The European Union has launched investigations into Apple, Meta, and Google as a part of its first investigations into “non-compliance” with the 27-nation bloc’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which could lead to hefty fines for the companies.&nbsp;

<h2>About the new law</h2>

The probes will be conducted after a sweeping new digital competition law came into effect on March 7. The law has sought to prevent big tech companies, including those in the United States, from cornering digital markets, while making it easier for users to move between competing online services, like social media platforms and browsers.

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“We are not convinced that the solutions by Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Apple and Meta respect their obligations for a fairer and more open digital space for European citizens and businesses,” said EU’s internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton.

The violation of the law could lead the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, to impose fines of up to 10 per cent of a company’s total global turnover and raise it to 20 per cent for repeat offenders.

<h2>EU probe</h2>

The EU probe comes after the tech companies assured that they have deployed thousands of engineers to meet a DMA requirement of six “gatekeepers” to give users and rivals more choices.

However, the EU regulators are not convinced. Margrethe Vestager, EU antitrust chief, said that they believe that the three companies are not fully complying with the solutions that they proposed last week.

The EU officials, on Monday (Mar 25), were also asked if they were rushing the process just two weeks after the law was enacted, to which Breton said the investigations should not be a surprise.&nbsp;

“The law is the law. We can’t just sit around and wait,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.&nbsp;

<h2>Why these three companies?</h2>

The EU officials have raised concerns about constraints the tech companies place on the developers’ ability to communicate and promote their offers to the users.&nbsp;

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The bloc’s executive arm will also check the changes Google made to its search results in Europe since, as per the new rule, it cannot give its own service preference over similar services offered by rivals.&nbsp;

It will also check if Apple is imposing limitations that hinder app developers from informing users about alternatives outside its own App Store that may be free of charge.

Meanwhile, Breton said Meta should offer free alternative options. This comes after the Instagram and Facebook parent company introduced a no-ads subscription service in Europe&nbsp;last year&nbsp;which triggered criticism from rivals and users.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The European Union has launched investigations into Apple, Meta, and Google as a part of its first investigations into “non-compliance” with the 27-nation bloc’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which could lead to hefty fines for the companies.

The European Union has launched investigations into Apple, Meta, and Google as a part of its first investigations into “non-compliance” with the 27-nation bloc’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which could lead to hefty fines for the companies. About the new law The probes will be conducted after a sweeping new digital competition law came into effect on March 7. The law has sought to prevent big tech companies, including those in the United States, from cornering digital markets, while making it easier for users to move between competing online services, like social media platforms and browsers. Also Read | France launches several anti-drug raids across country in major crackdown ahead of elections “We are not convinced that the solutions by Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Apple and Meta respect their obligations for a fairer and more open digital space for European citizens and businesses,” said EU’s internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton. The violation of the law could lead the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, to impose fines of up to 10 per cent of a company’s total global turnover and raise it to 20 per cent for repeat offenders. EU probe The EU probe comes after the tech companies assured that they have deployed thousands of engineers to meet a DMA requirement of six “gatekeepers” to give users and rivals more choices. However, the EU regulators are not convinced. Margrethe Vestager, EU antitrust chief, said that they believe that the three companies are not fully complying with the solutions that they proposed last week. The EU officials, on Monday (Mar 25), were also asked if they were rushing the process just two weeks after the law was enacted, to which Breton said the investigations should not be a surprise. “The law is the law. We can’t just sit around and wait,” he said, as quoted by Reuters. Why these three companies? The EU officials have raised concerns about constraints the tech companies place on the developers’ ability to communicate and promote their offers to the users. Also Read | Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun to step down amid aircraft safety issues crisis The bloc’s executive arm will also check the changes Google made to its search results in Europe since, as per the new rule, it cannot give its own service preference over similar services offered by rivals. It will also check if Apple is imposing limitations that hinder app developers from informing users about alternatives outside its own App Store that may be free of charge. Meanwhile, Breton said Meta should offer free alternative options. This comes after the Instagram and Facebook parent company introduced a no-ads subscription service in Europe last year which triggered criticism from rivals and users. (With inputs from agencies)

Apple, Google, Meta probed under EU’s new Digital Markets Act

The United States Department of Justice along with 15 states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday (Mar 21) over monopolising the smartphone market.

Earlier, the competitors of the iPhone maker were sued by regulators, which include Alphabet's Google, Meta Platforms and Amazon.com across the administrations of both former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

"Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate the antitrust laws," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly."

The Justice Department stated that Apple in terms of earnings outperforms its rival companies by charging up to $1,599 for an iPhone.&nbsp;

The officials additionally stated that Apple levies hidden fees on various business partners, including software developers, credit card firms, and also its competitors like Google, which eventually raises consumer costs and boosts Apple's profits.

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<h2>Apple denies allegations</h2>

Apple rebuffed the allegations stating that the lawsuit threatened the core principles that set apart the products manufactured by the company in the industry.

"This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple — where hardware, software, and services intersect," the iPhone maker said in a statement.

The 88-page lawsuit, filed in a US&nbsp;federal court in Newark, New Jersey, said it was focused on “freeing smartphone markets from Apple’s anticompetitive and exclusionary conduct and restoring competition to lower smartphone prices for consumers, reducing fees for developers, and preserving innovation for the future.” 
&nbsp; 
The Justice Department along with the District of Columbia filed the lawsuit seeking changes at Apple.

An official said, "the remedy has to be tailored to the harm that we are required to prove at trial" and suggested that break-up or reduction of the size of Apple was one of the possibilities as it was noted that "structural relief is also a form of equitable relief."

(With inputs from agencies)

The United States Department of Justice along with 15 states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday (Mar 21) over monopolising the smartphone market.

The United States Department of Justice along with 15 states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday (Mar 21) over monopolising the smartphone market. Earlier, the competitors of the iPhone maker were sued by regulators, which include Alphabet's Google, Meta Platforms and Amazon.com across the administrations of both former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. "Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate the antitrust laws," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly." The Justice Department stated that Apple in terms of earnings outperforms its rival companies by charging up to $1,599 for an iPhone. The officials additionally stated that Apple levies hidden fees on various business partners, including software developers, credit card firms, and also its competitors like Google, which eventually raises consumer costs and boosts Apple's profits. Also read: Trump Tower among properties that could be seized to cover $454mn civil fraud fine Apple denies allegations Apple rebuffed the allegations stating that the lawsuit threatened the core principles that set apart the products manufactured by the company in the industry. "This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple — where hardware, software, and services intersect," the iPhone maker said in a statement. The 88-page lawsuit, filed in a US federal court in Newark, New Jersey, said it was focused on “freeing smartphone markets from Apple’s anticompetitive and exclusionary conduct and restoring competition to lower smartphone prices for consumers, reducing fees for developers, and preserving innovation for the future.” The Justice Department along with the District of Columbia filed the lawsuit seeking changes at Apple. An official said, "the remedy has to be tailored to the harm that we are required to prove at trial" and suggested that break-up or reduction of the size of Apple was one of the possibilities as it was noted that "structural relief is also a form of equitable relief." (With inputs from agencies)

US government sues Apple over monopolising smartphone markets

Alphabet’s Google was fined 250 million euros ($272 million) for violations related to European Union intellectual property rules by the French competition watchdog, on Wednesday (Mar 20). The breaches are linked to a 2022 agreement about paying media companies to reproduce their content online and use it for their AI-powered chatbot.&nbsp;

<h2>About the fine</h2>

According to the French competition watchdog, Google’s AI-powered chatbot Bard – rebranded as Gemini – has been trained using content from publishers and news agencies, without notifying them.&nbsp;

This comes after the EU, in 2019, following accusations that Google and other tech giants made billions from news without sharing the revenue with those who gathered it, introduced a form of copyright called “neighbouring rights”.&nbsp;

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The measure allows news organisations to demand compensation from tech giants after writers and publishers sought to limit the automatic collection of data by AI of their content online without their consent for fair compensation.

The fine comes after organisations, representing French magazines and newspapers, including the news agency AFP filed complaints against the United States-based tech giant with the France’s Competition Authority in 2019.&nbsp;

<h2>What does Google plan to do?</h2>

The French watchdog, in a statement, said that Google pledged not to contest the facts as part of settlement proceedings and also proposed a series of measures to remedy some of the shortcomings.&nbsp;

In 2022, the dispute seemed to have been solved after the authority accepted commitments from Google to negotiate with the news organisations and the US tech giant dropped its appeal against an initial 500 million euro fine.&nbsp;

However, the Autorité de la Concurrence (French competition authority), on Wednesday said that Google violated four out of the seven terms agreed upon two years ago, which included conducting negotiations with the publishers in “good faith.”&nbsp;

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The watchdog said that Google used content from press agencies to train its Bard chatbot, launched in 2023, without the company informing them or the regulator.

According to the French regulators, the tech giant also failed to provide a technical solution to publishers and news agencies that allowed them to object to the use of their content and “linked the use of the content concerned by its artificial intelligence service to the display of protected content.”&nbsp;

This, according to the watchdog,&nbsp;hindered the ability of publishers and news agencies to negotiate remuneration with Google, which&nbsp;violated the 2022 agreement.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Alphabet’s Google was fined 250 million euros ($272 million) for violations related to European Union intellectual property rules by the French competition watchdog, on Wednesday (Mar 20).

Alphabet’s Google was fined 250 million euros ($272 million) for violations related to European Union intellectual property rules by the French competition watchdog, on Wednesday (Mar 20). The breaches are linked to a 2022 agreement about paying media companies to reproduce their content online and use it for their AI-powered chatbot. About the fine According to the French competition watchdog, Google’s AI-powered chatbot Bard – rebranded as Gemini – has been trained using content from publishers and news agencies, without notifying them. This comes after the EU, in 2019, following accusations that Google and other tech giants made billions from news without sharing the revenue with those who gathered it, introduced a form of copyright called “neighbouring rights”. Also Read | India's antitrust body launches probe into Google's in-app billing system The measure allows news organisations to demand compensation from tech giants after writers and publishers sought to limit the automatic collection of data by AI of their content online without their consent for fair compensation. The fine comes after organisations, representing French magazines and newspapers, including the news agency AFP filed complaints against the United States-based tech giant with the France’s Competition Authority in 2019. What does Google plan to do? The French watchdog, in a statement, said that Google pledged not to contest the facts as part of settlement proceedings and also proposed a series of measures to remedy some of the shortcomings. In 2022, the dispute seemed to have been solved after the authority accepted commitments from Google to negotiate with the news organisations and the US tech giant dropped its appeal against an initial 500 million euro fine. However, the Autorité de la Concurrence (French competition authority), on Wednesday said that Google violated four out of the seven terms agreed upon two years ago, which included conducting negotiations with the publishers in “good faith.” Also Read | Google to shell out $350 million to settle data privacy lawsuit The watchdog said that Google used content from press agencies to train its Bard chatbot, launched in 2023, without the company informing them or the regulator. According to the French regulators, the tech giant also failed to provide a technical solution to publishers and news agencies that allowed them to object to the use of their content and “linked the use of the content concerned by its artificial intelligence service to the display of protected content.” This, according to the watchdog, hindered the ability of publishers and news agencies to negotiate remuneration with Google, which violated the 2022 agreement. (With inputs from agencies)

French competition authority hits Google with $272 million fine for copyright breaches

Alphabet Inc's Google found itself under scanner after India's antitrust watchdog on Friday (March 15) ordered an investigation into the tech giant's in-app billing system stating that the popular US tech giant implemented its policies in a "discriminatory manner".

The move came amid an ongoing battle between the Indian startups and the tech firm over its fee for in-app payments.

Earlier this month, Google had removed more than 100 Indian applications from its app store citing violations related to payments.

The apps were restored after the intervention of the Indian government.

"We are examining CCI's order initiating the investigation. The CCI has previously examined our service fee in detail between 2020 and 2022 and found no illegality. However, we take our commitment to comply with local laws and regulations in India seriously and will cooperate with the process in every way," said a Google spokesperson.&nbsp;

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The startups had urged the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to look into the matter and on Friday, the antitrust body ordered an inquiry stating, "Google is implementing its policies in a discriminatory manner".

It further directed the probe unit to conclude the investigation within 60 days.

The basis of the dispute centres around efforts by some Indian startups to bar the tech giant from imposing a fee of 11% to 26% on in-app payments, after the country's antitrust authorities ordered it to pull down a system of charging 15% to 30% in 2022.

Google has denied any wrongdoing stating that the fee it charges is to back the investments in the Google Play app store and the Android mobile operating system, making sure it distributes it for free.

India's IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, clearing India's stance on the matter had said that the country would ensure that the startups get the protection they need.

"India is very clear, our policy is very clear...our startups will get the protection that they need," Vaishnaw had said.

<h2>'Energy of youth cannot be left to the policies of any big tech,' says Vaishnaw&nbsp;</h2>

He said that India has created a robust startup ecosystem of over one lakh startups, and more than 100 unicorns from scratch in over a decade and that the energy of youth and entrepreneurs must be channelised fully and "cannot be left to the policies of any big tech."

"I will be telling Google...Our entrepreneurial energy...startups, look at the whole startup India programme, 10 years back we had practically nothing and today we have more than 1,00,000 startups, more than 100 unicorns...this is something...the energy of our youth, the energy of our entrepreneurs, the energy of our talented people that has to be channelised fully well, it cannot be left to the policies of any big tech," Vaishnaw said.&nbsp;

Google had on March 1, Justiflying its move to delist the apps stated that 10 firms in the country, including several "well-established" ones, did not pay the fees despite having benefitted from the platform and Play Store.

(With inputs from agencies)

Alphabet Inc's Google found itself under scanner after India's antitrust watchdog on Friday (March 15) ordered an investigation into the tech giant's in-app billing system stating that the popular US tech giant implemented its policies in a "discriminatory manner".

Alphabet Inc's Google found itself under scanner after India's antitrust watchdog on Friday (March 15) ordered an investigation into the tech giant's in-app billing system stating that the popular US tech giant implemented its policies in a "discriminatory manner". The move came amid an ongoing battle between the Indian startups and the tech firm over its fee for in-app payments. Earlier this month, Google had removed more than 100 Indian applications from its app store citing violations related to payments. The apps were restored after the intervention of the Indian government. "We are examining CCI's order initiating the investigation. The CCI has previously examined our service fee in detail between 2020 and 2022 and found no illegality. However, we take our commitment to comply with local laws and regulations in India seriously and will cooperate with the process in every way," said a Google spokesperson. Also read: 'Misplaced, misinformed, and unwarranted': India rejects USA's criticism of Citizenship Amendment Act The startups had urged the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to look into the matter and on Friday, the antitrust body ordered an inquiry stating, "Google is implementing its policies in a discriminatory manner". It further directed the probe unit to conclude the investigation within 60 days. The basis of the dispute centres around efforts by some Indian startups to bar the tech giant from imposing a fee of 11% to 26% on in-app payments, after the country's antitrust authorities ordered it to pull down a system of charging 15% to 30% in 2022. Google has denied any wrongdoing stating that the fee it charges is to back the investments in the Google Play app store and the Android mobile operating system, making sure it distributes it for free. India's IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, clearing India's stance on the matter had said that the country would ensure that the startups get the protection they need. "India is very clear, our policy is very clear...our startups will get the protection that they need," Vaishnaw had said. 'Energy of youth cannot be left to the policies of any big tech,' says Vaishnaw He said that India has created a robust startup ecosystem of over one lakh startups, and more than 100 unicorns from scratch in over a decade and that the energy of youth and entrepreneurs must be channelised fully and "cannot be left to the policies of any big tech." "I will be telling Google...Our entrepreneurial energy...startups, look at the whole startup India programme, 10 years back we had practically nothing and today we have more than 1,00,000 startups, more than 100 unicorns...this is something...the energy of our youth, the energy of our entrepreneurs, the energy of our talented people that has to be channelised fully well, it cannot be left to the policies of any big tech," Vaishnaw said. Google had on March 1, Justiflying its move to delist the apps stated that 10 firms in the country, including several "well-established" ones, did not pay the fees despite having benefitted from the platform and Play Store. (With inputs from agencies)

India's antitrust body launches probe into Google's in-app billing system

An Chinese former software engineer from Google has been charged in the US for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to artificial intelligence (AI) while working secretly for two Chinese companies, reports said on Thursday.<o:p></o:p>

The charges&nbsp;filed in the state of California accuse Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding,&nbsp;of stealing over 500 confidential files, potentially putting the infrastructure of Google's supercomputing data centres at risk.<o:p></o:p>

Ding joined Google in 2019 with responsibilities that included the development of AI software. <o:p></o:p>

According to the indictment, he began uploading information from Google's network to his personal Google account in May 2022, continuing the unauthorised uploads periodically for a year. <o:p></o:p>

During this time he is said to have spent several months working for Beijing Rongshu Lianzhi Technology, a start-up tech company in China, and started his own AI-focused tech firm, Shanghai Zhisuan Technology, where he served as the CEO. <o:p></o:p>

The indictment reveals that Ding never disclosed his affiliations with the Chinese companies to Google, violating the company's policies. <o:p></o:p>

He applied to a China-based organisation to support his business, presenting it at an investor conference in China in November 2023. <o:p></o:p>

Google became suspicious when Ding attempted to upload more files while in China, claiming it was to provide proof of his work for the tech giant. <o:p></o:p>

Upon his return to the US, Ding resigned from Google, and the company, unaware of his activities, suspended his access. <o:p></o:p>

Google later discovered the unauthorised uploads, prompting them to alert the authorities.<o:p></o:p>

According to the BBC, José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, assured that the company has "strict safeguards" in place to prevent the theft of confidential information and trade secrets. <o:p></o:p>

He mentioned that Google promptly reported the alleged wrongdoing to the authorities. US Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasised that Ding's actions aimed at enriching himself by covertly working for companies seeking an advantage in the AI technology race. <o:p></o:p>

FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that this case illustrates the lengths some Chinese companies go to steal American innovation.<o:p></o:p>

The Justice Department announced the charges against Ding at an American Bar Association Conference in San Francisco, with Attorney General Merrick Garland highlighting the severity of Chinese economic espionage and the national security concerns tied to advancements in AI. <o:p></o:p>

Google confirmed that Ding had stolen numerous documents, leading to the referral of the case to law enforcement. <o:p></o:p>

AP News reported that each of the four counts of federal trade secret theft against Ding is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.<o:p></o:p>

The case underscores the high-stakes competition in the field of high technology, where artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role. <o:p></o:p>

Foreign adversaries' potential use of AI technologies to negatively impact the United States has been a growing concern, prompting the Justice Department to prioritise AI enforcement.<o:p></o:p>

An Chinese former software engineer from Google has been charged in the US for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to artificial intelligence (AI) while working secretly for two Chinese companies, reports said on Thursday.

An Chinese former software engineer from Google has been charged in the US for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to artificial intelligence (AI) while working secretly for two Chinese companies, reports said on Thursday. The charges filed in the state of California accuse Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, of stealing over 500 confidential files, potentially putting the infrastructure of Google's supercomputing data centres at risk. Ding joined Google in 2019 with responsibilities that included the development of AI software. According to the indictment, he began uploading information from Google's network to his personal Google account in May 2022, continuing the unauthorised uploads periodically for a year. During this time he is said to have spent several months working for Beijing Rongshu Lianzhi Technology, a start-up tech company in China, and started his own AI-focused tech firm, Shanghai Zhisuan Technology, where he served as the CEO. The indictment reveals that Ding never disclosed his affiliations with the Chinese companies to Google, violating the company's policies. He applied to a China-based organisation to support his business, presenting it at an investor conference in China in November 2023. Google became suspicious when Ding attempted to upload more files while in China, claiming it was to provide proof of his work for the tech giant. Upon his return to the US, Ding resigned from Google, and the company, unaware of his activities, suspended his access. Google later discovered the unauthorised uploads, prompting them to alert the authorities. According to the BBC, José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, assured that the company has "strict safeguards" in place to prevent the theft of confidential information and trade secrets. He mentioned that Google promptly reported the alleged wrongdoing to the authorities. US Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasised that Ding's actions aimed at enriching himself by covertly working for companies seeking an advantage in the AI technology race. FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that this case illustrates the lengths some Chinese companies go to steal American innovation. The Justice Department announced the charges against Ding at an American Bar Association Conference in San Francisco, with Attorney General Merrick Garland highlighting the severity of Chinese economic espionage and the national security concerns tied to advancements in AI. Google confirmed that Ding had stolen numerous documents, leading to the referral of the case to law enforcement. AP News reported that each of the four counts of federal trade secret theft against Ding is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The case underscores the high-stakes competition in the field of high technology, where artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role. Foreign adversaries' potential use of AI technologies to negatively impact the United States has been a growing concern, prompting the Justice Department to prioritise AI enforcement.

Former Google engineer faces charges for stealing AI secrets for Chinese companies

In a U-turn, Google announced its decision to reinstate Indian apps it had removed due to a billing dispute, marking a shift in stance following backlash from the Indian government and local internet startups. <o:p></o:p>

According to a Reuters report, the move comes after Google faced widespread criticism for removing over 100 Indian apps, including popular ones like Matrimony.com, for non-compliance with its in-app payment policy, which mandates a service fee for transactions not routed through Google's payment system.<o:p></o:p>

"In the spirit of cooperation, we are temporarily reinstating the apps of the developers with appeals pending in the Supreme Court," Reuters quoted Google saying in a statement.<o:p></o:p>

The decision to relist the apps followed a closed-door meeting between Sanjay Gupta, Google India's head, and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. <o:p></o:p>

A source familiar with the discussions revealed that the meeting played a major role in resolving the conflict.<o:p></o:p>

Criticism against Google's actions had been mounting, particularly from Indian companies that have long been at odds with the tech giant over its policies. <o:p></o:p>

The core of the dispute lies in the resistance by certain Indian startups against Google's imposition of significant fees on in-app payments. <o:p></o:p>

Despite orders from Indian antitrust authorities to refrain from enforcing steep transaction charges, Google had persisted, sparking legal battles and resistance from the startup community.<o:p></o:p>

"We believe that in the coming months, both the start-up community as well as Google would be able to come to a long-term resolution," commented IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, according to ANI.<o:p></o:p>

Vaishnaw had earlier criticised Google's actions, stating that such unilateral decisions "cannot be permitted."<o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from agencies)<o:p></o:p>

In a U-turn, Google announced its decision to reinstate Indian apps it had removed due to a billing dispute, marking a shift in stance following backlash from the Indian government and local internet startups.

In a U-turn, Google announced its decision to reinstate Indian apps it had removed due to a billing dispute, marking a shift in stance following backlash from the Indian government and local internet startups. According to a Reuters report, the move comes after Google faced widespread criticism for removing over 100 Indian apps, including popular ones like Matrimony.com, for non-compliance with its in-app payment policy, which mandates a service fee for transactions not routed through Google's payment system. "In the spirit of cooperation, we are temporarily reinstating the apps of the developers with appeals pending in the Supreme Court," Reuters quoted Google saying in a statement. The decision to relist the apps followed a closed-door meeting between Sanjay Gupta, Google India's head, and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. A source familiar with the discussions revealed that the meeting played a major role in resolving the conflict. Criticism against Google's actions had been mounting, particularly from Indian companies that have long been at odds with the tech giant over its policies. The core of the dispute lies in the resistance by certain Indian startups against Google's imposition of significant fees on in-app payments. Despite orders from Indian antitrust authorities to refrain from enforcing steep transaction charges, Google had persisted, sparking legal battles and resistance from the startup community. "We believe that in the coming months, both the start-up community as well as Google would be able to come to a long-term resolution," commented IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, according to ANI. Vaishnaw had earlier criticised Google's actions, stating that such unilateral decisions "cannot be permitted." (With inputs from agencies)

Google reverses course: Relists Indian apps amid government criticism

Google on Saturday (March 2) restored some of the Indian applications like Bharat Matrimony and Naukri that it had delisted from its Play Store over a disagreement regarding service fee payments.

The development comes hours after the Centre strongly opposed the tech giant's move stating that the delisting of Indian apps cannot be permitted and that the startup ecosystem is key to the Indian economy and their fate cannot be left to any big tech to decide.

India's IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told news agency PTI, "India is very clear, our policy is very clear...our startups will get the protection that they need."

Vaishnaw had said that next week he would meet the Google officials and the app developers who were delisted.

"I have already called Google...I have already called the app developers who have been delisted, we will be meeting them next week. This cannot be permitted. This kind of delisting cannot be permitted," Vaishnaw asserted.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/google-removes-indian-matrimonial-job-search-apps-over-fee-dispute-695667">Google removes Indian matrimonial, job search apps over fee dispute</a>

<h2>'Energy of youth cannot be left to the policies of any big tech,' says Vaishnaw&nbsp;</h2>

He said that India has created a robust startup ecosystem of over one lakh startups, and more than 100 unicorns from scratch in over a decade and that the energy of youth and entrepreneurs must be channelised fully and "cannot be left to the policies of any big tech."

"I will be telling Google...Our entrepreneurial energy...startups, look at the whole startup India programme, 10 years back we had practically nothing and today we have more than 1,00,000 startups, more than 100 unicorns...this is something...the energy of our youth, the energy of our entrepreneurs, the energy of our talented people that has to be channelised fully well, it cannot be left to the policies of any big tech," Vaishnaw said.&nbsp;

Google on Friday (March 1), justifying the move, stated that 10 firms in the country, including several "well-established" ones, did not pay the fees despite having benefitted from the platform and Play Store.

The dispute revolves around Indian startups' resistance to Google's imposition of service fees ranging from 11 per cent to 26 per cent on in-app payments. Despite earlier orders from antitrust authorities to revise these fees, Google gained court approval to maintain or remove apps based on compliance.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar also said that the concerns around the dominance of Google stifling competition and startups have been flagged.

"I have raised concerns on the dominance of Google in the past, it controls more than 90 per cent of the app ecosystem in India, the fact that they are a vertically integrated large company, we are concerned that their dominance does stifle competitions and startups, and it can be misused against startups, and there are some legitimate concerns that the government has," Chandrasekhar said.

Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani earlier on Saturday took to his official X account and said, "Many of the Info Edge apps are back on the play store. An effort very well led by (company MD and CEO) Hitesh and the entire Info Edge team. People were up all night for this. Great crisis management."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Google on Saturday (March 2) restored some of the Indian applications like Bharat Matrimony and Naukri that it had delisted from its Play Store over a disagreement regarding service fee payments.

Google on Saturday (March 2) restored some of the Indian applications like Bharat Matrimony and Naukri that it had delisted from its Play Store over a disagreement regarding service fee payments. The development comes hours after the Centre strongly opposed the tech giant's move stating that the delisting of Indian apps cannot be permitted and that the startup ecosystem is key to the Indian economy and their fate cannot be left to any big tech to decide. India's IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told news agency PTI, "India is very clear, our policy is very clear...our startups will get the protection that they need." Vaishnaw had said that next week he would meet the Google officials and the app developers who were delisted. "I have already called Google...I have already called the app developers who have been delisted, we will be meeting them next week. This cannot be permitted. This kind of delisting cannot be permitted," Vaishnaw asserted. Also read: Google removes Indian matrimonial, job search apps over fee dispute 'Energy of youth cannot be left to the policies of any big tech,' says Vaishnaw He said that India has created a robust startup ecosystem of over one lakh startups, and more than 100 unicorns from scratch in over a decade and that the energy of youth and entrepreneurs must be channelised fully and "cannot be left to the policies of any big tech." "I will be telling Google...Our entrepreneurial energy...startups, look at the whole startup India programme, 10 years back we had practically nothing and today we have more than 1,00,000 startups, more than 100 unicorns...this is something...the energy of our youth, the energy of our entrepreneurs, the energy of our talented people that has to be channelised fully well, it cannot be left to the policies of any big tech," Vaishnaw said. Google on Friday (March 1), justifying the move, stated that 10 firms in the country, including several "well-established" ones, did not pay the fees despite having benefitted from the platform and Play Store. The dispute revolves around Indian startups' resistance to Google's imposition of service fees ranging from 11 per cent to 26 per cent on in-app payments. Despite earlier orders from antitrust authorities to revise these fees, Google gained court approval to maintain or remove apps based on compliance. Meanwhile, Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar also said that the concerns around the dominance of Google stifling competition and startups have been flagged. "I have raised concerns on the dominance of Google in the past, it controls more than 90 per cent of the app ecosystem in India, the fact that they are a vertically integrated large company, we are concerned that their dominance does stifle competitions and startups, and it can be misused against startups, and there are some legitimate concerns that the government has," Chandrasekhar said. Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani earlier on Saturday took to his official X account and said, "Many of the Info Edge apps are back on the play store. An effort very well led by (company MD and CEO) Hitesh and the entire Info Edge team. People were up all night for this. Great crisis management." (With inputs from agencies)

Google restores ‘delisted’ apps after Indian IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s intervention

Alphabet's Google Cloud has intensified its critique of Microsoft's cloud computing practices, cautioning against the emergence of a monopolistic environment that could stifle innovation, particularly in emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence. <o:p></o:p>

In an interview, Google Cloud Vice President Amit Zavery expressed concerns over Microsoft's alleged attempts to establish a closed ecosystem, asserting that such a strategy would limit customer choice and hinder technological progress.<o:p></o:p>

Zavery highlighted that Microsoft's historical dominance in on-premise software and raised apprehensions about the company replicating this monopoly within the cloud computing domain. <o:p></o:p>

He warned against Microsoft's purported creation of a "walled garden," emphasising the risk of customers being compelled to solely engage with Microsoft's cloud offerings, thereby curbing competition and restricting innovation. <o:p></o:p>

Zavery stressed the importance of maintaining an open and competitive cloud market to foster advancements, especially in areas like artificial intelligence. <o:p></o:p>

The Google executive urged antitrust regulators to intervene and scrutinise Microsoft's cloud practices to ensure fair competition and prevent monopolistic tendencies. <o:p></o:p>

Zavery advocated for regulatory guidance and potential regulations to address what he perceives as anticompetitive behaviour by Microsoft in the cloud computing arena. <o:p></o:p>

He highlighted the need to prevent the transition of Microsoft's on-premise software monopoly into a cloud monopoly.<o:p></o:p>

In response, Microsoft refuted Google's assertions, asserting that competition in the cloud hyperscaler market remains robust. <o:p></o:p>

A Microsoft spokesperson cited independent data showing that Microsoft and Google made incremental gains in 2023, although Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to maintain a significant lead as the global market leader. <o:p></o:p>

Microsoft President Brad Smith indirectly addressed Google's concerns during his keynote address at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, highlighting Microsoft's vertical integration across various AI layers. <o:p></o:p>

While not explicitly naming Google, Smith's remarks appear to challenge Google's criticisms regarding monopolistic tendencies. <o:p></o:p>

Zavery also criticised Microsoft's approach to resolving complaints from individual cloud vendors, alleging that the company's selective agreements fail to address broader industry concerns. <o:p></o:p>

He questioned the efficacy of Microsoft's dealings with cloud vendors, suggesting that such practices enable Microsoft to dictate winners and losers within the competitive landscape. <o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from Reuters)<o:p></o:p>

Alphabet's Google Cloud has intensified its critique of Microsoft's cloud computing practices, cautioning against the emergence of a monopolistic environment that could stifle innovation, particularly in emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence.

Alphabet's Google Cloud has intensified its critique of Microsoft's cloud computing practices, cautioning against the emergence of a monopolistic environment that could stifle innovation, particularly in emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence. In an interview, Google Cloud Vice President Amit Zavery expressed concerns over Microsoft's alleged attempts to establish a closed ecosystem, asserting that such a strategy would limit customer choice and hinder technological progress. Zavery highlighted that Microsoft's historical dominance in on-premise software and raised apprehensions about the company replicating this monopoly within the cloud computing domain. He warned against Microsoft's purported creation of a "walled garden," emphasising the risk of customers being compelled to solely engage with Microsoft's cloud offerings, thereby curbing competition and restricting innovation. Zavery stressed the importance of maintaining an open and competitive cloud market to foster advancements, especially in areas like artificial intelligence. The Google executive urged antitrust regulators to intervene and scrutinise Microsoft's cloud practices to ensure fair competition and prevent monopolistic tendencies. Zavery advocated for regulatory guidance and potential regulations to address what he perceives as anticompetitive behaviour by Microsoft in the cloud computing arena. He highlighted the need to prevent the transition of Microsoft's on-premise software monopoly into a cloud monopoly. In response, Microsoft refuted Google's assertions, asserting that competition in the cloud hyperscaler market remains robust. A Microsoft spokesperson cited independent data showing that Microsoft and Google made incremental gains in 2023, although Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to maintain a significant lead as the global market leader. Microsoft President Brad Smith indirectly addressed Google's concerns during his keynote address at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, highlighting Microsoft's vertical integration across various AI layers. While not explicitly naming Google, Smith's remarks appear to challenge Google's criticisms regarding monopolistic tendencies. Zavery also criticised Microsoft's approach to resolving complaints from individual cloud vendors, alleging that the company's selective agreements fail to address broader industry concerns. He questioned the efficacy of Microsoft's dealings with cloud vendors, suggesting that such practices enable Microsoft to dictate winners and losers within the competitive landscape. (With inputs from Reuters)

Google sounds alarm on Microsoft's cloud monopoly, calls for regulatory action

A former employee of tech giant Google has alleged that he was denied a promotion at the company for 'being a white man'. Shaun Maguire,as per a report in The New York Post, worked at Google's headquarters in Mountain view, California in the United States between 2016 and 2019. Maguire created a poll on social media post X (formerly Twitter) in December 2023 asking, "Should I go public with the story about the time I was told I can’t be promoted for being a white man?". The respondents overwhelmingly voted 'yes'.

On Friday (Feb 23), Maguire started a thread quoting this 2023 poll and claimed that he received such a treatment at Google calling the company "an absolute trash can dumpster fire".

He subsequently made more posts describing the incident and the treatment he claimed he got.

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“I’m really not supposed to tell you this. It could get me fired. 
 
But you’re one of the highest performing people here but I can’t promote you right now because I have a quota. My hands are tied. You’ll get the next slot. Please be patient. I’m really sorry.” 
 
— Google <a href="https://t.co/0I7bmWmPIu">https://t.co/0I7bmWmPIu</a>
— Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) <a href="https://twitter.com/shaunmmaguire/status/1760885099984261564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
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He further claimed that since he made posts about his experience, 'up to 5' ex-Google employees contacted him and said that they have experienced similar treatment from the company.

Watch | Google sued over Pixel 6 pro smartphones being too hot

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The New York Post cited a source within Google who said that when Maguire was at Google, the company was facing problem with #MeToo scandals which led to formation of 'employee resource groups' which demanded that Google hire more women and other diverse candidates. The source reportedly claimed that the pressure campaign even reached the company's top management, including founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Google had termed this "completely untrue".

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/is-gmail-shutting-down-google-clarifies-after-hoax-claims-it-is-coming-to-a-close-693065">Is Gmail shutting down? Google clarifies after hoax claims it is 'coming to a close'</a>

“The founders and Board have never spoken to [Google Ventures] &nbsp;about personnel matters. Shaun is a talented investor and we wish him well at Sequoia, but decisions about his promotion and career advancement at GV not once ever involved consideration of his race or gender,” representative of the company said as reported by The New York.

After leaving Google in 2019, Maguire sold his cybersecurity firm Expanse for USD 1.05 billion.

(With inputs from agencies)

A former employee of tech giant Google has alleged that he was denied a promotion at the company for 'being a white man'. Shaun Maguire,as per a report in The New York Post, worked at Google's headquarters in Mountain view, California in the United States between 2016 and 2019.

A former employee of tech giant Google has alleged that he was denied a promotion at the company for 'being a white man'. Shaun Maguire,as per a report in The New York Post, worked at Google's headquarters in Mountain view, California in the United States between 2016 and 2019. Maguire created a poll on social media post X (formerly Twitter) in December 2023 asking, "Should I go public with the story about the time I was told I can’t be promoted for being a white man?". The respondents overwhelmingly voted 'yes'. On Friday (Feb 23), Maguire started a thread quoting this 2023 poll and claimed that he received such a treatment at Google calling the company "an absolute trash can dumpster fire". He subsequently made more posts describing the incident and the treatment he claimed he got. “I’m really not supposed to tell you this. It could get me fired. But you’re one of the highest performing people here but I can’t promote you right now because I have a quota. My hands are tied. You’ll get the next slot. Please be patient. I’m really sorry.” — Google https://t.co/0I7bmWmPIu — Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) February 23, 2024 × He further claimed that since he made posts about his experience, 'up to 5' ex-Google employees contacted him and said that they have experienced similar treatment from the company. Watch | Google sued over Pixel 6 pro smartphones being too hot × The New York Post cited a source within Google who said that when Maguire was at Google, the company was facing problem with #MeToo scandals which led to formation of 'employee resource groups' which demanded that Google hire more women and other diverse candidates. The source reportedly claimed that the pressure campaign even reached the company's top management, including founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Google had termed this "completely untrue". Also Read | Is Gmail shutting down? Google clarifies after hoax claims it is 'coming to a close' “The founders and Board have never spoken to [Google Ventures] about personnel matters. Shaun is a talented investor and we wish him well at Sequoia, but decisions about his promotion and career advancement at GV not once ever involved consideration of his race or gender,” representative of the company said as reported by The New York. After leaving Google in 2019, Maguire sold his cybersecurity firm Expanse for USD 1.05 billion. (With inputs from agencies)

Ex-Google employee accuses company of denying promotion as he was 'white man'

Google has temporarily stopped letting users produce images of people using its artificial intelligence model Gemini after an issue raised by users on the ethnicity of people in the images. Many social media users have posted examples of images generated by Gemini that show Vikings, popes, and the founding fathers of the US in a variety of ethnicities and genders. This has sparked a debate on implicit bias or an implicit prompt for action against such a bias.

“We’re already working to address recent issues with Gemini’s image generation feature. While we do this, we’re going to pause the image generation of people and will rerelease an improved version soon,” Google said in a statement.

In its statement, Google did not mention any specific image but examples of such images are widely available on social media. The Guardian reported about a post made by a former Google employee who said it's “hard to get Google Gemini to acknowledge that white people exist”.

“We’re working to improve these kinds of depictions immediately,” said Jack Krawczyk, senior director with Google's Gemini team.

“Gemini’s AI image generation does generate a wide range of people. And that’s generally a good thing because people around the world use it. But it’s missing the mark here.”

Watch | Google sued over Pixel 6 pro smartphones being too hot

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In his statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Krawczyk further said that Google's AI tools "reflect our global user base".

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/double-majors-have-better-chance-of-surviving-ai-disruption-study-692478">Double majors have better chance of surviving AI disruption: Study</a>

Coverage of bias in AI has shown numerous examples of a negative impact on people of colour. A Washington Post investigation last year showed multiple examples of image generators showing bias against people of colour, as well as sexism. It found that the image generator Stable Diffusion XL showed recipients of food stamps as being primarily non-white or darker-skinned despite 63% of the recipients of food stamps in the US being white. A request for an image of a person “at social services” produced similar results.

(With inputs from agencies)

Google has temporarily stopped letting users produce images of people using its artificial intelligence model Gemini after an issue raised by users on the ethnicity of people in the images.

Google has temporarily stopped letting users produce images of people using its artificial intelligence model Gemini after an issue raised by users on the ethnicity of people in the images. Many social media users have posted examples of images generated by Gemini that show Vikings, popes, and the founding fathers of the US in a variety of ethnicities and genders. This has sparked a debate on implicit bias or an implicit prompt for action against such a bias. “We’re already working to address recent issues with Gemini’s image generation feature. While we do this, we’re going to pause the image generation of people and will rerelease an improved version soon,” Google said in a statement. In its statement, Google did not mention any specific image but examples of such images are widely available on social media. The Guardian reported about a post made by a former Google employee who said it's “hard to get Google Gemini to acknowledge that white people exist”. “We’re working to improve these kinds of depictions immediately,” said Jack Krawczyk, senior director with Google's Gemini team. “Gemini’s AI image generation does generate a wide range of people. And that’s generally a good thing because people around the world use it. But it’s missing the mark here.” Watch | Google sued over Pixel 6 pro smartphones being too hot × In his statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Krawczyk further said that Google's AI tools "reflect our global user base". Also Read | Double majors have better chance of surviving AI disruption: Study Coverage of bias in AI has shown numerous examples of a negative impact on people of colour. A Washington Post investigation last year showed multiple examples of image generators showing bias against people of colour, as well as sexism. It found that the image generator Stable Diffusion XL showed recipients of food stamps as being primarily non-white or darker-skinned despite 63% of the recipients of food stamps in the US being white. A request for an image of a person “at social services” produced similar results. (With inputs from agencies)

Google halts AI image creation on Gemini after ethnicity debate

A recent viral post on X left netizens worried as it claimed that Gmail was “coming to a close”. An email screenshot from Google titled ‘Google is sunsetting Gmail’ was shared in the post that soon spread like wildfire on the internet, as people panicked that the popular email service might come to a complete end.&nbsp;

“We are reaching out to share an important update about Gmail,” the message, supposedly attributed to&nbsp;Google, read. “After years of connecting millions worldwide, enabling seamless communication, and fostering countless connections, the journey of Gmail is coming to a close. As of August 1, 2024, Gmail will officially be sunsetted, marking the end of its service.”

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/nvidias-remarkable-surge-adds-277-billion-in-market-value-spurring-record-stock-rally-693009">Nvidia's remarkable surge adds $277 billion in market value, spurring record stock rally</a>

The message continued: “This means that as of this date, Gmail will no longer support sending, receiving, or storing emails. The decision to sunset Gmail has been made with careful consideration of the evolving digital landscape and our commitment to providing high-quality, innovative solutions that meet the needs of our users. “

<h2>Netizens panicked</h2>

The post created a lot of noise in the Gmail community and its loyal users as it was viewed more than 4 million times by Thursday evening. But to some, the screenshot looked like a completely fake document or a hoax.&nbsp;

One user looked confused as he wrote, “really confused if this is real or not,” on X.&nbsp;

Another user wrote, “Hope they shut it down, no security or privacy.”

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/reddits-ipo-filing-reveals-narrowed-losses-steady-growth-amid-high-anticipation-693058">Reddit's IPO filing reveals narrowed losses, steady growth amid high anticipation</a>

Another said rather jokingly, “The real reason Google is sunsetting Gmail is because AGI has been achieved internally and we all don't need to work email jobs anymore.”

Gizmodo pointed out that the post appears to be a photoshopped Google email from 2023 when the tech giant announced its plans to put an end to Gmail Basic HTML view.&nbsp;

<h2>‘Gmail is here to stay’</h2>

Google swiftly responded to the hoax, posting on its official Gmail X account that, “Gmail is here to stay”. &nbsp;So relax, Gmail is not going anywhere anytime soon.&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/toyota-issues-recall-for-280000-vehicles-over-transmission-flaw-report-693060">Toyota issues recall for 280,000 vehicles over transmission flaw: Report</a>

It only changed its default Gmail view which used to be ‘basic HTML’ to a new and more colourful view. This change was made in January 2024.&nbsp;

“The Gmail Basic HTML views are previous versions of Gmail that were replaced by their modern successors 10+ years ago and do not include full Gmail feature functionality,” the previous email read.

(With inputs from agencies)

A recent viral post on X left netizens worried as it claimed that Gmail was “coming to a close”. An email screenshot from Google titled ‘Google is sunsetting Gmail’ was shared in the post that soon spread like wildfire on the internet, as people panicked that the popular email service might come to a complete end.

A recent viral post on X left netizens worried as it claimed that Gmail was “coming to a close”. An email screenshot from Google titled ‘Google is sunsetting Gmail’ was shared in the post that soon spread like wildfire on the internet, as people panicked that the popular email service might come to a complete end. “We are reaching out to share an important update about Gmail,” the message, supposedly attributed to Google, read. “After years of connecting millions worldwide, enabling seamless communication, and fostering countless connections, the journey of Gmail is coming to a close. As of August 1, 2024, Gmail will officially be sunsetted, marking the end of its service.” Also Read | Nvidia's remarkable surge adds $277 billion in market value, spurring record stock rally The message continued: “This means that as of this date, Gmail will no longer support sending, receiving, or storing emails. The decision to sunset Gmail has been made with careful consideration of the evolving digital landscape and our commitment to providing high-quality, innovative solutions that meet the needs of our users. “ Netizens panicked The post created a lot of noise in the Gmail community and its loyal users as it was viewed more than 4 million times by Thursday evening. But to some, the screenshot looked like a completely fake document or a hoax. One user looked confused as he wrote, “really confused if this is real or not,” on X. Another user wrote, “Hope they shut it down, no security or privacy.” Also Read | Reddit's IPO filing reveals narrowed losses, steady growth amid high anticipation Another said rather jokingly, “The real reason Google is sunsetting Gmail is because AGI has been achieved internally and we all don't need to work email jobs anymore.” Gizmodo pointed out that the post appears to be a photoshopped Google email from 2023 when the tech giant announced its plans to put an end to Gmail Basic HTML view. ‘Gmail is here to stay’ Google swiftly responded to the hoax, posting on its official Gmail X account that, “Gmail is here to stay”. So relax, Gmail is not going anywhere anytime soon. Also Read | Toyota issues recall for 280,000 vehicles over transmission flaw: Report It only changed its default Gmail view which used to be ‘basic HTML’ to a new and more colourful view. This change was made in January 2024. “The Gmail Basic HTML views are previous versions of Gmail that were replaced by their modern successors 10+ years ago and do not include full Gmail feature functionality,” the previous email read. (With inputs from agencies)

Is Gmail shutting down? Google clarifies after hoax claims it is 'coming to a close'

Google is preparing to launch an anti-misinformation campaign across five countries in the European Union (EU), the company told Reuters ahead of the bloc's parliamentary elections and tougher new rules tackling online content.

In June, EU citizens will elect a new European Parliament to pass policies and laws in the region and lawmakers fear the spread of misinformation online could sway voters.

France, Poland and Germany accused Russia on Monday of putting together an elaborate network of websites to spread pro-Russian propaganda.

Europe's Digital Services Act, which comes into force this week, will require very large online platforms and search engines to do more to tackle illegal content and risks to public security.

From this spring, Google's internal Jigsaw unit which operates to tackle threats to societies, will run a series of animated ads across platforms such as TikTok and YouTube in five EU countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland.

Building on previous campaigns the company has tested in Germany and central Europe, Jigsaw said the new project was an opportunity to reach citizens in countries with some of the largest number of voters in the EU, utilising the company's local expertise in these regions.

The ads will feature so-called "prebunking" techniques, developed in partnership with researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Bristol, aimed at helping viewers identify manipulative content before encountering it.

Viewers watching the ads on YouTube will be asked to fill in a short multiple-choice questionnaire, designed to gauge what they have learned about misinformation.

"We've spent so much time having these really polarised debates. Our democracy is at stake, and the temperature just keeps getting higher and higher," said Beth Goldberg, head of research at Jigsaw.

"Prebunking is the only technique, at least that I've seen, that works equally effectively across the political spectrum," Goldberg said.

Other measures to control misinformation like fact checking can add to polarisation because they come after the information has already spread, she added.

Last month, an investigation conducted by the EEAS (European Union External Action Service) uncovered 750 incidents of misleading information being deliberately spread by foreign actors, many voicing support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Jigsaw's ads will be translated into all 24 official EU languages, the company said.

The campaign will run for at least one month, with a view to extend it based on reach and performance. Results from the campaign, including survey responses and the number of people reached, are expected to be published in summer 2024.

Google is preparing to launch an anti-misinformation campaign across five countries in the European Union (EU), the company told Reuters ahead of the bloc's parliamentary elections and tougher new rules tackling online content.

Google is preparing to launch an anti-misinformation campaign across five countries in the European Union (EU), the company told Reuters ahead of the bloc's parliamentary elections and tougher new rules tackling online content. In June, EU citizens will elect a new European Parliament to pass policies and laws in the region and lawmakers fear the spread of misinformation online could sway voters. France, Poland and Germany accused Russia on Monday of putting together an elaborate network of websites to spread pro-Russian propaganda. Europe's Digital Services Act, which comes into force this week, will require very large online platforms and search engines to do more to tackle illegal content and risks to public security. From this spring, Google's internal Jigsaw unit which operates to tackle threats to societies, will run a series of animated ads across platforms such as TikTok and YouTube in five EU countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland. Building on previous campaigns the company has tested in Germany and central Europe, Jigsaw said the new project was an opportunity to reach citizens in countries with some of the largest number of voters in the EU, utilising the company's local expertise in these regions. The ads will feature so-called "prebunking" techniques, developed in partnership with researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Bristol, aimed at helping viewers identify manipulative content before encountering it. Viewers watching the ads on YouTube will be asked to fill in a short multiple-choice questionnaire, designed to gauge what they have learned about misinformation. "We've spent so much time having these really polarised debates. Our democracy is at stake, and the temperature just keeps getting higher and higher," said Beth Goldberg, head of research at Jigsaw. "Prebunking is the only technique, at least that I've seen, that works equally effectively across the political spectrum," Goldberg said. Other measures to control misinformation like fact checking can add to polarisation because they come after the information has already spread, she added. Last month, an investigation conducted by the EEAS (European Union External Action Service) uncovered 750 incidents of misleading information being deliberately spread by foreign actors, many voicing support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Jigsaw's ads will be translated into all 24 official EU languages, the company said. The campaign will run for at least one month, with a view to extend it based on reach and performance. Results from the campaign, including survey responses and the number of people reached, are expected to be published in summer 2024.

Google to launch anti-misinformation campaign ahead of EU elections

Big Tech companies like Apple and Google constantly draw criticism from various quarters for their collective monopoly of the digital world. The long list of critics now&nbsp;has&nbsp;a new&nbsp;addition.&nbsp;Anupam&nbsp;Mittal, one of the judges from the popular show Shark Tank India has compared the tech giants to the East India Company, the yesteryear global business behemoth which had lion's share in establishing the colonial British Empire in India and elsewhere in the world. In 19th century, shares of East Indian Company was almost like an infallible global currency, the status US Dollar enjoys today. But due to the company's&nbsp;part in colonialism, the name East India Company has extremely negative connotations.

In an interview to Business Insider India, Mittal also called for penalties on the Big Tech 'bullies'.&nbsp;

"It is the new East India Company and they operate with complete arrogance and impunity...," he said.

He made his case giving examples

"Startups spend anywhere between 10-50% of revenue on advertising on these platforms [like app stores] already. Essentially, the app store is worth nothing if you don’t have content....What choice does a company have but to adhere to their unfair practices… Now they say that any transaction that happens on apps downloaded via the store will be subject to 15-30% tax/commissions. What this means is that they want 50% of the revenues of the startups....," he said.

Watch | Google announces $27 mn funding to boost AI training for people in Europe

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He opined that getting the big tech companies to comply remains a challenge for governments across the world including India. Mittal said that in India, government and regulator have the right intent but a procedural solution needs to be found to get these companies to follow law of the land.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/spanish-artist-alicia-framis-all-set-to-marry-ai-created-hologram-first-such-hybrid-couple-in-human-history-689904">Spanish artist Alicia Framis all set to marry AI-created hologram; first such hybrid couple in human history</a>

"There should be penal provisions for anybody who abuses the law or twists and turns it while violating the very spirit of it. Non-compliance with judicial orders is contempt of court and so there is an opportunity to send a very strong message. These bullies need one arm chopped off in the form of penalties, a rap on the knuckles will not work as they are too big to care about a couple of hundred million in penalties," he told Business Insider.

(With inputs from agencies)

Big Tech companies like Apple and Google constantly draw criticism from various quarters for their collective monopoly of the digital world. The long list of critics now has a new addition.

Big Tech companies like Apple and Google constantly draw criticism from various quarters for their collective monopoly of the digital world. The long list of critics now has a new addition. Anupam Mittal, one of the judges from the popular show Shark Tank India has compared the tech giants to the East India Company, the yesteryear global business behemoth which had lion's share in establishing the colonial British Empire in India and elsewhere in the world. In 19th century, shares of East Indian Company was almost like an infallible global currency, the status US Dollar enjoys today. But due to the company's part in colonialism, the name East India Company has extremely negative connotations. In an interview to Business Insider India, Mittal also called for penalties on the Big Tech 'bullies'. "It is the new East India Company and they operate with complete arrogance and impunity...," he said. He made his case giving examples "Startups spend anywhere between 10-50% of revenue on advertising on these platforms [like app stores] already. Essentially, the app store is worth nothing if you don’t have content....What choice does a company have but to adhere to their unfair practices… Now they say that any transaction that happens on apps downloaded via the store will be subject to 15-30% tax/commissions. What this means is that they want 50% of the revenues of the startups....," he said. Watch | Google announces $27 mn funding to boost AI training for people in Europe × He opined that getting the big tech companies to comply remains a challenge for governments across the world including India. Mittal said that in India, government and regulator have the right intent but a procedural solution needs to be found to get these companies to follow law of the land. Also Read | Spanish artist Alicia Framis all set to marry AI-created hologram; first such hybrid couple in human history "There should be penal provisions for anybody who abuses the law or twists and turns it while violating the very spirit of it. Non-compliance with judicial orders is contempt of court and so there is an opportunity to send a very strong message. These bullies need one arm chopped off in the form of penalties, a rap on the knuckles will not work as they are too big to care about a couple of hundred million in penalties," he told Business Insider. (With inputs from agencies)

Penalties for Big Tech 'bullies': Shark Tank judge compares Apple, Google to East India Company

In a bid to foster AI literacy and skills development in Europe, Google has announced a pledge of 25 million euros ($26.98 million).<o:p></o:p>

This is based on a Reuters report.<o:p></o:p>

This initiative aims to empower individuals across the continent to harness the potential of artificial intelligence for personal and professional growth. <o:p></o:p>

The tech giant unveiled its funding commitment on Monday, inviting applications from social enterprises and nonprofits dedicated to delivering targeted training to underserved communities.<o:p></o:p>

Adrian Brown, executive director of the Centre for Public Impact, emphasised the significance of this program in addressing potential inequalities arising from AI advancements. <o:p></o:p>

"Research shows that the benefits of AI could exacerbate existing inequalities — especially in terms of economic security and employment," Reuters quoted Brown as saying. <o:p></o:p>

He further highlighted the program's goal of ensuring equitable access to AI education and opportunities, thereby preventing anyone from being left behind.<o:p></o:p>

Google's initiative extends beyond financial support, as the company plans to establish "growth academies" to assist businesses in leveraging AI to scale their operations. <o:p></o:p>

Additionally, Google has expanded its collection of free online AI training courses, now available in 18 languages. <o:p></o:p>

Last month, Google unveiled plans to invest $1 billion in constructing a data centre just outside London, in response to the growing demand for internet services in the region. <o:p></o:p>

The data centre, situated on a 33-acre site acquired by Google in 2020, will be located in Waltham Cross, approximately 15 miles north of central London. <o:p></o:p>

The announcement of Google's investment in AI education and infrastructure comes amid increasing recognition of the transformative potential of artificial intelligence across various sectors. <o:p></o:p>

&nbsp;(With inputs from Reuters)<o:p></o:p>

In a bid to foster AI literacy and skills development in Europe, Google has announced a pledge of 25 million euros ($26.98 million). This is based on a Reuters report.

In a bid to foster AI literacy and skills development in Europe, Google has announced a pledge of 25 million euros ($26.98 million). This is based on a Reuters report. This initiative aims to empower individuals across the continent to harness the potential of artificial intelligence for personal and professional growth. The tech giant unveiled its funding commitment on Monday, inviting applications from social enterprises and nonprofits dedicated to delivering targeted training to underserved communities. Adrian Brown, executive director of the Centre for Public Impact, emphasised the significance of this program in addressing potential inequalities arising from AI advancements. "Research shows that the benefits of AI could exacerbate existing inequalities — especially in terms of economic security and employment," Reuters quoted Brown as saying. He further highlighted the program's goal of ensuring equitable access to AI education and opportunities, thereby preventing anyone from being left behind. Google's initiative extends beyond financial support, as the company plans to establish "growth academies" to assist businesses in leveraging AI to scale their operations. Additionally, Google has expanded its collection of free online AI training courses, now available in 18 languages. Last month, Google unveiled plans to invest $1 billion in constructing a data centre just outside London, in response to the growing demand for internet services in the region. The data centre, situated on a 33-acre site acquired by Google in 2020, will be located in Waltham Cross, approximately 15 miles north of central London. The announcement of Google's investment in AI education and infrastructure comes amid increasing recognition of the transformative potential of artificial intelligence across various sectors. (With inputs from Reuters)

Google commits 25 million euros to empower AI skills across Europe

Google has issued a warning for all Android and iPhone users as the tech trends move towards greater integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with smartphones. Artificial intelligence, after catching hold of popular perception after the 2022 release of the blockbuster generative AI tool ChatGPT, has moved beyond being just a thing with a 'wow factor' and tech giants have already taken steps to integrate AI tools and apps in existing ecosystems. Microsoft has already unrolled Copilot for existing Windows users.

Smartphone users by now are fairly adept at taking steps to guard their privacy and data in the digital world by keeping close tabs on which apps they download, which permissions they grant and so on.

Watch | Google's ChatBot bard will now be called Gemini

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But when it comes to generative AI, it is still seen that users are willing to experiment and there have been no limits to users' interaction with the tools. Even more than a year after ChatGPT's launch and slew of other AI tool releases, the novelty factor remains.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/google-to-shell-out-350-million-to-settle-data-privacy-lawsuit-687634">Google to shell out $350 million to settle data privacy lawsuit</a>

Google jumped on the AI bandwagon by launching Bard, its own AI tool. After initial hiccups, Bard took some strides to establish Google as one of the major players in the AI field. The company has renamed the AI tool from Bard to Gemini and has cautioned all smartphone users, no matter which OS they use, Android or iOS.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/google-unveils-gemini-ai-formerly-bard-chatbot-introducing-paid-subscription-service-688512">Google unveils Gemini AI, formerly Bard chatbot, introducing paid subscription service</a>

“Please don’t enter confidential information in your conversations or any data you wouldn’t want a reviewer to see or Google to use to improve our products, services, and machine-learning technologies,” Google&nbsp;warned on its 'Gemini App Privacy Hub' blog.

“Google collects your Gemini Apps conversations, related product usage information, info about your location, and your feedback,” the company says, adding that it uses the information to "improve, and develop Google products and services and machine learning technologies".

(With inputs from agencies)

Google has issued a warning for all Android and iPhone users as the tech trends move towards greater integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with smartphones.

Google has issued a warning for all Android and iPhone users as the tech trends move towards greater integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with smartphones. Artificial intelligence, after catching hold of popular perception after the 2022 release of the blockbuster generative AI tool ChatGPT, has moved beyond being just a thing with a 'wow factor' and tech giants have already taken steps to integrate AI tools and apps in existing ecosystems. Microsoft has already unrolled Copilot for existing Windows users. Smartphone users by now are fairly adept at taking steps to guard their privacy and data in the digital world by keeping close tabs on which apps they download, which permissions they grant and so on. Watch | Google's ChatBot bard will now be called Gemini × But when it comes to generative AI, it is still seen that users are willing to experiment and there have been no limits to users' interaction with the tools. Even more than a year after ChatGPT's launch and slew of other AI tool releases, the novelty factor remains. Also Read | Google to shell out $350 million to settle data privacy lawsuit Google jumped on the AI bandwagon by launching Bard, its own AI tool. After initial hiccups, Bard took some strides to establish Google as one of the major players in the AI field. The company has renamed the AI tool from Bard to Gemini and has cautioned all smartphone users, no matter which OS they use, Android or iOS. Also Read | Google unveils Gemini AI, formerly Bard chatbot, introducing paid subscription service “Please don’t enter confidential information in your conversations or any data you wouldn’t want a reviewer to see or Google to use to improve our products, services, and machine-learning technologies,” Google warned on its 'Gemini App Privacy Hub' blog. “Google collects your Gemini Apps conversations, related product usage information, info about your location, and your feedback,” the company says, adding that it uses the information to "improve, and develop Google products and services and machine learning technologies". (With inputs from agencies)

Google warns all Android and iPhone users of privacy threats. Details here

Google has agreed to shell out $350 million to settle a lawsuit brought by shareholders over a security flaw at its now-defunct Google+ social media platform. A preliminary settlement was filed on Monday (Feb 5th) in San Francisco federal court after more than a year of mediation, and it now awaits the nod from US District Judge Trina Thompson.

<h2>The lawsuit</h2>

The lawsuit, as per Reuters, alleges that around March 2018, Google got wind of a software glitch which had left the personal data of Google+ users exposed. The bug it alleges had persisted for three years. However, rather than promptly addressing the issue, Google allegedly kept it under wraps for months, all the while publicly stressing its commitment to data security.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/middle-east-crisis-32-israeli-hostages-in-hamas-custody-dead-claims-report-687612">Middle East crisis: 32 Israeli hostages in Hamas custody dead, claims report</a>

Shareholders contend that Google's reluctance to disclose the problem stemmed from fears of facing regulatory and public scrutiny akin to Facebook's post-Cambridge Analytica scandal fallout, where user data was harvested without consent for the 2016 US elections.

The complaint also underscored the fall of Alphabet's stock value, which, as per the report, wiped out billions of dollars off of its market value.

<h2>Google maintains innocence</h2>

Despite consenting to the settlement, Google continues to deny any wrongdoing, and contends that there is no evidence of data misuse.&nbsp;

Jose Castaneda, a Google spokesperson, said: "We regularly identify and fix software issues, disclose information about them, and take these issues seriously. This matter concerns a product that no longer exists, and we are pleased to have it resolved."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/the-best-is-yet-to-come-mark-zuckerberg-celebrates-20-years-of-facebook-687251">‘The best is yet to come’: Mark Zuckerberg celebrates 20 years of Facebook</a>

Earlier, Google had reached a $7.5 million settlement with Google+ users in 2020 related to the same issue.

The revelation of Monday's settlement follows Google's resolution of another lawsuit alleging the covert tracking of millions of users' internet activities. The terms of that settlement have yet to be disclosed.

(With inputs from agencies)

Google has agreed to shell out $350 million to settle a lawsuit brought by shareholders over a security flaw at its now-defunct Google+ social media platform. A preliminary settlement was filed on Monday (Feb 5th) in San Francisco federal court after more than a year of mediation, and it now awaits the nod from US District Judge Trina Thompson.

Google has agreed to shell out $350 million to settle a lawsuit brought by shareholders over a security flaw at its now-defunct Google+ social media platform. A preliminary settlement was filed on Monday (Feb 5th) in San Francisco federal court after more than a year of mediation, and it now awaits the nod from US District Judge Trina Thompson. The lawsuit The lawsuit, as per Reuters, alleges that around March 2018, Google got wind of a software glitch which had left the personal data of Google+ users exposed. The bug it alleges had persisted for three years. However, rather than promptly addressing the issue, Google allegedly kept it under wraps for months, all the while publicly stressing its commitment to data security. Also read | Middle East crisis: 32 Israeli hostages in Hamas custody dead, claims report Shareholders contend that Google's reluctance to disclose the problem stemmed from fears of facing regulatory and public scrutiny akin to Facebook's post-Cambridge Analytica scandal fallout, where user data was harvested without consent for the 2016 US elections. The complaint also underscored the fall of Alphabet's stock value, which, as per the report, wiped out billions of dollars off of its market value. Google maintains innocence Despite consenting to the settlement, Google continues to deny any wrongdoing, and contends that there is no evidence of data misuse. Jose Castaneda, a Google spokesperson, said: "We regularly identify and fix software issues, disclose information about them, and take these issues seriously. This matter concerns a product that no longer exists, and we are pleased to have it resolved." Also read | ‘The best is yet to come’: Mark Zuckerberg celebrates 20 years of Facebook Earlier, Google had reached a $7.5 million settlement with Google+ users in 2020 related to the same issue. The revelation of Monday's settlement follows Google's resolution of another lawsuit alleging the covert tracking of millions of users' internet activities. The terms of that settlement have yet to be disclosed. (With inputs from agencies)

Google to shell out $350 million to settle data privacy lawsuit

The European Union's financial watchdogs have turned a watchful eye towards Big Tech's foray into the region's financial services sector. In a joint effort, the EU's banking, insurance, and securities regulators meticulously examined the presence of major tech players, including Google's Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Alibaba, Tencent, Rakuten, Orange, Vodafone, Tesla, and Apple. <o:p></o:p>

This is based on a Reuters report.<o:p></o:p>

While acknowledging the increasing footprint of Big Tech subsidiaries as direct providers of financial services in Europe, the regulators emphasized that, at present, it doesn't pose an immediate threat to financial stability.<o:p></o:p>

The comprehensive stocktake revealed a growing but still relatively modest influence of Big Tech in areas such as payments, e-money, and even insurance services. The regulators expressed concerns over poor visibility into Big Tech activities, citing unreliable notifications of cross-border activities and challenges in monitoring their financial service offerings.<o:p></o:p>

Despite the identified issues, the watchdogs asserted that there is currently no urgent need for immediate regulatory changes regarding Big Tech's direct involvement in financial services provision.<o:p></o:p>

In a joint statement, the financial watchdogs acknowledged the potential risks associated with any future escalation in Big Tech's financial activities. While refraining from immediate regulatory changes, they pledged to continue reinforcing their monitoring efforts using a newly introduced monitoring "matrix." <o:p></o:p>

This matrix aims to enhance the oversight of Big Tech's relevance in the EU financial services sector, ensuring a proactive approach to potential challenges and risks that may emerge.<o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from Reuters)<o:p></o:p>

The European Union's financial watchdogs have turned a watchful eye towards Big Tech's foray into the region's financial services sector. In a joint effort, the EU's banking, insurance, and securities regulators meticulously examined the presence of major tech players, including Google's Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Alibaba, Tencent, Rakuten, Orange, Vodafone, Tesla, and Apple.

The European Union's financial watchdogs have turned a watchful eye towards Big Tech's foray into the region's financial services sector. In a joint effort, the EU's banking, insurance, and securities regulators meticulously examined the presence of major tech players, including Google's Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Alibaba, Tencent, Rakuten, Orange, Vodafone, Tesla, and Apple. This is based on a Reuters report. While acknowledging the increasing footprint of Big Tech subsidiaries as direct providers of financial services in Europe, the regulators emphasized that, at present, it doesn't pose an immediate threat to financial stability. The comprehensive stocktake revealed a growing but still relatively modest influence of Big Tech in areas such as payments, e-money, and even insurance services. The regulators expressed concerns over poor visibility into Big Tech activities, citing unreliable notifications of cross-border activities and challenges in monitoring their financial service offerings. Despite the identified issues, the watchdogs asserted that there is currently no urgent need for immediate regulatory changes regarding Big Tech's direct involvement in financial services provision. In a joint statement, the financial watchdogs acknowledged the potential risks associated with any future escalation in Big Tech's financial activities. While refraining from immediate regulatory changes, they pledged to continue reinforcing their monitoring efforts using a newly introduced monitoring "matrix." This matrix aims to enhance the oversight of Big Tech's relevance in the EU financial services sector, ensuring a proactive approach to potential challenges and risks that may emerge. (With inputs from Reuters)

EU financial watchdogs intensify scrutiny as big tech ventures into finance

AI-related companies witnessed a loss of $190 billion in market capitalisation late on Tuesday, triggered by disappointing quarterly reports from tech giants Microsoft and Alphabet. <o:p></o:p>

According to Reuters, the selloff highlighted the heightened expectations among investors following a recent AI-fuelled stock market surge, which had propelled these companies' shares to record highs, banking on the widespread integration of AI technology across various corporate sectors.<o:p></o:p>

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, bore the brunt of the market downturn as its shares plummeted by 5.6 per cent. The disappointing December-quarter ad revenue, falling short of expectations, was a major factor in this decline. <o:p></o:p>

Additionally, Alphabet announced a significant increase in spending on data centres to bolster its AI initiatives, shedding light on the intense competition it faces against AI rival Microsoft. <o:p></o:p>

Despite a slight beat in Google Cloud revenue growth, fuelled by AI interest, Microsoft's Azure outpaced its competitor. Investors reacted swiftly to these revelations, causing Alphabet's stock to take a hit.<o:p></o:p>

Reuters cited an analyst, who said, "The sell-off reflects the market's realisation that achieving success in the highly competitive AI landscape comes at a substantial cost." <o:p></o:p>

Microsoft, despite beating analyst estimates for quarterly revenue, experienced a 0.7 per cent drop in its stock after reaching an intra-day record high earlier in the day.<o:p></o:p>

Microsoft's optimism about AI had propelled its market value above $3 trillion this month, surpassing tech giant Apple. The company's success was attributed to the incorporation of new AI features that attracted customers to its cloud and Windows services. <o:p></o:p>

However, the dip in its stock after the quarterly report suggests that even the tech giant is not immune to the volatile nature of the AI market. Investors are now closely watching how these companies navigate the challenges and capitalise on the promises of AI.<o:p></o:p>

The plunge extended beyond Alphabet and Microsoft, affecting chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which witnessed a 6 per cent decline in its stock value. Despite projecting robust sales for its AI processors, the company's forecast for first-quarter revenue fell short of estimates. <o:p></o:p>

Similarly, Nvidia, whose shares had surged 27 per cent in January on the back of AI optimism, experienced a 2 per cent decline in extended trade. Super Micro Computer, a server maker benefiting from AI-related demand, also suffered, dropping over 3 per cent after reaching a record high on the back of blowout quarterly results the day before.<o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from Reuters)<o:p></o:p>

AI-related companies witnessed a loss of $190 billion in market capitalisation late on Tuesday, triggered by disappointing quarterly reports from tech giants Microsoft and Alphabet.

AI-related companies witnessed a loss of $190 billion in market capitalisation late on Tuesday, triggered by disappointing quarterly reports from tech giants Microsoft and Alphabet. According to Reuters, the selloff highlighted the heightened expectations among investors following a recent AI-fuelled stock market surge, which had propelled these companies' shares to record highs, banking on the widespread integration of AI technology across various corporate sectors. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, bore the brunt of the market downturn as its shares plummeted by 5.6 per cent. The disappointing December-quarter ad revenue, falling short of expectations, was a major factor in this decline. Additionally, Alphabet announced a significant increase in spending on data centres to bolster its AI initiatives, shedding light on the intense competition it faces against AI rival Microsoft. Despite a slight beat in Google Cloud revenue growth, fuelled by AI interest, Microsoft's Azure outpaced its competitor. Investors reacted swiftly to these revelations, causing Alphabet's stock to take a hit. Reuters cited an analyst, who said, "The sell-off reflects the market's realisation that achieving success in the highly competitive AI landscape comes at a substantial cost." Microsoft, despite beating analyst estimates for quarterly revenue, experienced a 0.7 per cent drop in its stock after reaching an intra-day record high earlier in the day. Microsoft's optimism about AI had propelled its market value above $3 trillion this month, surpassing tech giant Apple. The company's success was attributed to the incorporation of new AI features that attracted customers to its cloud and Windows services. However, the dip in its stock after the quarterly report suggests that even the tech giant is not immune to the volatile nature of the AI market. Investors are now closely watching how these companies navigate the challenges and capitalise on the promises of AI. The plunge extended beyond Alphabet and Microsoft, affecting chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which witnessed a 6 per cent decline in its stock value. Despite projecting robust sales for its AI processors, the company's forecast for first-quarter revenue fell short of estimates. Similarly, Nvidia, whose shares had surged 27 per cent in January on the back of AI optimism, experienced a 2 per cent decline in extended trade. Super Micro Computer, a server maker benefiting from AI-related demand, also suffered, dropping over 3 per cent after reaching a record high on the back of blowout quarterly results the day before. (With inputs from Reuters)

AI Market Plunge: Alphabet and Microsoft earnings jolt investors, wipe out $190 billion

The "Year of Efficiency" in Big Tech may be over, but signs indicate that the industry's major players, Google and Amazon, are set to continue job cuts in 2024 as they intensify their investments in generative artificial intelligence (AI). <o:p></o:p>

This is based on a Reuters report.<o:p></o:p>

Analysts and industry experts anticipate that this year's layoffs will be smaller and more targeted, with companies racing to advance in the AI sector likely to make strategic moves to offset substantial spending on the technology.<o:p></o:p>

Alphabet, Google's parent company, recently laid off around a thousand employees across various divisions, emphasising its commitment to invest in "biggest priorities."<o:p></o:p>

The cuts impacted divisions such as the voice assistant unit, Pixel, Fitbit, and even the advertising business. <o:p></o:p>

Amazon, too, laid off several hundred employees, focusing on its streaming and studio operations, including job cuts in its Twitch live-streaming platform and Audible audiobook unit. In total, over 7,500 tech employees have faced job cuts in January alone.<o:p></o:p>

While the total size of layoffs is expected to be smaller compared to the significant cuts seen last year, Google and Amazon are aggressively investing in AI initiatives. <o:p></o:p>

Google unveiled its long-awaited Gemini model last month, aiming to close the gap with Microsoft in the AI race. Amazon is developing a model codenamed "Olympus" to compete with OpenAI's GPT-4 model. <o:p></o:p>

The companies are adjusting their hiring priorities, offering substantial salaries for AI roles, reflecting the industry's shift towards prioritizing AI capabilities.<o:p></o:p>

The tech sector witnessed a substantial loss of 168,032 jobs in 2023, representing the highest number of layoffs across industries. 

T<o:p></o:p>ens of thousands of job cuts at tech giants, including Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, marked 2023 as the "Year of Efficiency," as stated by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.<o:p></o:p>

Despite the AI-driven dynamism, experts believe that the tech industry's hiring priorities are changing, with a focus on AI roles and a departure from the massive layoffs seen during the pandemic.<o:p></o:p>

With AI becoming a driving force, some tech firms are offering lucrative salaries for AI roles. <o:p></o:p>

Match's Hinge dating app sought a vice president of AI with a base salary of up to $398,000 a year, while Amazon offered a top salary of $340,300 for a senior manager of applied science and genAI. <o:p></o:p>

The increased spending on AI is raising investor expectations, although the returns for most companies may take longer to materialise, with only Microsoft and Nvidia emerging as significant winners in the current AI boom.<o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from Reuters)<o:p></o:p>

The "Year of Efficiency" in Big Tech may be over, but signs indicate that the industry's major players, Google and Amazon, are set to continue job cuts in 2024 as they intensify their investments in generative artificial intelligence (AI).

The "Year of Efficiency" in Big Tech may be over, but signs indicate that the industry's major players, Google and Amazon, are set to continue job cuts in 2024 as they intensify their investments in generative artificial intelligence (AI). This is based on a Reuters report. Analysts and industry experts anticipate that this year's layoffs will be smaller and more targeted, with companies racing to advance in the AI sector likely to make strategic moves to offset substantial spending on the technology. Alphabet, Google's parent company, recently laid off around a thousand employees across various divisions, emphasising its commitment to invest in "biggest priorities." The cuts impacted divisions such as the voice assistant unit, Pixel, Fitbit, and even the advertising business. Amazon, too, laid off several hundred employees, focusing on its streaming and studio operations, including job cuts in its Twitch live-streaming platform and Audible audiobook unit. In total, over 7,500 tech employees have faced job cuts in January alone. While the total size of layoffs is expected to be smaller compared to the significant cuts seen last year, Google and Amazon are aggressively investing in AI initiatives. Google unveiled its long-awaited Gemini model last month, aiming to close the gap with Microsoft in the AI race. Amazon is developing a model codenamed "Olympus" to compete with OpenAI's GPT-4 model. The companies are adjusting their hiring priorities, offering substantial salaries for AI roles, reflecting the industry's shift towards prioritizing AI capabilities. The tech sector witnessed a substantial loss of 168,032 jobs in 2023, representing the highest number of layoffs across industries. Tens of thousands of job cuts at tech giants, including Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, marked 2023 as the "Year of Efficiency," as stated by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Despite the AI-driven dynamism, experts believe that the tech industry's hiring priorities are changing, with a focus on AI roles and a departure from the massive layoffs seen during the pandemic. With AI becoming a driving force, some tech firms are offering lucrative salaries for AI roles. Match's Hinge dating app sought a vice president of AI with a base salary of up to $398,000 a year, while Amazon offered a top salary of $340,300 for a senior manager of applied science and genAI. The increased spending on AI is raising investor expectations, although the returns for most companies may take longer to materialise, with only Microsoft and Nvidia emerging as significant winners in the current AI boom. (With inputs from Reuters)

Tech titans maintain job cuts in 2024 amid AI investment surge

Google has decided to streamline its workforce, announcing layoffs across its Voice Assistant, hardware, and engineering teams on Wednesday, in a bid to optimise operations and prioritise key areas. <o:p></o:p>

According to Reuters, this latest round of job cuts comes on the heels of previous workforce reductions and the departure of Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman.<o:p></o:p>

Hundreds of employees in the Google Assistant unit, responsible for the voice-activated technology behind products like Google Home and smartphones, are facing the axe. <o:p></o:p>

Similarly, in the hardware team that manages Pixel phones, Nest smart home devices, and Fitbit wearables, a few hundred roles are being eliminated, primarily from the augmented reality (AR) division. <o:p></o:p>

The central engineering team is also experiencing job cuts, affecting an undisclosed number of positions.<o:p></o:p>

Google's acquisition of Fitbit in 2021 for $2.1 billion was followed by continued development of its own Pixel Watch, raising questions about potential redundancy within the wearables market.<o:p></o:p>

In a statement, the tech giant acknowledged ongoing organisational changes initiated in the latter half of 2023, aimed at boosting efficiency and aligning resources with top product priorities.<o:p></o:p>

"Some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organisational changes, which include some role eliminations globally," a Google spokesperson told Reuters. <o:p></o:p>

While the exact number of affected employees remains confidential, the extent of the cuts across Assistant, hardware, and engineering underscores a significant restructuring effort.<o:p></o:p>

This workforce reduction comes at a critical juncture for tech giants like Google and Microsoft, both heavily invested in the burgeoning field of generative artificial intelligence (AI) following the success of OpenAI's ChatGPT. <o:p></o:p>

Google itself announced plans last year to integrate generative AI capabilities into its Assistant, enabling it to tackle tasks like trip planning and email management with greater autonomy.<o:p></o:p>

The job cuts mark a continuation of Google's workforce adjustments. In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to let go of 12,000 employees, representing 6 per cent of its global workforce. As of September 2023, the company employed 182,381 individuals worldwide.<o:p></o:p>

Google has decided to streamline its workforce, announcing layoffs across its Voice Assistant, hardware, and engineering teams on Wednesday, in a bid to optimise operations and prioritise key areas.

Google has decided to streamline its workforce, announcing layoffs across its Voice Assistant, hardware, and engineering teams on Wednesday, in a bid to optimise operations and prioritise key areas. According to Reuters, this latest round of job cuts comes on the heels of previous workforce reductions and the departure of Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman. Hundreds of employees in the Google Assistant unit, responsible for the voice-activated technology behind products like Google Home and smartphones, are facing the axe. Similarly, in the hardware team that manages Pixel phones, Nest smart home devices, and Fitbit wearables, a few hundred roles are being eliminated, primarily from the augmented reality (AR) division. The central engineering team is also experiencing job cuts, affecting an undisclosed number of positions. Google's acquisition of Fitbit in 2021 for $2.1 billion was followed by continued development of its own Pixel Watch, raising questions about potential redundancy within the wearables market. In a statement, the tech giant acknowledged ongoing organisational changes initiated in the latter half of 2023, aimed at boosting efficiency and aligning resources with top product priorities. "Some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organisational changes, which include some role eliminations globally," a Google spokesperson told Reuters. While the exact number of affected employees remains confidential, the extent of the cuts across Assistant, hardware, and engineering underscores a significant restructuring effort. This workforce reduction comes at a critical juncture for tech giants like Google and Microsoft, both heavily invested in the burgeoning field of generative artificial intelligence (AI) following the success of OpenAI's ChatGPT. Google itself announced plans last year to integrate generative AI capabilities into its Assistant, enabling it to tackle tasks like trip planning and email management with greater autonomy. The job cuts mark a continuation of Google's workforce adjustments. In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to let go of 12,000 employees, representing 6 per cent of its global workforce. As of September 2023, the company employed 182,381 individuals worldwide.

Google axes jobs in assistant, hardware, and engineering teams

The visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lakshadweep has seen a record-breaking surge in online searches for Lakshadweep islands. The archipelago, famed for its pristine beauty, has seen an unprecedented spike in views on its Wikipedia page, soaring from an average of under 2,000 to a staggering 700,000 views in just four days – starting from January 5, 2024. &nbsp;

The increase in Wikipedia page views mirrors the amplified chatter on social media platforms, where captivating visuals and first-hand accounts shared by PM Modi’s recent visit&nbsp;have ignited a global fascination with this relatively unexplored destination.&nbsp;

As per statistics by Google Trends, under the “Tourist Destination” category, Lakshadweep saw a major spike in Google searches, particularly on January 8, 2024, with a 100 per cent increase alone on that day. &nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/heres-how-pm-modis-lakshadweep-visit-sparked-diplomatic-tensions-between-india-and-maldives-678432">Explained | Why was Maldives triggered by Indian PM Modi snorkelling in Lakshadweep?</a>

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For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list. 
 
During my stay, I also tried snorkelling - what an exhilarating experience it was! <a href="https://t.co/rikUTGlFN7">pic.twitter.com/rikUTGlFN7</a>
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Last week, PM Modi visited Agatti, Bangaram and Kavaratti in Lakshadweep for the launch of various projects. During the visit, the PM reflected on his snorkelling experience and termed his early morning walks on the beaches of Lakshadweep as “blissful”. The surge in online interest has triggered a surge in inquiries and bookings, signalling a palpable surge in interest among potential travellers. &nbsp;Worldwide search interest for Lakshadweep is at its highest in the last 20 years, that too by a huge margin according to Google data.

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In addition to the scenic beauty, Lakshadweep's tranquility is also mesmerising. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on how to work even harder for the welfare of 140 crore Indians. <a href="https://t.co/VeQi6gmjIM">pic.twitter.com/VeQi6gmjIM</a>
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Travel booking platform MakeMyTrip observed a 3,400 per cent increase in searches for Lakshadweep. This came as “#LakshadweepTourism” trended on X two days ago. Another platform, Yatra also claimed to have observed a 30X increase in queries of the pristine islands.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/maldives-govt-must-make-stronger-statement-to-repair-ties-with-india-says-maldives-oppo-leader-amid-row-678687">‘Maldives govt must make stronger statement to repair ties with India,’ says Maldives oppn leader</a>

This sudden surge in curiosity surrounding the Lakshadweep Islands coincides with a diplomatic row, resulting from derogatory comments by the Maldives government’s ministers. The ministers were later suspended, but this has created negative sentiment for the Maldives government which is led by President Mohamed Muizzu.&nbsp;

The visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lakshadweep has seen a record-breaking surge in online searches for Lakshadweep islands. The archipelago, famed for its pristine beauty, has seen an unprecedented spike in views on its Wikipedia page, soaring from an average of under 2,000 to a staggering 700,000 views in just four days – starting from January 5, 2024.

The visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lakshadweep has seen a record-breaking surge in online searches for Lakshadweep islands. The archipelago, famed for its pristine beauty, has seen an unprecedented spike in views on its Wikipedia page, soaring from an average of under 2,000 to a staggering 700,000 views in just four days – starting from January 5, 2024. The increase in Wikipedia page views mirrors the amplified chatter on social media platforms, where captivating visuals and first-hand accounts shared by PM Modi’s recent visit have ignited a global fascination with this relatively unexplored destination. As per statistics by Google Trends, under the “Tourist Destination” category, Lakshadweep saw a major spike in Google searches, particularly on January 8, 2024, with a 100 per cent increase alone on that day. ALSO READ | Explained | Why was Maldives triggered by Indian PM Modi snorkelling in Lakshadweep? For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list. During my stay, I also tried snorkelling - what an exhilarating experience it was! pic.twitter.com/rikUTGlFN7 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2024 × Last week, PM Modi visited Agatti, Bangaram and Kavaratti in Lakshadweep for the launch of various projects. During the visit, the PM reflected on his snorkelling experience and termed his early morning walks on the beaches of Lakshadweep as “blissful”. The surge in online interest has triggered a surge in inquiries and bookings, signalling a palpable surge in interest among potential travellers. Worldwide search interest for Lakshadweep is at its highest in the last 20 years, that too by a huge margin according to Google data. In addition to the scenic beauty, Lakshadweep's tranquility is also mesmerising. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on how to work even harder for the welfare of 140 crore Indians. pic.twitter.com/VeQi6gmjIM — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2024 × Travel booking platform MakeMyTrip observed a 3,400 per cent increase in searches for Lakshadweep. This came as “#LakshadweepTourism” trended on X two days ago. Another platform, Yatra also claimed to have observed a 30X increase in queries of the pristine islands. ALSO READ | ‘Maldives govt must make stronger statement to repair ties with India,’ says Maldives oppn leader This sudden surge in curiosity surrounding the Lakshadweep Islands coincides with a diplomatic row, resulting from derogatory comments by the Maldives government’s ministers. The ministers were later suspended, but this has created negative sentiment for the Maldives government which is led by President Mohamed Muizzu.

Wikipedia, Google searches for Lakshadweep hit an all-time high

Tech giant Google's parent company Alphabet has agreed to pay $700 million to settle an antitrust case with US states and consumers filed in federal court on Monday (Dec 18).

Tech giant Google's parent company Alphabet has agreed to pay $700 million to settle an antitrust case with US states and consumers filed in federal court on Monday (Dec 18). Of the $700mn, the company will pay $630mn to US consumers and the remaining amount to a fund used by the US states which will benefit 102 million consumers. The settlement was reached in September but the finer details were made public on Monday with the company adding that it will allow more competition in its Play app store. Notably, the complaint highlighted Google’s monopoly over app distribution on Android through the Play Store. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands had joined the settlement and will receive the compensation. “Each eligible consumer will receive at least $2 and will receive additional payments in proportion to their Google Play spending during the period between August 16, 2016 and September 30, 2023,” Google said in a statement. As part of the settlement, Google said it would simplify users' ability to download apps directly from developers. “This settlement builds on Android’s choice and flexibility, maintains strong security protections, and retains Google’s ability to compete with other OS makers, and invest in the Android ecosystem for users and developers,” the company added. Watch | Epic Games wins major court battle against Google × Google's Epic takedown Google agreeing to cough up the settlement money comes roughly a week after losing another antitrust trial against Fortnite maker Epic Games. After years of courtroom drama, the San Franciso jury found that Google struck some deals that stifled competition for its Play mobile app store while violating California and federal antitrust laws. Epic Games in its 2020 lawsuit alleged that Google struck deals with smartphone makers such as LG and Samsung to pin its app store on home screens, in return for a cut of Google’s profits. It also said that the tech giant abused its powers to charge excessive fees from app developers, citing Google’s massive operating profit of $12 billion in 2021 alone from Play Store. Also read | Epic Games' 'epic' win: Jury finds Google guilty of monopolistic practices in antitrust trial Epic CEO Tim Sweeney celebrated the ruling on the social media site X. In a statement on its website, Epic said that the verdict "proves that Google's app store practices are illegal, and they abuse their monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, stifle competition and reduce innovation." Wilson White, Google vice president of government affairs and public policy, however, said the company will challenge the verdict and defend the Android business model. Interestingly, the terms of the $700mn settlement with US states and consumers were kept confidential, despite being agreed in September due to the trial result of the Epic vs Google case. (With inputs from agencies)

Google to cough up $700mn as part of Play Store antitrust settlement, week after defeat against Epic Games

Google on Wednesday infused its Bard chatbot with a new-generation artificial intelligence model called Gemini, which it touts as being able to reason better than ChatGPT and other rivals.

Google on Wednesday infused its Bard chatbot with a new-generation artificial intelligence model called Gemini, which it touts as being able to reason better than ChatGPT and other rivals. The search engine juggernaut is aiming to take the generative AI lead from ChatGPT-maker OpenAI as that company deals with the aftermath of a boardroom coup that saw chief executive Sam Altman fired and then rehired within a matter of days. Google has for years discreetly developed AI powers but was caught off guard when OpenAI late last year released ChatGPT and teamed up with Microsoft to make its capabilities available to users worldwide. "This is incredible momentum, and yet, we're only beginning to scratch the surface of what's possible," Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said in a release. "This new era of models represents one of the biggest science and engineering efforts we've undertaken as a company." It is the first AI model to outperform human experts in certain benchmarks involving problem-solving, math, physics, history, law, medicine and ethics, Google DeepMind Vice President of Product Eli Collins said during a briefing. A demonstration showed Gemini recognising what it was shown, from a person acting out a "Matrix" movie scene to someone drawing a duck and then holding up a rubber duck. Gemini commented on what was shown, making comparisons, drawing conclusions, and offering suggestions. Performance of an "Ultra" version of Gemini "far exceeds" that of other state-of-the-art models in 30 benchmark tests measuring capabilities such as image understanding or mathematical reasoning, according to Collins. A "Pro" version of Gemini built into Bard is designed to handle a wide range of tasks. A "Nano" version is tailored for smartphones, coming first to Google's top-of-the-line Pixel 8 handset. Google raced out its own Bard chatbot earlier this year, continually updating the chatbot based on people's feedback, according to Bard vice president Sissie Hsiao. "All of that rapid innovation is bringing us to what we see as a truly transformative moment," Hsiao said during the briefing. "With Gemini, Bard is getting its biggest upgrade yet." Watch | Bard Gets Smarter: Google AI Chatbot gets new features × AI collaborator Bard will use Gemini for more advanced reasoning, planning, and understanding capabilities, a demonstration showed. It will be available in English in more than 170 countries and territories, with more languages added soon, according to Hsiao. Gemini-infused Bard will be expanded to be "multi-modal," meaning it will be able to work with auditory and visual input as well as text prompts, executives said. "With Gemini we are one step closer to our vision of bringing you the best AI collaborator in the world," Hsiao said. Gemini ramps up the quality of Bard's performance, whether in writing poetry or computer code to shopping queries or research projects, according to Hsiao. The "Ultra" version of Gemini designed to handle highly complex tasks will be released early next year, Google said. "I'm in awe of what it's capable of," Collins said of Gemini. "This is the start of a new era for us at Google as we continue to rapidly innovate and advance the model's capabilities." Also read | Google rolls out Bard AI chatbot. Here’s how it differs from ChatGPT Google in September integrated Gmail, YouTube and other tools into its Bard chatbot as tech giants seek to persuade users that generative AI is useful and not dangerous or just a fad. Those capabilities closely match offerings from Microsoft that infuse its Office 365 apps with AI powers, though those come at an extra cost to customers and are not available through the chatbot on its search engine Bing. The staying power of generative AI chatbots, once the initial excitement has faded, is yet to be confirmed. Moreover, the integration of the OpenAI-based chatbot into Microsoft's search engine earlier this year failed to make an impact on Google's overwhelming dominance of search. Governments and tech companies however insist that generative AI is technology's next big chapter and have ramped up spending on new products, research, and infrastructure.

Google launches Gemini, its most advanced AI model that powers Bard, intensifying competition with OpenAI

Starting Friday (Dec 1), Google will be deleting accounts that have not been operated by the users for a couple of years, according to a BBC report.&nbsp;

Under its inactive account policy, the tech giant will start the purge, albeit in a phased manner, with accounts that "were created and never used again" getting the bump first.&nbsp;

Google Vice President of Product Management Ruth Kricheli wrote a blog post in May in which the company stated that steps are being taken to reduce the risk of account deletions.

The company has cited security reasons as the cause of the drive, stating that forgotten and unused accounts are more likely to be compromised by hackers and other notorious actors.&nbsp;

Using a Google account allows a user to access a plethora of Google products such as Gmail and YouTube, using the same username and password.&nbsp;

It was in May, earlier this year that the company first hinted at clearing the aisle of unused accounts.&nbsp;Google Vice President of Product Management Ruth Kricheli in a blog post highlighted the steps being taken by the California-based company to improve security of the product.&nbsp; 
 
“Google is updating our inactivity policy for Google Accounts to 2 years across our products. Starting in December, if a Google account has not been used or signed into for at least 2 years, we may delete the account and its contents, including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar), and Google Photos,” read the post.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-suing-google-for-anti-trust-violations-us-state-allies-not-seeking-monetary-penalty-wion-635324">Watch |&nbsp;US suing Google for anti-trust violations; US &amp; state allies not seeking monetary penalty</a>

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<h2>Who stands at risk?</h2>

The policy is only applicable to personal Google accounts not accessed&nbsp;in the last two years. Accounts of organisations like schools or businesses will remain unaffected by this overhaul.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-forced-to-cough-74-million-annually-after-reaching-deal-with-canada-to-keep-news-in-search-results-664450">Also read |&nbsp;Google forced to cough up $74mn annually after reaching deal with Canada to keep news in search results</a>

<h2>How to avoid getting deleted?</h2>

According to experts, simply signing into an account or sending an email should be enough to keep it active. Google added that reading or sending an email using Google Drive or watching a YouTube video could also help avoid getting the boot.&nbsp;

However, Google suggests that once you have gained access to the account, a recovery email address should be added as it will help reset the password if the user forgets it.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Starting Friday (Dec 1), Google will be deleting accounts that have not been operated by the users for a couple of years, according to a BBC report. Under its inactive account policy, the tech giant will start the purge, albeit in a phased manner, with accounts that "were created and never used again" getting the bump first.

Starting Friday (Dec 1), Google will be deleting accounts that have not been operated by the users for a couple of years, according to a BBC report. Under its inactive account policy, the tech giant will start the purge, albeit in a phased manner, with accounts that "were created and never used again" getting the bump first. Google Vice President of Product Management Ruth Kricheli wrote a blog post in May in which the company stated that steps are being taken to reduce the risk of account deletions. The company has cited security reasons as the cause of the drive, stating that forgotten and unused accounts are more likely to be compromised by hackers and other notorious actors. Using a Google account allows a user to access a plethora of Google products such as Gmail and YouTube, using the same username and password. It was in May, earlier this year that the company first hinted at clearing the aisle of unused accounts. Google Vice President of Product Management Ruth Kricheli in a blog post highlighted the steps being taken by the California-based company to improve security of the product. “Google is updating our inactivity policy for Google Accounts to 2 years across our products. Starting in December, if a Google account has not been used or signed into for at least 2 years, we may delete the account and its contents, including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar), and Google Photos,” read the post. Watch | US suing Google for anti-trust violations; US & state allies not seeking monetary penalty Who stands at risk? The policy is only applicable to personal Google accounts not accessed in the last two years. Accounts of organisations like schools or businesses will remain unaffected by this overhaul. Also read | Google forced to cough up $74mn annually after reaching deal with Canada to keep news in search results How to avoid getting deleted? According to experts, simply signing into an account or sending an email should be enough to keep it active. Google added that reading or sending an email using Google Drive or watching a YouTube video could also help avoid getting the boot. However, Google suggests that once you have gained access to the account, a recovery email address should be added as it will help reset the password if the user forgets it. (With inputs from agencies)

Google to delete inactive accounts starting Friday. Know how to avoid it

Google has called on Britain’s antitrust regulator to take action against Microsoft, claiming its business practices had left rivals at a significant disadvantage, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Microsoft and Amazon have faced mounting scrutiny around the world over their dominance of the cloud computing industry, with regulators in Britain, the European Union, and the U.S. probing the leading providers’ market power.

The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) launched an investigation into Britain’s cloud computing industry in October, following a referral from media regulator Ofcom which highlighted Amazon and Microsoft’s dominance of the market.

In 2022, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft's Azure had a combined 70-80 per cent share of Britain's public cloud infrastructure services market, Ofcom said. Google’s cloud division was their closest competitor, at around 5-10 per cent.

In a letter submitted to the CMA, Google said Microsoft’s licensing practices, unfairly discouraged customers from using competitor services, even as a secondary provider alongside Azure.

“With Microsoft’s licensing restrictions in particular, UK customers are left with no economically reasonable alternative but to use Azure as their cloud services provider, even if they prefer the prices, quality, security, innovations, and features of rivals,” Google said in its letter to the CMA.

Such practices directly harmed customers, and were the only significant barrier to competition in Britain’s cloud computing market, the company said.

Microsoft last year updated its licensing rules to address such concerns and promote competition, though the changes did not satisfy rivals. Microsoft declined to comment for this story.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-suing-google-for-anti-trust-violations-us-state-allies-not-seeking-monetary-penalty-wion-635324">Watch |&nbsp;US suing Google for anti-trust violations; US &amp; state allies not seeking monetary penalty</a>

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Speaking to Reuters, Google Cloud Vice President Amit Zavery criticised Microsoft’s practices and said his company was committed to a multi-cloud approach, in which customers could easily move between providers depending on their needs.

"A lot of our software and cloud services interoperate and can run on AWS or on Azure as well, so you're not restricted," he said.

"If you don't fix this, eventually you will have fewer cloud providers, and then innovation will not really happen, and investments will start shrinking."

At issue was Microsoft's decision to update the terms for when customers wanted to use their Windows or other software licenses in the cloud, effectively resulting in higher costs if they used Google or AWS instead of Microsoft's Azure.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/us-concludes-main-arguments-against-google-in-antitrust-case-659493">Also read |&nbsp;US concludes main arguments against Google in antitrust case</a>

Asked why Amazon, which boasts a larger share of the cloud market than Microsoft, did not pose a similarly anticompetitive risk, Zavery said AWS consumers were not facing the same restrictions.

“There are some issues, in terms of cloud interoperability, but we can fix that. That's a discussion between providers, which is much understood, and customers are forcing that conversation,” he said.

“The problem we run into with Microsoft is that there's no technical issue, but you have licensing restrictions which means we are now being prevented from competing.”&nbsp;

Google made six recommendations to the CMA, including forcing Microsoft to improve interoperability for customers using Azure and alongside other cloud services, and banning it from withholding security updates from those that switch.

The CMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google has called on Britain’s antitrust regulator to take action against Microsoft, claiming its business practices had left rivals at a significant disadvantage, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Google has called on Britain’s antitrust regulator to take action against Microsoft, claiming its business practices had left rivals at a significant disadvantage, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Microsoft and Amazon have faced mounting scrutiny around the world over their dominance of the cloud computing industry, with regulators in Britain, the European Union, and the U.S. probing the leading providers’ market power. The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) launched an investigation into Britain’s cloud computing industry in October, following a referral from media regulator Ofcom which highlighted Amazon and Microsoft’s dominance of the market. In 2022, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft's Azure had a combined 70-80 per cent share of Britain's public cloud infrastructure services market, Ofcom said. Google’s cloud division was their closest competitor, at around 5-10 per cent. In a letter submitted to the CMA, Google said Microsoft’s licensing practices, unfairly discouraged customers from using competitor services, even as a secondary provider alongside Azure. “With Microsoft’s licensing restrictions in particular, UK customers are left with no economically reasonable alternative but to use Azure as their cloud services provider, even if they prefer the prices, quality, security, innovations, and features of rivals,” Google said in its letter to the CMA. Such practices directly harmed customers, and were the only significant barrier to competition in Britain’s cloud computing market, the company said. Microsoft last year updated its licensing rules to address such concerns and promote competition, though the changes did not satisfy rivals. Microsoft declined to comment for this story. Watch | US suing Google for anti-trust violations; US & state allies not seeking monetary penalty × Speaking to Reuters, Google Cloud Vice President Amit Zavery criticised Microsoft’s practices and said his company was committed to a multi-cloud approach, in which customers could easily move between providers depending on their needs. "A lot of our software and cloud services interoperate and can run on AWS or on Azure as well, so you're not restricted," he said. "If you don't fix this, eventually you will have fewer cloud providers, and then innovation will not really happen, and investments will start shrinking." At issue was Microsoft's decision to update the terms for when customers wanted to use their Windows or other software licenses in the cloud, effectively resulting in higher costs if they used Google or AWS instead of Microsoft's Azure. Also read | US concludes main arguments against Google in antitrust case Asked why Amazon, which boasts a larger share of the cloud market than Microsoft, did not pose a similarly anticompetitive risk, Zavery said AWS consumers were not facing the same restrictions. “There are some issues, in terms of cloud interoperability, but we can fix that. That's a discussion between providers, which is much understood, and customers are forcing that conversation,” he said. “The problem we run into with Microsoft is that there's no technical issue, but you have licensing restrictions which means we are now being prevented from competing.” Google made six recommendations to the CMA, including forcing Microsoft to improve interoperability for customers using Azure and alongside other cloud services, and banning it from withholding security updates from those that switch. The CMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google presses for antitrust action against rival Microsoft: Reuters

There will be a church for Artificial Intelligence, again. 
 
Former Google engineer and tech entrepreneur, Anthony Levandowski, in a recent episode of Bloomberg’s AI IRL podcast, said that he is relaunching his AI-dedicated

church. The controversial Silicon Valley figure and pioneer of self-driving cars first began the church eight years ago while working at Google.&nbsp;

<h2>‘Way of the Future’</h2>

Levandowski started his church “Way of the Future” (WOTF) in 2015 while working on Google’s self-driving project Waymo but it was shut down just a couple of years later.&nbsp;

He also told Bloomberg that the church already has a congregation consisting of “a couple thousand people,” who are trying to build a “spiritual connection” with AI.&nbsp;

Speaking about WOTF, the former Google engineer said, “Here we’re actually creating things that can see everything, be everywhere, know everything, and maybe help us and guide us in a way that normally you would call God.”&nbsp;

“For the last 4 billion years we’ve had organic lifeforms, now, for the first time things are changing and we’re going to have inorganic life forms,” Levandowski told Bloomberg.

ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;Anthony Levandowski reboots church of artificial intelligence

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“We don’t know what (these inorganic life forms) are going to be, (but) we’re going to fuse it with all these magical powers, and we want it to give us things,” he added. Levandowski also believes that AI can bring “heaven on Earth.”&nbsp;

During the interview, the former Google engineer spoke about his aim to help gain a better and deeper understanding of AI to allow more people to have a say in how the technology is used.&nbsp;

He went on to describe WOTF as a tool for rural America to help them “understand and participate and shape the public discourse as to how we think technology should be built to improve you.”

The so-called church sought to champion an ethical evolution of AI but since its conception has sparked interest and controversy – like Levandowski himself.&nbsp;

<h2>Silicon Valley's controversial figure</h2>

The AI church reportedly went public around the same time when the former Google engineer was embroiled in a legal dispute with the tech giant. Notably, WOTF had been formed while Levandowski was still at Google but he did not speak about it publicly until late 2017.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/future-of-religion-hundreds-attend-church-service-conducted-by-chatgpt-603362">Future of religion? Hundreds attend Church service conducted by ChatGPT</a>

Levandowski was said to be the central figure of a trade secrets lawsuit between Waymo and Uber for allegedly stealing secrets related to the self-driving tech at Google and giving it to his next employer, the ride-hailing company.&nbsp;

In 2020, he pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets from Google which resulted in an 18-month prison sentence. However, less than six months later, he was pardoned by former United States President Donald Trump on the last day of his presidency.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

There will be a church for Artificial Intelligence, again. Former Google engineer and tech entrepreneur, Anthony Levandowski, in a recent episode of Bloomberg’s AI IRL podcast, said that he is relaunching his AI-dedicated church.

There will be a church for Artificial Intelligence, again. Former Google engineer and tech entrepreneur, Anthony Levandowski, in a recent episode of Bloomberg’s AI IRL podcast, said that he is relaunching his AI-dedicated church. The controversial Silicon Valley figure and pioneer of self-driving cars first began the church eight years ago while working at Google. ‘Way of the Future’ Levandowski started his church “Way of the Future” (WOTF) in 2015 while working on Google’s self-driving project Waymo but it was shut down just a couple of years later. He also told Bloomberg that the church already has a congregation consisting of “a couple thousand people,” who are trying to build a “spiritual connection” with AI. Speaking about WOTF, the former Google engineer said, “Here we’re actually creating things that can see everything, be everywhere, know everything, and maybe help us and guide us in a way that normally you would call God.” “For the last 4 billion years we’ve had organic lifeforms, now, for the first time things are changing and we’re going to have inorganic life forms,” Levandowski told Bloomberg. ALSO WATCH | Anthony Levandowski reboots church of artificial intelligence “We don’t know what (these inorganic life forms) are going to be, (but) we’re going to fuse it with all these magical powers, and we want it to give us things,” he added. Levandowski also believes that AI can bring “heaven on Earth.” During the interview, the former Google engineer spoke about his aim to help gain a better and deeper understanding of AI to allow more people to have a say in how the technology is used. He went on to describe WOTF as a tool for rural America to help them “understand and participate and shape the public discourse as to how we think technology should be built to improve you.” The so-called church sought to champion an ethical evolution of AI but since its conception has sparked interest and controversy – like Levandowski himself. Silicon Valley's controversial figure The AI church reportedly went public around the same time when the former Google engineer was embroiled in a legal dispute with the tech giant. Notably, WOTF had been formed while Levandowski was still at Google but he did not speak about it publicly until late 2017. ALSO READ | Future of religion? Hundreds attend Church service conducted by ChatGPT Levandowski was said to be the central figure of a trade secrets lawsuit between Waymo and Uber for allegedly stealing secrets related to the self-driving tech at Google and giving it to his next employer, the ride-hailing company. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets from Google which resulted in an 18-month prison sentence. However, less than six months later, he was pardoned by former United States President Donald Trump on the last day of his presidency. (With inputs from agencies)

‘Way of the Future’: Former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski relaunches AI church

The US government on Thursday (November 16) concluded the main arguments in the antitrust case against Alphabet-owned Google. This has concluded the evidentiary phase of the case in which Google finds itself accused of breaking antitrust law in order to lead the market.

The US Justice Department has tried to prove that the tech giant is a monopolist company that has illegally abused its power.

Reuters reported that Judge Amit Mehta from the US District Court for the District of Columbia said that he was undecided about his ultimate decision. He set the date for the closing arguments for early May.

The case against Google was filed by the Trump administration. It is the first against such cases against tech giants that aim to rein these companies. A case against Meta was also filed during former US president Donald Trump's tenure.&nbsp;

Antitrust enforcers under the Biden administration have filed a case against Amazon and also a second case against Google.

MIT economics professor Michael Whinston, a government witness said during the hearing that he did not agree with Google when it said that it had to overcome competition from Microsoft in order for its own operating system (OS) to be exclusively pre-installed on smartphones. He said that payments totaling to USD 26.3 billion made by Google to Apple and others were monopoly profits paid to distributors.

"Google made a lot of profit on these contracts," he said as quoted by Reuters.

According to the figures it reported, Alphabet got a net profit of USD 19.69 billion in July to September quarter. This was up from a profit of USD 13.91 billion it reported last for the same quarter.

Whinston said that Google has 90 per cent of the market share in US and has little incentive to improve quality.

"When there's not a competitive threat, they're not making that investment. And quality is lower," Whinston said under questioning from Adam Severt of the Justice Department.

John Schmidtlein, lawyer representing Google, argued that payments made by Google were legal-revenue sharing deals which were a result of competition. These payments, he said were focused on keeping users' data secure.

(With inputs from agencies)

The US government on Thursday (November 16) concluded the main arguments in the antitrust case against Alphabet-owned Google. This has concluded the evidentiary phase of the case in which Google finds itself accused of breaking antitrust law in order to lead the market.

The US government on Thursday (November 16) concluded the main arguments in the antitrust case against Alphabet-owned Google. This has concluded the evidentiary phase of the case in which Google finds itself accused of breaking antitrust law in order to lead the market. The US Justice Department has tried to prove that the tech giant is a monopolist company that has illegally abused its power. Reuters reported that Judge Amit Mehta from the US District Court for the District of Columbia said that he was undecided about his ultimate decision. He set the date for the closing arguments for early May. The case against Google was filed by the Trump administration. It is the first against such cases against tech giants that aim to rein these companies. A case against Meta was also filed during former US president Donald Trump's tenure. Antitrust enforcers under the Biden administration have filed a case against Amazon and also a second case against Google. MIT economics professor Michael Whinston, a government witness said during the hearing that he did not agree with Google when it said that it had to overcome competition from Microsoft in order for its own operating system (OS) to be exclusively pre-installed on smartphones. He said that payments totaling to USD 26.3 billion made by Google to Apple and others were monopoly profits paid to distributors. "Google made a lot of profit on these contracts," he said as quoted by Reuters. According to the figures it reported, Alphabet got a net profit of USD 19.69 billion in July to September quarter. This was up from a profit of USD 13.91 billion it reported last for the same quarter. Whinston said that Google has 90 per cent of the market share in US and has little incentive to improve quality. "When there's not a competitive threat, they're not making that investment. And quality is lower," Whinston said under questioning from Adam Severt of the Justice Department. John Schmidtlein, lawyer representing Google, argued that payments made by Google were legal-revenue sharing deals which were a result of competition. These payments, he said were focused on keeping users' data secure. (With inputs from agencies)

US concludes main arguments against Google in antitrust case

The US Justice Department's antitrust trial has revealed that Alphabet's Google pays Apple about 36 per cent of the revenue generated from search advertising through the Safari browser. &nbsp;

According to a Bloomberg report, the disclosure by Alphabet's main economics expert Kevin Murphy has brought attention to the closely guarded details of the longstanding partnership between Google and Apple. The disclosure prompted a visible reaction from Google's main litigator, John Schmidtlein, as both companies had initially objected to publicly revealing specifics about their agreement.

Google and Apple first partnered in 2002, when Google was set as the standard search engine in Apple's Safari browser. Over the years, this deal has become increasingly crucial for Google, especially as it designates the search engine for the iPhone, the most widely used smartphone in the United States. &nbsp;

The Justice Department is scrutinising this agreement as potential evidence that Google is unlawfully maintaining its dominance in both the search engine and search advertising markets.

While Google and Apple had sought to keep the details of their agreement confidential, the revelation of the 36 per cent revenue-sharing arrangement has raised questions about the dynamics of their partnership. &nbsp;

In a court filing last week, Google argued that disclosing additional information about the deal could "unreasonably undermine Google’s competitive standing in relation to both competitors and other counterparties." &nbsp;

This ongoing antitrust trial is shedding light on the intricacies of the tech industry's relationships and their potential impact on market competition.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)

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The US Justice Department's antitrust trial has revealed that Alphabet's Google pays Apple about 36 per cent of the revenue generated from search advertising through the Safari browser.

The US Justice Department's antitrust trial has revealed that Alphabet's Google pays Apple about 36 per cent of the revenue generated from search advertising through the Safari browser. According to a Bloomberg report, the disclosure by Alphabet's main economics expert Kevin Murphy has brought attention to the closely guarded details of the longstanding partnership between Google and Apple. The disclosure prompted a visible reaction from Google's main litigator, John Schmidtlein, as both companies had initially objected to publicly revealing specifics about their agreement. Google and Apple first partnered in 2002, when Google was set as the standard search engine in Apple's Safari browser. Over the years, this deal has become increasingly crucial for Google, especially as it designates the search engine for the iPhone, the most widely used smartphone in the United States. The Justice Department is scrutinising this agreement as potential evidence that Google is unlawfully maintaining its dominance in both the search engine and search advertising markets. While Google and Apple had sought to keep the details of their agreement confidential, the revelation of the 36 per cent revenue-sharing arrangement has raised questions about the dynamics of their partnership. In a court filing last week, Google argued that disclosing additional information about the deal could "unreasonably undermine Google’s competitive standing in relation to both competitors and other counterparties." This ongoing antitrust trial is shedding light on the intricacies of the tech industry's relationships and their potential impact on market competition. (With inputs from Bloomberg) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Google pays Apple 36pc of search advertising revenue, discloses antitrust trial

Google has agreed to an investment of upto USD 2 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic. The start-up is a rival of OpenAI, the maker of widely popular generative AI tool ChatGPT. The announcement about the latest investment has been made by a spokesperson for Anthropic, Reuters reported. Alphabet's Google is already invested in Anthropic. It has invested USD 500 million and now has agreed to add USD 1.5 billion more over time. The fresh announcement reflects Google's intention to take on Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Google has already released Bard, its own generative AI. However, it has not been able to match the massive popularity of ChatGPT.

Since the launch of ChatGPT, BigTech companies have scrambled to infuse AI into their applications.

Even Amazon declared last month that it would pump-in up to USD 4 billion in Anthropic. In a quarterly report Amazon filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission this week, the tech giant said that it had already invested USD 1.25 billion in Anthropic which can be converted to equity. Amazon's Bedrock AI service has drawn thousands of customers.

There was no immediate public statement from either Google or Amazon over the developments.&nbsp;

Since the success of ChatGPT, cloud companies are investing big bucks in order to establish ties with AI start-ups that have potential to reshape the industry.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/google-allegedly-paid-26-billion-to-be-default-search-engine-on-browsers-and-phones-in-2021-reports-652146">Google allegedly paid $26 billion to be default search engine on browsers and phones in 2021: Reports</a>

Anthropic was co-founded by former OpenAI executives and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei. The company has made efforts to get resources and rope-in deep-pocketed backers in order to compete with OpenAI.

&nbsp;"Generative AI is a massive catalyst that could re-ignite growth within the (AWS) franchise," said Global X analyst Tejas Dessai. "We see some major partnerships secured in this quarter, as key towards driving that growth in the coming quarters."

Dessai was quoted by Reuters. 
 
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Google has agreed to an investment of upto USD 2 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic. The start-up is a rival of OpenAI, the maker of widely popular generative AI tool ChatGPT.

Google has agreed to an investment of upto USD 2 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic. The start-up is a rival of OpenAI, the maker of widely popular generative AI tool ChatGPT. The announcement about the latest investment has been made by a spokesperson for Anthropic, Reuters reported. Alphabet's Google is already invested in Anthropic. It has invested USD 500 million and now has agreed to add USD 1.5 billion more over time. The fresh announcement reflects Google's intention to take on Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Google has already released Bard, its own generative AI. However, it has not been able to match the massive popularity of ChatGPT. Since the launch of ChatGPT, BigTech companies have scrambled to infuse AI into their applications. Even Amazon declared last month that it would pump-in up to USD 4 billion in Anthropic. In a quarterly report Amazon filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission this week, the tech giant said that it had already invested USD 1.25 billion in Anthropic which can be converted to equity. Amazon's Bedrock AI service has drawn thousands of customers. There was no immediate public statement from either Google or Amazon over the developments. Since the success of ChatGPT, cloud companies are investing big bucks in order to establish ties with AI start-ups that have potential to reshape the industry. Also Read | Google allegedly paid $26 billion to be default search engine on browsers and phones in 2021: Reports Anthropic was co-founded by former OpenAI executives and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei. The company has made efforts to get resources and rope-in deep-pocketed backers in order to compete with OpenAI. "Generative AI is a massive catalyst that could re-ignite growth within the (AWS) franchise," said Global X analyst Tejas Dessai. "We see some major partnerships secured in this quarter, as key towards driving that growth in the coming quarters." Dessai was quoted by Reuters. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Google taking on ChatGPT? Search giant to invest $2 billion in OpenAI rival Anthropic

Alphabet’s Google paid $26.3 billion to be the default search engine on mobile phones and web browsers in 2021, according to American media reports. The figure was revealed on Friday (Oct 27) amid the ongoing once-in-a-generation antitrust fight over Google’s dominance of search and some parts of search advertising.

The amount of payments Google made for the default status has more than tripled since 2014, according to senior executive Prabhakar Raghavan, who testified during the United States justice department’s antitrust trial and is responsible for Google's both search and advertising, reported Bloomberg.&nbsp;

<h2>What do we know?</h2>

A report by CNBC citing a slide made public during the federal case provided an insight on how much Google pays its partners, including Apple in a bid to ensure that they are the default search engine on their products.&nbsp;

In 2021, Google made $146.4 billion just from search advertising, but the payments for the default setting were its biggest cost, Raghavan was mentioned as saying in the report by Bloomberg.&nbsp;

It is also speculated that a lion’s share of the $26.3 billion figure – which does not represent Google’s payments to just one company – was likely given to Apple.&nbsp;

CNBC citing a report by Bernstein, said it is estimated Google could pay Apple a whopping $19 billion this year to be the default search engine on Apple devices.&nbsp;

The tech giant has previously argued its revenue share agreements are legal and that it has invested to keep its search and advertising businesses competitive.&nbsp;

According to the report by Bloomberg, Judge Amit Mehta, who is presiding over the case also asked Google to disclose the numbers which the tech giant had previously objected to saying that it would affect their ability to negotiate contracts in the future.&nbsp;

Google has also argued that people can opt for a different search provider if they are dissatisfied with defaults and they do switch.&nbsp;

According to CNBC, the slide shown on Friday titled “Google Search+ Margins,” showed that the division’s 2021 revenue stood at over $146 billion while traffic acquisition costs were more than $26 billion.

The slide reportedly had numbers dating back to 2014 when the tech giant booked revenue of roughly $47 billion for the division and paid around $7.1 billion for the default status.&nbsp;

This indicates that not only did the revenue for Google Search+ tripled but also the portion of traffic acquisition costs increased nearly four times.&nbsp;

<h2>What is the case about?</h2>

The United States government has said that Google illegally paid an estimated $10 billion every year to smartphone makers like Apple and wireless carriers like AT&amp;T and others to be the default search engine on their devices in order to stay on top.&nbsp;

The court is also expected to hear from Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Monday (Oct 30).&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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Alphabet’s Google paid $26.3 billion to be the default search engine on mobile phones and web browsers in 2021, according to American media reports. The figure was revealed on Friday (Oct 27) amid the ongoing once-in-a-generation antitrust fight over Google’s dominance of search and some parts of search advertising.

Alphabet’s Google paid $26.3 billion to be the default search engine on mobile phones and web browsers in 2021, according to American media reports. The figure was revealed on Friday (Oct 27) amid the ongoing once-in-a-generation antitrust fight over Google’s dominance of search and some parts of search advertising. The amount of payments Google made for the default status has more than tripled since 2014, according to senior executive Prabhakar Raghavan, who testified during the United States justice department’s antitrust trial and is responsible for Google's both search and advertising, reported Bloomberg. What do we know? A report by CNBC citing a slide made public during the federal case provided an insight on how much Google pays its partners, including Apple in a bid to ensure that they are the default search engine on their products. In 2021, Google made $146.4 billion just from search advertising, but the payments for the default setting were its biggest cost, Raghavan was mentioned as saying in the report by Bloomberg. It is also speculated that a lion’s share of the $26.3 billion figure – which does not represent Google’s payments to just one company – was likely given to Apple. CNBC citing a report by Bernstein, said it is estimated Google could pay Apple a whopping $19 billion this year to be the default search engine on Apple devices. The tech giant has previously argued its revenue share agreements are legal and that it has invested to keep its search and advertising businesses competitive. According to the report by Bloomberg, Judge Amit Mehta, who is presiding over the case also asked Google to disclose the numbers which the tech giant had previously objected to saying that it would affect their ability to negotiate contracts in the future. Google has also argued that people can opt for a different search provider if they are dissatisfied with defaults and they do switch. According to CNBC, the slide shown on Friday titled “Google Search+ Margins,” showed that the division’s 2021 revenue stood at over $146 billion while traffic acquisition costs were more than $26 billion. The slide reportedly had numbers dating back to 2014 when the tech giant booked revenue of roughly $47 billion for the division and paid around $7.1 billion for the default status. This indicates that not only did the revenue for Google Search+ tripled but also the portion of traffic acquisition costs increased nearly four times. What is the case about? The United States government has said that Google illegally paid an estimated $10 billion every year to smartphone makers like Apple and wireless carriers like AT&T and others to be the default search engine on their devices in order to stay on top. The court is also expected to hear from Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Monday (Oct 30). (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Google allegedly paid $26 billion to be default search engine on browsers, phones in 2021: Reports

Australian regulators have fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X, rebranded from Twitter,&nbsp;$385,000 (A$610,500) as it failed to cooperate with a probe into anti-child abuse practices after not providing information about its efforts to combat child exploitation.&nbsp;

This comes days after the European Union said that it is investigating potential violations of its online content rules after X was accused of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/x-removes-hundreds-of-hamas-affiliated-accounts-rebuffs-disinformation-claims-on-israel-war-645932">failing to combat disinformation</a> related to Hamas’ attack on Israel.&nbsp;

<h2>Australian regulators about X&nbsp;</h2>

Earlier this year, multiple tech giants and social media companies, including X and Google, were sent legal notices by Australian regulators asking them to detail their measures for detecting and removing child sexual abuse material.

According to Australia’s eSafety commissioner, some companies responded to reports of abuse within minutes, while others took&nbsp;hours. “Companies can make empty statements like ‘Child exploitation is our top priority,’ so what we’re saying is show us,” Julie Inman Grant said during an interview.&nbsp;

Inman Grant, who was a public policy director for X until 2016, also said that the “only reason” that she saw for failing to answer important questions about illegal content and conduct happening on platforms would be to not have them.&nbsp;

After taking over the social media platform, Musk said in a post that “removing child exploitation is priority #1”.&nbsp;

However, when asked about how the social media platform prevented child grooming on the platform, X told Australian regulators that it was “not a service used by large numbers of young people.”&nbsp;

Australian regulators were also told by X&nbsp;that the available anti-grooming technology was “not of sufficient capability or accuracy to be deployed on Twitter”.&nbsp;

Speaking about the child sexual abuse materials, X said that its detection of such material on the platform had fallen to 75 per cent from 90 per cent in the three months after the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-promotes-unvetted-accounts-amid-spread-of-false-war-information-644316">Tesla CEO took over.</a>&nbsp;

The company also told the Australian regulators, that it did not use tools to detect the material in private messages because “the technology is still in development”.&nbsp;

<h2>Google’s case</h2>

Google also came under scrutiny&nbsp;in this context but was let off with a warning after the search engine giant’s responses to some questions were found to be “generic”, said the Inman Grant.&nbsp;

However, Google said that it cooperated with the regulator and found the warning disappointing.&nbsp;

“We remain committed to these efforts and collaborating constructively and in good faith with the e-Safety Commissioner, government and industry on the shared goal of keeping Australians safer online,” said Google’s director of government affairs and public policy for Australia, Lucinda Longcroft, as quoted by Reuters.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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Australian regulators have fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X, rebranded from Twitter, $385,000 (A$610,500) as it failed to cooperate with a probe into anti-child abuse practices after not providing information about its efforts to combat child exploitation.

Australian regulators have fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X, rebranded from Twitter, $385,000 (A$610,500) as it failed to cooperate with a probe into anti-child abuse practices after not providing information about its efforts to combat child exploitation. This comes days after the European Union said that it is investigating potential violations of its online content rules after X was accused of failing to combat disinformation related to Hamas’ attack on Israel. Australian regulators about X Earlier this year, multiple tech giants and social media companies, including X and Google, were sent legal notices by Australian regulators asking them to detail their measures for detecting and removing child sexual abuse material. According to Australia’s eSafety commissioner, some companies responded to reports of abuse within minutes, while others took hours. “Companies can make empty statements like ‘Child exploitation is our top priority,’ so what we’re saying is show us,” Julie Inman Grant said during an interview. Inman Grant, who was a public policy director for X until 2016, also said that the “only reason” that she saw for failing to answer important questions about illegal content and conduct happening on platforms would be to not have them. After taking over the social media platform, Musk said in a post that “removing child exploitation is priority #1”. However, when asked about how the social media platform prevented child grooming on the platform, X told Australian regulators that it was “not a service used by large numbers of young people.” Australian regulators were also told by X that the available anti-grooming technology was “not of sufficient capability or accuracy to be deployed on Twitter”. Speaking about the child sexual abuse materials, X said that its detection of such material on the platform had fallen to 75 per cent from 90 per cent in the three months after the Tesla CEO took over. The company also told the Australian regulators, that it did not use tools to detect the material in private messages because “the technology is still in development”. Google’s case Google also came under scrutiny in this context but was let off with a warning after the search engine giant’s responses to some questions were found to be “generic”, said the Inman Grant. However, Google said that it cooperated with the regulator and found the warning disappointing. “We remain committed to these efforts and collaborating constructively and in good faith with the e-Safety Commissioner, government and industry on the shared goal of keeping Australians safer online,” said Google’s director of government affairs and public policy for Australia, Lucinda Longcroft, as quoted by Reuters. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Australia fines Musk’s X $385,000 for failure to provide information on child abuse content

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