chrome browser and shut out rivals. In the United States, Google has been a target of President Donald Trump and his allies, accusing the search giant of "bias" and silencing conservative voices, claims denied by the Silicon Valley firm.

European Union fine on Google weighs down parent company Alphabet's profits

An artificial intelligence research laboratory opened by Google in Ghana, the first of its kind in Africa, will take on challenges across the continent, researchers say.

The US technology giant said the lab in the capital Accra would address economic, political and environmental issues.

"Africa has many challenges where the use of AI could be beneficial, sometimes even more than in other places," Google's head of AI Accra, Moustapha Cisse, told AFP at the centre's official opening this week.

Similar research centres have already opened in cities around the world including Tokyo, Zurich, New York and Paris.

The new lab, Cisse said, would use AI to develop solutions in healthcare, education and agriculture -- such as helping to diagnose certain types of crop disease.

Cisse, an expert from Senegal, said he hoped specialist engineers and AI researchers would collaborate with local organisations and policymakers.

<a href="http://13.232.42.114/world/eu-countries-back-copyright-reforms-aimed-at-google-facebook-198643">Google</a> is working with universities and start-ups in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa to enhance AI development regionally, he said.

"We just need to ensure that the right education and opportunities are in place," he said.

"That is why Google is sponsoring a lot of these young people for their degrees... to help develop a new generation of AI developers."

'Clear opportunity'

Other tech companies, including Facebook, have launched initiatives in Africa and demographics are a key factor behind the drive.

Africa's population is estimated to be 1.2 billion, 60 per cent of them under the age of 24.

By 2050, the UN estimates the population will double to 2.4 billion.

As online social networks expand, that presents a huge market for US tech giants to tap into.

"There's a clear opportunity for companies like Facebook and Google to really go in and put a pole in the sand," said Daniel Ives, a technology researcher at GBH Insights in New York.&nbsp;

"If you look at Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, where is a lot of that growth coming from? It's international," he told AFP in a recent interview.

An artificial intelligence research laboratory opened by Google in Ghana, the first of its kind in Africa, will take on challenges across the continent, researchers say.

An artificial intelligence research laboratory opened by Google in Ghana, the first of its kind in Africa, will take on challenges across the continent, researchers say. The US technology giant said the lab in the capital Accra would address economic, political and environmental issues. "Africa has many challenges where the use of AI could be beneficial, sometimes even more than in other places," Google's head of AI Accra, Moustapha Cisse, told AFP at the centre's official opening this week. Similar research centres have already opened in cities around the world including Tokyo, Zurich, New York and Paris. The new lab, Cisse said, would use AI to develop solutions in healthcare, education and agriculture -- such as helping to diagnose certain types of crop disease. Cisse, an expert from Senegal, said he hoped specialist engineers and AI researchers would collaborate with local organisations and policymakers. Google is working with universities and start-ups in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa to enhance AI development regionally, he said. "We just need to ensure that the right education and opportunities are in place," he said. "That is why Google is sponsoring a lot of these young people for their degrees... to help develop a new generation of AI developers." 'Clear opportunity' Other tech companies, including Facebook, have launched initiatives in Africa and demographics are a key factor behind the drive. Africa's population is estimated to be 1.2 billion, 60 per cent of them under the age of 24. By 2050, the UN estimates the population will double to 2.4 billion. As online social networks expand, that presents a huge market for US tech giants to tap into. "There's a clear opportunity for companies like Facebook and Google to really go in and put a pole in the sand," said Daniel Ives, a technology researcher at GBH Insights in New York. "If you look at Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, where is a lot of that growth coming from? It's international," he told AFP in a recent interview.

Google takes on 'Africa's challenges' with first AI centre in Ghana

Google's South East Asia and India&nbsp;head Rajan Anandan has quit the tech giant. He will leave by the end of the month and join venture capital firm Sequoia Capital India as managing director.&nbsp;

"8 amazing years. 850million internet users across India and SEA. Many billions of revenue and fastest growing region in the world. Incredible team that thinks big and executes superbly. Thank you @GoogleIndia #GoogleSEA. Loved every minute," Anandan said in a tweet.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
8 amazing years. 850million internet users across India and SEA. Many billions of revenue and fastest growing region in the world. Incredible team that thinks big and executes superbly. Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/GoogleIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GoogleIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoogleSEA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoogleSEA</a>. Loved every minute.
— Rajan Anandan (@RajanAnandan) <a href="https://twitter.com/RajanAnandan/status/1112988636029435904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Vikas Agnihotri, Google's country director for sales, will take on the interim responsibility.

Anandan had joined Google from Microsoft India in 2010. Previously, he was also been associated with Dell India and McKinsey &amp; Company.

"We are grateful to Rajan for his huge contribution to Google over the past eight years. His entrepreneurial zeal and leadership has helped grow the overall internet ecosystem in India and Southeast Asia," Google President Asia Pacific Scott Beaumont said in an emailed statement.

Sequoia Capital India is a venture capital firm specializing in investments in startups, seed, early, mid, late, series-A, expansion stage, public and growth stage companies.

It has invested in more than 130 startups in India including unicorns such as Ola, MuSigma and Zomato.

(With inputs from agencies)

Google's South East Asia and India head Rajan Anandan has quit the tech giant. He will leave by the end of the month and join venture capital firm Sequoia Capital India as managing director.

Google's South East Asia and India head Rajan Anandan has quit the tech giant. He will leave by the end of the month and join venture capital firm Sequoia Capital India as managing director. "8 amazing years. 850million internet users across India and SEA. Many billions of revenue and fastest growing region in the world. Incredible team that thinks big and executes superbly. Thank you @GoogleIndia #GoogleSEA. Loved every minute," Anandan said in a tweet. 8 amazing years. 850million internet users across India and SEA. Many billions of revenue and fastest growing region in the world. Incredible team that thinks big and executes superbly. Thank you @GoogleIndia #GoogleSEA. Loved every minute. — Rajan Anandan (@RajanAnandan) April 2, 2019 × Vikas Agnihotri, Google's country director for sales, will take on the interim responsibility. Anandan had joined Google from Microsoft India in 2010. Previously, he was also been associated with Dell India and McKinsey & Company. "We are grateful to Rajan for his huge contribution to Google over the past eight years. His entrepreneurial zeal and leadership has helped grow the overall internet ecosystem in India and Southeast Asia," Google President Asia Pacific Scott Beaumont said in an emailed statement. Sequoia Capital India is a venture capital firm specializing in investments in startups, seed, early, mid, late, series-A, expansion stage, public and growth stage companies. It has invested in more than 130 startups in India including unicorns such as Ola, MuSigma and Zomato. (With inputs from agencies)

Google India chief Rajan Anandan quits, will join venture capital firm Sequoia Capital

Tech titan <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/google-plans-to-ban-political-ads-before-canada-election-201213">Google</a> agreed to pay its former India-born top executive Amit Singhal a whopping $45 million as an exit package when he resigned from the company in 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment, according to a media report.

The previously undisclosed amount was in the separation agreement for Singhal, a senior vice president who ran <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/google-ceo-faces-house-grilling-on-breach-china-censorship-183237">Google's search</a> operations until early 2016.

The amount was revealed on Monday in a shareholder lawsuit accusing the board of directors of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, of shirking their responsibilities by agreeing to pay executives accused of misconduct instead of firing them for cause, the New York Times reported.

The lawsuit was part of the fallout over how Google has handled sexual harassment cases, it said.

The lawsuit was filed in January in California Superior Court with redactions in the passages referring to board discussions. An amended version was filed on Monday without the redactions.

According to the amended suit, Google agreed to pay Singhal $15 million a year for two years and between $5 million and $15 million in the third year as long as he was not employed by a competitor.

He agreed to take a job at Uber about a year after his departure, then resigned from the ride-hailing company a few weeks later when the sexual harassment claim at Google became public, the report said.

Frank Bottini, an attorney for the shareholders, said the board-approved payments were an "abdication of responsibility".

A Google spokeswoman said Monday that the company had "made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority".

"There are serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google," she said.

Singhal left Google after an employee said he had groped her at an off-site event.

Google investigated the allegation and found that Singhal had been inebriated.

The company also concluded that the employee's account was credible. At the time, Singhal said he wanted to spend more time with his family and focus on his philanthropy, the report said.

Singhal did not respond to a request for comment, it said.

Born in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Singhal received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in computer science from IIT Roorkee. He received an MS degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth and was head of Google's core search team for 15 years.

Tech titan Google agreed to pay its former India-born top executive Amit Singhal a whopping $45 million as an exit package when he resigned from the company in 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment, according to a media report.

Tech titan Google agreed to pay its former India-born top executive Amit Singhal a whopping $45 million as an exit package when he resigned from the company in 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment, according to a media report. The previously undisclosed amount was in the separation agreement for Singhal, a senior vice president who ran Google's search operations until early 2016. The amount was revealed on Monday in a shareholder lawsuit accusing the board of directors of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, of shirking their responsibilities by agreeing to pay executives accused of misconduct instead of firing them for cause, the New York Times reported. The lawsuit was part of the fallout over how Google has handled sexual harassment cases, it said. The lawsuit was filed in January in California Superior Court with redactions in the passages referring to board discussions. An amended version was filed on Monday without the redactions. According to the amended suit, Google agreed to pay Singhal $15 million a year for two years and between $5 million and $15 million in the third year as long as he was not employed by a competitor. He agreed to take a job at Uber about a year after his departure, then resigned from the ride-hailing company a few weeks later when the sexual harassment claim at Google became public, the report said. Frank Bottini, an attorney for the shareholders, said the board-approved payments were an "abdication of responsibility". A Google spokeswoman said Monday that the company had "made many changes to our workplace and taken an increasingly hard line on inappropriate conduct by people in positions of authority". "There are serious consequences for anyone who behaves inappropriately at Google," she said. Singhal left Google after an employee said he had groped her at an off-site event. Google investigated the allegation and found that Singhal had been inebriated. The company also concluded that the employee's account was credible. At the time, Singhal said he wanted to spend more time with his family and focus on his philanthropy, the report said. Singhal did not respond to a request for comment, it said. Born in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Singhal received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in computer science from IIT Roorkee. He received an MS degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth and was head of Google's core search team for 15 years.

Google paid former executive Amit Singhal $45 million exit package after sexual harassment claim

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