Tech giant Google unveiled its new line of smartphones called &#39;Pixel&#39; today after much speculation.&nbsp;

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The company took wraps off &nbsp;its Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, with artificial intelligence built in, as it takes aim at Apple&#39;s iPhone. &nbsp;

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The two phones will be the first to bear the Google&#39;s brand with the with the tagline &#39;Phone by Google&#39;, USA Today reported.&nbsp;

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In its official blog, Google said: &quot;Today, we announced for the first time a phone, made by Google inside and out, &nbsp;that brings people the best of Google through hardware and software made by Google &mdash; Pixel.&quot; &nbsp;The company also announced the launch on social media platforms&nbsp;

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And that&#39;s a wrap! Say hello to the whole <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/madebygoogle?src=hash">#madebygoogle</a> family. <a href="https://t.co/0e0g3PKz6k">https://t.co/0e0g3PKz6k</a> <a href="https://t.co/gV97oQ3KtX">pic.twitter.com/gV97oQ3KtX</a>
&mdash; Google (@google) <a href="https://twitter.com/google/status/783357288622886912">October 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&quot;We are building hardware with the Google Assistant at its core,&quot; Rick Osterloh, head of a new hardware division at the California-based internet giant, was quoted as saying by the international news agency, AFP.&nbsp;

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&quot;We believe that the next big innovation is going to take place at the intersection of hardware and software, with AI at the center.&quot;

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The new phone starts at a price of $649, and Google is working with exclusively with Verizon Communications in the United States, Google executives were quoted as saying by Reuters.&nbsp;

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Osterloh claimed the camera was the best available on a smartphone.&nbsp;Pixel has a 12.3MP camera, featuring an f/2.0 aperture and big 1.55 micron pixels to capture lots and lots of light.

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Pixel phones, that get a 7-hour charge in 15 minutes according to the company, will come in black, blue and silver and will have 5 and 5.5 inch (12.7 cm and 14 cm) screens, Reuters said.&nbsp;

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While the two phones are similar from a design and specification standpoint, according to USA today, &nbsp;the Pixel will offer a 5-inch display while the Pixel XL will have a 5.5-inch screen. &nbsp;

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Google has sold Nexus phones since 2010, but the devices have gained little traction in a market dominated by Samsung Electronics, Reuters observes.&nbsp;

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(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Pixel, a phone made by Google 'inside out', starts at a price of $649

Tech giant Google unveiled its new line of smartphones called 'Pixel' today after much speculation. The company took wraps off its Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, with artificial intelligence built in, as it takes aim at Apple's iPhone. The two phones will be the first to bear the Google's brand with the with the tagline 'Phone by Google', USA Today reported. In its official blog, Google said: "Today, we announced for the first time a phone, made by Google inside and out, that brings people the best of Google through hardware and software made by Google — Pixel." The company also announced the launch on social media platforms And that's a wrap! Say hello to the whole #madebygoogle family. https://t.co/0e0g3PKz6k pic.twitter.com/gV97oQ3KtX — Google (@google) October 4, 2016 × × "We are building hardware with the Google Assistant at its core," Rick Osterloh, head of a new hardware division at the California-based internet giant, was quoted as saying by the international news agency, AFP. "We believe that the next big innovation is going to take place at the intersection of hardware and software, with AI at the center." The new phone starts at a price of $649, and Google is working with exclusively with Verizon Communications in the United States, Google executives were quoted as saying by Reuters. Osterloh claimed the camera was the best available on a smartphone. Pixel has a 12.3MP camera, featuring an f/2.0 aperture and big 1.55 micron pixels to capture lots and lots of light. Pixel phones, that get a 7-hour charge in 15 minutes according to the company, will come in black, blue and silver and will have 5 and 5.5 inch (12.7 cm and 14 cm) screens, Reuters said. While the two phones are similar from a design and specification standpoint, according to USA today, the Pixel will offer a 5-inch display while the Pixel XL will have a 5.5-inch screen. Google has sold Nexus phones since 2010, but the devices have gained little traction in a market dominated by Samsung Electronics, Reuters observes. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Google unveils Pixel smartphone to rival Apple's iPhone

American multinational tech company, Google, has approached United &nbsp;Nation&#39;s (UN) aviation agency to ask for airspace access for its new initiative &#39;Project Loon&#39;, that aims to provide internet access in remote areas with balloons, AFP reported today.&nbsp;

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Project Loon balloons travel approximately 20 km above the Earth&#39;s surface in the stratosphere and use predictive models of the winds and decision-making algorithms to extend internet connectivity in rural and remote areas.&nbsp;

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The project that was launched in 2013, saw its first baloon take off from South America in February, reports AFP. However, it crashed at a tea plantation in Sri Lanka.&nbsp;

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Google&#39;s parent company, Alphabet, has partnered with Sri Lanka to improve the internet access in targetted areas. &nbsp;The company&#39;s X-Lab says it hopes to set up &nbsp;a network on helium baloons to emit powerful 4G signals.&nbsp;

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The project has &quot;significantly improved the balloon design, manufacture and launch procedure,&quot; X Lab told the UN`s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Wednesday, according to a document accessed by AFP.

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&quot;The balloons are now robust, remaining aloft well beyond the targeted 100 days, and are launched through a custom developed auto-launcher, allowing rapid multiple launches,&quot; X Lab told the organisation`s executive committee.

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Google&#39;s parent company has requested the assistance of ICAO member states as they met for its 39th triennial assembly. Alphabet appealed to the member states to &quot;establish bilateral or multilateral letters of agreement with adjacent states and Project Loon to allow Loon balloons to safely transit flight information region boundaries.&quot;

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&quot;Safety and coordination with the international civil aviation community is very important to Project Loon,&quot; a X Lab spokeswoman told AFP.

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(WION with inputs from AFP)&nbsp;

Google's Project Loon aims to improve internet access in remote areas worldwide with 'internet balloons' that would emit 4G signals

American multinational tech company, Google, has approached United Nation's (UN) aviation agency to ask for airspace access for its new initiative 'Project Loon', that aims to provide internet access in remote areas with balloons, AFP reported today. Project Loon balloons travel approximately 20 km above the Earth's surface in the stratosphere and use predictive models of the winds and decision-making algorithms to extend internet connectivity in rural and remote areas. The project that was launched in 2013, saw its first baloon take off from South America in February, reports AFP. However, it crashed at a tea plantation in Sri Lanka. Google's parent company, Alphabet, has partnered with Sri Lanka to improve the internet access in targetted areas. The company's X-Lab says it hopes to set up a network on helium baloons to emit powerful 4G signals. The project has "significantly improved the balloon design, manufacture and launch procedure," X Lab told the UN`s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Wednesday, according to a document accessed by AFP. "The balloons are now robust, remaining aloft well beyond the targeted 100 days, and are launched through a custom developed auto-launcher, allowing rapid multiple launches," X Lab told the organisation`s executive committee. Google's parent company has requested the assistance of ICAO member states as they met for its 39th triennial assembly. Alphabet appealed to the member states to "establish bilateral or multilateral letters of agreement with adjacent states and Project Loon to allow Loon balloons to safely transit flight information region boundaries." "Safety and coordination with the international civil aviation community is very important to Project Loon," a X Lab spokeswoman told AFP. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Internet balloons: Google approaches UN, asks for airspace access for Project Loon?

Video-sharing giant, YouTube, &nbsp;has hired legendary music executive &nbsp;Lyor Cohen &nbsp;in a bid to &quot;strenghten its relationships with the music industry&quot;, &nbsp;Reuters reported today.&nbsp;

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Former Warner Music Group executive Lyor Cohen, who has been an experience of more than 30 years in the industy, will head the music business of &nbsp;Google&#39;s video streaming service. &nbsp;Most recently, he served as &nbsp;the chief executive and co-founder of the 300 Entertainment record label, which currently includes prominent hip-hop artists such as Fetty Wap, Young Thug and Rich the Kid, according to Reuters.&nbsp;

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&ldquo;Lyor is a lion of the music industry,&quot; YouTube&#39;s chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl was quoted as saying in the media reports.&nbsp;

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&quot;From Rush to Def Jam to Island Def Jam to WMG then 300, he has consistently been a pioneer, charting the course for where music is heading. As we enter the growth era of the music industry, Lyor is in a position to make a&nbsp;tremendous difference in accelerating that growth in a fair way for everyone. We are thrilled to welcome him to YouTube.&quot;

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In a letter to the YouTube employees, Cohen told the employees that he would look to help the music community &quot;embrace the technological shifts we&#39;re seeing in music today so we can help take the confusion and distrust out of the equation&quot;, Reuters reports.&nbsp;

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(WION)&nbsp; 
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Cohen recently served as the chief executive and co-founder of the 300 Entertainment record label which includes prominent hip-hop artists

Video-sharing giant, YouTube, has hired legendary music executive Lyor Cohen in a bid to "strenghten its relationships with the music industry", Reuters reported today. Former Warner Music Group executive Lyor Cohen, who has been an experience of more than 30 years in the industy, will head the music business of Google's video streaming service. Most recently, he served as the chief executive and co-founder of the 300 Entertainment record label, which currently includes prominent hip-hop artists such as Fetty Wap, Young Thug and Rich the Kid, according to Reuters. “Lyor is a lion of the music industry," YouTube's chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl was quoted as saying in the media reports. "From Rush to Def Jam to Island Def Jam to WMG then 300, he has consistently been a pioneer, charting the course for where music is heading. As we enter the growth era of the music industry, Lyor is in a position to make a tremendous difference in accelerating that growth in a fair way for everyone. We are thrilled to welcome him to YouTube." In a letter to the YouTube employees, Cohen told the employees that he would look to help the music community "embrace the technological shifts we're seeing in music today so we can help take the confusion and distrust out of the equation", Reuters reports. (WION)

YouTube hires veteran music executive Lyor Cohen as music head

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, said on Tuesday it launched Google Station in India, a service that aims to deepen its reach across the country, as the search giant seeks to bring more people&nbsp;to its Google platform.

Under the service, Google will roll-out Wi-Fi hot spots in places frequented by a large number of people, such as malls and transit stations, and in social hangout locations such as cafes and universities, the company said on Tuesday.

&quot;The goal is to give people many hot spots within a few minutes walk from their home, university, or workplace, unified by a simple login process that works across all of them,&quot; Caesar Sengupta, vice-president, Next Billion Users at Google was quoted as saying in the statement.

Google currently offers free Wi-Fi access at 53 railway stations across India and plans to scale up the service to 100 by year-end, the company said.

Sengupta also said the company is also looking at monetising the service it offers at railway stations.

Google Station will also be launched in Indonesia and Philippines in future, the company said.

(Reuters)

Under the service, Google will roll out Wi-Fi hot spots in places frequented by lots of people

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, said on Tuesday it launched Google Station in India, a service that aims to deepen its reach across the country, as the search giant seeks to bring more people to its Google platform. Under the service, Google will roll-out Wi-Fi hot spots in places frequented by a large number of people, such as malls and transit stations, and in social hangout locations such as cafes and universities, the company said on Tuesday. "The goal is to give people many hot spots within a few minutes walk from their home, university, or workplace, unified by a simple login process that works across all of them," Caesar Sengupta, vice-president, Next Billion Users at Google was quoted as saying in the statement. Google currently offers free Wi-Fi access at 53 railway stations across India and plans to scale up the service to 100 by year-end, the company said. Sengupta also said the company is also looking at monetising the service it offers at railway stations. Google Station will also be launched in Indonesia and Philippines in future, the company said. (Reuters)

Google Station launches in India, set to augment public Wi-Fi

On Wednesday, search engine giant Google launched its new app &#39;Google Allo&#39; in a bid to replace Facebook-owned messenger service Whatsapp, according to media reports.&nbsp; 
 
The app is currently available on Android and iOS and will soon be available on computers too. It functions on artificial intelligence with its servers storing information to anticipate a user&#39;s response. 
 
Its features consist of&nbsp;Smart Reply, Google Assistant, Incognito Mode and Whisper Shout. Smart reply maps out users&#39; response and gives suggestions accordingly while Google assistant, a virtual assistant, guides and offers help like a real assistant. 
 
Instead of capitalising words and adding exclamation points, users can simply use&nbsp;the &#39;Whisper Shout&#39; feature to emphasise the words and incognito mode allows the user to have private conversations without the app saving it. 
 
Like other Google apps, Allo users can use a variety of stickers and emojis in their chat. 
 
However, the app poses a security concern for many users as its end-to-end encryption is turned off by default. If a conversation takes place without the incognito mode on, the app will save it. 
 
This will give free access to government agencies. NSA-contractor-turned-whistleblower&nbsp;Edward Snowden has posted tweets warning people from using the app.
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By default, it is less safe than <a href="https://twitter.com/WhatsApp">@WhatsApp</a>, which makes dangerous for non-experts. <a href="https://t.co/v1xy8VffC4">https://t.co/v1xy8VffC4</a>
&mdash; Edward Snowden (@Snowden) <a href="https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/778597417797226496">September 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
(WION) 
 
 
 
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Allo functions on artificial intelligence, its servers store information to anticipate a user's response

On Wednesday, search engine giant Google launched its new app 'Google Allo' in a bid to replace Facebook-owned messenger service Whatsapp, according to media reports. The app is currently available on Android and iOS and will soon be available on computers too. It functions on artificial intelligence with its servers storing information to anticipate a user's response. Its features consist of Smart Reply, Google Assistant, Incognito Mode and Whisper Shout. Smart reply maps out users' response and gives suggestions accordingly while Google assistant, a virtual assistant, guides and offers help like a real assistant. Instead of capitalising words and adding exclamation points, users can simply use the 'Whisper Shout' feature to emphasise the words and incognito mode allows the user to have private conversations without the app saving it. Like other Google apps, Allo users can use a variety of stickers and emojis in their chat. However, the app poses a security concern for many users as its end-to-end encryption is turned off by default. If a conversation takes place without the incognito mode on, the app will save it. This will give free access to government agencies. NSA-contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden has posted tweets warning people from using the app. By default, it is less safe than @WhatsApp, which makes dangerous for non-experts. https://t.co/v1xy8VffC4 — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 21, 2016 (WION)

Google launches messaging app Allo; features pose privacy concerns

Apple and Google engage in practices that undermine competition in the smartphone app market, Nikkei said, citing a report by Japan&#39;s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. 
 
The report looked at how the two US technology giants, as well as others that control platforms through which smartphone applications are sold, use their positions of power to decide what app developers can and cannot do, Nikkei reported. 
 
Restricting what payment methods developers can accept and limiting their pricing freedom may not directly violate Japan&#39;s anti-monopoly law, but these practices lead to elimination of competitors, Nikkei reported. 
 
Japan&#39;s competition watchdog intends to investigate further and &quot;may choose to conduct on-site inspections if there is sufficient suspicion of regulation breach,&quot; Nikkei reported, citing a high-ranking official. 
 
(Reuters)

Nikkei said the report looked at how the 2 US technology giants use their positions of power to decide what app developers can and cannot

Apple and Google engage in practices that undermine competition in the smartphone app market, Nikkei said, citing a report by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The report looked at how the two US technology giants, as well as others that control platforms through which smartphone applications are sold, use their positions of power to decide what app developers can and cannot do, Nikkei reported. Restricting what payment methods developers can accept and limiting their pricing freedom may not directly violate Japan's anti-monopoly law, but these practices lead to elimination of competitors, Nikkei reported. Japan's competition watchdog intends to investigate further and "may choose to conduct on-site inspections if there is sufficient suspicion of regulation breach," Nikkei reported, citing a high-ranking official. (Reuters)

Japan report shows Apple, Google hinder app competition - Nikkei

A team at Google parent Alphabet will try out using drones this month to deliver burritos on a college campus in Virginia.&nbsp; 
 
Astro Teller, playfully referred to as the &#39;Captain of Moonshots&#39; at an X lab created at Google to pursue big-vision projects such as drones and self-driving cars, said in a blog post that Project Wing team was ready to launch the test of a prototype drone delivery system. 
 
US officials announced last week that Alphabet is joining tests for drone deliveries, as the White House unveiled accelerated rulemaking for commercial unmanned aircraft operations. 
 
Teller said that a Wing prototype is ready for testing and that the team will run hundreds of flights in Virginia over the course of several days to deliver lunches prepared in an on-site food truck by Mexican food chain Chipotle. 
 
&quot;We want to learn how people feel when they&rsquo;re receiving a package by air, and taking someone&rsquo;s time and/or money changes things more than a little,&quot; Teller said. 
 
&quot;And we want to feel the pressure of unexpected circumstances that show us how we can get better at loading and managing a fleet of planes.&quot; 
 
The Project Wing team opted to try out delivering food to create operating challenges including &quot;a lunchtime rush of burrito orders&quot; as well as having to get food to customers hot and in the right shape, according to Teller. 
 
&quot;In future tests, we could add a broader range of items, like drinks, which will push us to handle more weight, keep packages carefully balanced, and manage combinations of items on a single flight,&quot; he added. 
 
He believes drones will be available within the next decade for important missions such as delivering medicine and other supplies to areas cut off by disasters and helping emergency responders battle wildfires. 
 
At a &quot;White House Drone Day&quot; event last week, officials announced steps toward expanding rules for drone operations, including for newsgathering and commercial flights over populated areas, after a first set of regulations unveiled in June. 
 
&quot;We hope to propose a rule on unmanned aircraft operations over people by the end of this year,&quot; Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta said. 
 
The government has registered more than 500,000 hobby drones in eight months, but sees a need for more rules for commercial operators, he added. 
 
The first set of rules stop short of allowing some long-sought applications, including delivery of goods by retailers like Amazon in populated areas. 
 
As the world&#39;s largest online retailer, Amazon raised eyebrows in late 2013 with its plan to airlift small parcels to customers by drone in select markets less than 30 minutes after orders are received. 
 
It has gone to other countries to test its evolving technology, and last month announced plans for test deliveries in Britain. 
 
(AFP)

Google parent Alphabet is joining test for drone deliveries prepared in an on-site food truck by the American fast-food chain Chipotle

A team at Google parent Alphabet will try out using drones this month to deliver burritos on a college campus in Virginia. Astro Teller, playfully referred to as the 'Captain of Moonshots' at an X lab created at Google to pursue big-vision projects such as drones and self-driving cars, said in a blog post that Project Wing team was ready to launch the test of a prototype drone delivery system. US officials announced last week that Alphabet is joining tests for drone deliveries, as the White House unveiled accelerated rulemaking for commercial unmanned aircraft operations. Teller said that a Wing prototype is ready for testing and that the team will run hundreds of flights in Virginia over the course of several days to deliver lunches prepared in an on-site food truck by Mexican food chain Chipotle. "We want to learn how people feel when they’re receiving a package by air, and taking someone’s time and/or money changes things more than a little," Teller said. "And we want to feel the pressure of unexpected circumstances that show us how we can get better at loading and managing a fleet of planes." The Project Wing team opted to try out delivering food to create operating challenges including "a lunchtime rush of burrito orders" as well as having to get food to customers hot and in the right shape, according to Teller. "In future tests, we could add a broader range of items, like drinks, which will push us to handle more weight, keep packages carefully balanced, and manage combinations of items on a single flight," he added. He believes drones will be available within the next decade for important missions such as delivering medicine and other supplies to areas cut off by disasters and helping emergency responders battle wildfires. At a "White House Drone Day" event last week, officials announced steps toward expanding rules for drone operations, including for newsgathering and commercial flights over populated areas, after a first set of regulations unveiled in June. "We hope to propose a rule on unmanned aircraft operations over people by the end of this year," Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta said. The government has registered more than 500,000 hobby drones in eight months, but sees a need for more rules for commercial operators, he added. The first set of rules stop short of allowing some long-sought applications, including delivery of goods by retailers like Amazon in populated areas. As the world's largest online retailer, Amazon raised eyebrows in late 2013 with its plan to airlift small parcels to customers by drone in select markets less than 30 minutes after orders are received. It has gone to other countries to test its evolving technology, and last month announced plans for test deliveries in Britain. (AFP)

Google parent Alphabet to deliver burritos using drones

More than 30 major technology and communication companies said on Friday they are joining the US government to crack down on &quot;robocalls,&quot; automated, prerecorded phone calls that regulators have labelled a &quot;scourge.&quot; 
 
AT&amp;T Inc &lt;T.N&gt;, Google parent Alphabet Inc &lt;GOOGL.O&gt;, Apple Inc &lt;AAPL.O&gt;, Verizon Communications Inc &lt;VZ.N&gt; and Comcast Corp &lt;CMCSA.O&gt; are among members of the &quot;Robocall Strike Force&quot; that held its first meeting with the US Federal Communications Commission. 
 
The strike force will report to the FCC by October 19 on &quot;concrete plans to accelerate the development and adoption of new tools and solutions,&quot; said AT&amp;T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson, chairman of the group. 
 
The strike force hopes to implement Caller ID verification standards to help block calls from spoofed phone numbers and consider a &quot;Do Not Originate&quot; list that would block spoofers from impersonating legitimate phone numbers from governments, banks or others. 
 
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in July urged major companies to take new action to block robocalls, which often come from telemarketers or scam artists. 
 
&quot;This scourge must stop,&quot; Wheeler said on Friday, calling robocalls the No. 1 complaint from consumers. 
 
&quot;The bad guys are beating the good guys with technology,&quot; Wheeler said. In the past, he has said robocalls continue &quot;due in large part to industry inaction.&quot; 
 
Stephenson emphasized &quot;the breadth and complexity&quot; of the problem. 
 
&quot;This is going to require more than individual company initiatives and one-off blocking apps,&quot; Stephenson said. &quot;Robocallers are a formidable adversary, notoriously hard to stop.&quot; 
 
The FCC does not require robocall blocking and filtering but has strongly encouraged phone service providers to offer those services at no charge. 
 
The strike force brings together carriers, device makers, operating system developers, network designers and the government. 
 
&quot;We have to come out of this with a comprehensive play book for all of us to go execute,&quot; Stephenson said. &quot;We have calls that are perfectly legal, but unwanted, like telemarketers and public opinion surveyors. At the other end of the spectrum, we have millions of calls that are blatantly illegal.&quot; 
 
Stephenson said technical experts representing the companies have had &quot;preliminary conversations about short- and longer-term initiatives.&quot; 
 
Joan Marsh, AT&amp;T vice president of federal regulatory issues, called the problem complicated. &quot;We have been wrangling with this problem long enough to know there is no silver bullet,&quot; she said. &quot;Nothing by itself is going to do it.&quot; 
 
Other companies taking part include Blackberry Ltd &lt;BB.TO&gt;, British Telecommunications Plc [BTCOM.UL], Charter Communications Inc &lt;CHTR.O&gt;, Frontier Communications &lt;FTR.O&gt;, LG Electronics Inc &lt;066570.KS&gt;, Microsoft Corp &lt;MSFT.O&gt;, Nokia Corp &lt;NOKIA.HE&gt;, Qualcomm Inc &lt;QCOM.O&gt;, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd &lt;005930.KS&gt;, Sirius XM Holdings Inc &lt;SIRI.O&gt;, T-Mobile US Inc &lt;TMUS.O&gt; and U.S. Cellular Corp &lt;USM.N&gt;. 
 
Consumers Union, a public advocacy group, said the task force is a sign &quot;phone companies are taking more serious steps to protect their customers from unwanted calls.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

The strike force hopes to implement Caller ID verification standards to help block calls from spoofed phone numbers

More than 30 major technology and communication companies said on Friday they are joining the US government to crack down on "robocalls," automated, prerecorded phone calls that regulators have labelled a "scourge." AT&T Inc <T.N>, Google parent Alphabet Inc <GOOGL.O>, Apple Inc <AAPL.O>, Verizon Communications Inc <VZ.N> and Comcast Corp <CMCSA.O> are among members of the "Robocall Strike Force" that held its first meeting with the US Federal Communications Commission. The strike force will report to the FCC by October 19 on "concrete plans to accelerate the development and adoption of new tools and solutions," said AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson, chairman of the group. The strike force hopes to implement Caller ID verification standards to help block calls from spoofed phone numbers and consider a "Do Not Originate" list that would block spoofers from impersonating legitimate phone numbers from governments, banks or others. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in July urged major companies to take new action to block robocalls, which often come from telemarketers or scam artists. "This scourge must stop," Wheeler said on Friday, calling robocalls the No. 1 complaint from consumers. "The bad guys are beating the good guys with technology," Wheeler said. In the past, he has said robocalls continue "due in large part to industry inaction." Stephenson emphasized "the breadth and complexity" of the problem. "This is going to require more than individual company initiatives and one-off blocking apps," Stephenson said. "Robocallers are a formidable adversary, notoriously hard to stop." The FCC does not require robocall blocking and filtering but has strongly encouraged phone service providers to offer those services at no charge. The strike force brings together carriers, device makers, operating system developers, network designers and the government. "We have to come out of this with a comprehensive play book for all of us to go execute," Stephenson said. "We have calls that are perfectly legal, but unwanted, like telemarketers and public opinion surveyors. At the other end of the spectrum, we have millions of calls that are blatantly illegal." Stephenson said technical experts representing the companies have had "preliminary conversations about short- and longer-term initiatives." Joan Marsh, AT&T vice president of federal regulatory issues, called the problem complicated. "We have been wrangling with this problem long enough to know there is no silver bullet," she said. "Nothing by itself is going to do it." Other companies taking part include Blackberry Ltd <BB.TO>, British Telecommunications Plc [BTCOM.UL], Charter Communications Inc <CHTR.O>, Frontier Communications <FTR.O>, LG Electronics Inc <066570.KS>, Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O>, Nokia Corp <NOKIA.HE>, Qualcomm Inc <QCOM.O>, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS>, Sirius XM Holdings Inc <SIRI.O>, T-Mobile US Inc <TMUS.O> and U.S. Cellular Corp <USM.N>. Consumers Union, a public advocacy group, said the task force is a sign "phone companies are taking more serious steps to protect their customers from unwanted calls." (Reuters)

AT&T, Apple, Google to work on 'robocall' crackdown

Russia&#39;s anti-monopoly watchdog said on Thursday Google would have to pay a 438 million Rouble ($6.8 million) fine for pre-installing applications on mobile devices running its Android operating system. 
 
The watchdog, FAS, ruled last September that Google had broken anti-monopoly laws, following a complaint by Russia&#39;s Yandex. 
 
&quot;We have received a notification from FAS about the imposed fine,&quot; Google&#39;s press service said today in a written statement.&nbsp;&quot;We will familiarise ourselves with the ruling before deciding on further actions.&quot; 
 
The watchdog said Russian customers would benefit from its decision and that international corporations have to obey Russian law defending fair competition as well as other companies. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Google pre-installed applications on mobile devices using an Android operating system. A watchdog had ruled against the company last year

Russia's anti-monopoly watchdog said on Thursday Google would have to pay a 438 million Rouble ($6.8 million) fine for pre-installing applications on mobile devices running its Android operating system. The watchdog, FAS, ruled last September that Google had broken anti-monopoly laws, following a complaint by Russia's Yandex. "We have received a notification from FAS about the imposed fine," Google's press service said today in a written statement. "We will familiarise ourselves with the ruling before deciding on further actions." The watchdog said Russian customers would benefit from its decision and that international corporations have to obey Russian law defending fair competition as well as other companies. (Reuters)

Google to pay $6.8 million fine breaking Russian anti-monopoly laws

British pharmaceutical giant&nbsp;GlaxoSmithKline and Google parent Alphabet&#39;s life sciences unit are creating a new company focused on fighting diseases by targeting electrical signals in the body, jump-starting a new field of medicine known as bioelectronics. 
 
Verily Life Sciences - known as Google&#39;s life sciences unit until last year - and Britain&#39;s biggest drugmaker will together contribute 540 million Pounds ($715.12 million) over seven years to Galvani Bioelectronics, they said on Monday. 
 
The new company will be based at GSK&#39;s Stevenage research centre north of London, with a second research hub in South San Francisco. 
 
GSK first unveiled its ambitions in bioelectronics in a paper in the journal Nature three years ago and believes it is ahead of Big Pharma rivals in developing medicines that use electrical impulses rather than traditional chemicals or proteins. 
 
For Verily, the tie-up is the latest sign that Google&#39;s desire to move beyond search engines into biology and other scientific areas is gaining traction. 
 
Verily already has several other medical projects in the works, including the development of a smart contact lens in partnership with the Swiss drugmaker Novartis that has an embedded glucose sensor to help monitor diabetes. 
 
&#39;Diabetes, arthritis and asthma could be cured by these tiny devices&#39; 
&nbsp; 
Galvani, owned 55 per cent by GSK and 45 per cent by Verily, will develop miniaturised, implantable devices that can modify electrical nerve signals. The aim is to modulate irregular or altered impulses that occur in many illnesses. 
 
GSK believes certain chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and asthma could potentially be treated using these tiny devices. 
 
The idea of treating serious disease with electrical impulses is not completely new. 
 
Large-scale electrical devices have been used for years as heart pacemakers and, more recently, deep brain stimulation has been applied to treat Parkinson&#39;s disease, severe depression and certain neurological movement disorders. 
 
In future, however, the aim is to apply electrical interventions at the micro level, using tiny implants to coax insulin from cells to treat diabetes, for example, or correct muscle imbalances in lung diseases. 
 
Galvani will initially employ around 30 scientists, engineers and clinicians. 
 
(Reuters)

Company will develop miniaturised, implantable devices that can modify irregular electrical nerve signals which occur in many illnesses

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline and Google parent Alphabet's life sciences unit are creating a new company focused on fighting diseases by targeting electrical signals in the body, jump-starting a new field of medicine known as bioelectronics. Verily Life Sciences - known as Google's life sciences unit until last year - and Britain's biggest drugmaker will together contribute 540 million Pounds ($715.12 million) over seven years to Galvani Bioelectronics, they said on Monday. The new company will be based at GSK's Stevenage research centre north of London, with a second research hub in South San Francisco. GSK first unveiled its ambitions in bioelectronics in a paper in the journal Nature three years ago and believes it is ahead of Big Pharma rivals in developing medicines that use electrical impulses rather than traditional chemicals or proteins. For Verily, the tie-up is the latest sign that Google's desire to move beyond search engines into biology and other scientific areas is gaining traction. Verily already has several other medical projects in the works, including the development of a smart contact lens in partnership with the Swiss drugmaker Novartis that has an embedded glucose sensor to help monitor diabetes. 'Diabetes, arthritis and asthma could be cured by these tiny devices' Galvani, owned 55 per cent by GSK and 45 per cent by Verily, will develop miniaturised, implantable devices that can modify electrical nerve signals. The aim is to modulate irregular or altered impulses that occur in many illnesses. GSK believes certain chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and asthma could potentially be treated using these tiny devices. The idea of treating serious disease with electrical impulses is not completely new. Large-scale electrical devices have been used for years as heart pacemakers and, more recently, deep brain stimulation has been applied to treat Parkinson's disease, severe depression and certain neurological movement disorders. In future, however, the aim is to apply electrical interventions at the micro level, using tiny implants to coax insulin from cells to treat diabetes, for example, or correct muscle imbalances in lung diseases. Galvani will initially employ around 30 scientists, engineers and clinicians. (Reuters)

GSK, Alphabet to start new firm that will fight disease by targeting electrical signals in the body

Italy&#39;s data privacy regulator said today that Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google had met its requests to change the way it treats and stores user data to bring practices into line with Italian rules. 
 
Two years ago, the watchdog told Google its disclosure to users on how their data was being treated was inadequate, giving it 18 months to comply fully and indicating a series of measures that needed to be carried out. 
 
The move was one of several privacy challenges against the US Internet giant in the European Union (EU), highlighting the bloc&#39;s desire to ensure its citizens data is treated according to EU law, even when held in foreign jurisdictions. 
 
In a note, the watchdog said it was pleased with the agreement but added the monitoring of Google would continue. 
 
&quot;We will continue with checks, in tandem also with other European regulators, so that users data are increasingly protected and their rights recognised by web giants,&quot; watchdog president Antonello Soro said. 
 
Under the changes agreed, Google will have to make clear to users how their data is used and will not be allowed to use data to profile users without their prior consent. Users will be able to withhold or grant partial consent. 
 
Google will also need to improve how it stores data and guarantee its deletion within a specified timeframe. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re pleased that the Garante (watchdog) has acknowledged the steps we have taken to ensure compliance with Italian law and improve user control,&quot; a Google spokesperson said. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Two years ago, Italy's data privacy regulator told Google that its disclosure to users on how their data was being treated was inadequate

Italy's data privacy regulator said today that Alphabet Inc's Google had met its requests to change the way it treats and stores user data to bring practices into line with Italian rules. Two years ago, the watchdog told Google its disclosure to users on how their data was being treated was inadequate, giving it 18 months to comply fully and indicating a series of measures that needed to be carried out. The move was one of several privacy challenges against the US Internet giant in the European Union (EU), highlighting the bloc's desire to ensure its citizens data is treated according to EU law, even when held in foreign jurisdictions. In a note, the watchdog said it was pleased with the agreement but added the monitoring of Google would continue. "We will continue with checks, in tandem also with other European regulators, so that users data are increasingly protected and their rights recognised by web giants," watchdog president Antonello Soro said. Under the changes agreed, Google will have to make clear to users how their data is used and will not be allowed to use data to profile users without their prior consent. Users will be able to withhold or grant partial consent. Google will also need to improve how it stores data and guarantee its deletion within a specified timeframe. "We're pleased that the Garante (watchdog) has acknowledged the steps we have taken to ensure compliance with Italian law and improve user control," a Google spokesperson said. (Reuters)

Google meets Italy's demands on data use practices

South Korea&#39;s anti-trust regulator conducted an inspection of Google&#39;s local headquarters to investigate whether the firm is engaged in anti-competitive behaviour over its Android operating system, Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday. 
 
Yonhap, citing unnamed sources, said the Korea Fair Trade Commission conducted the inspection last week and was probing whether Google forced smartphone makers using Android on its devices to not sell products using other operating systems. 
 
Regulators began looking into the matter after the European Union brought charges against Google for anticompetitive behaviour earlier this year. 
 
Google and the Korea Fair Trade Commission declined to comment. 
 
(Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

Authorities are investigating whether?Google forced smartphone makers using Android?to not sell products using other operating systems

South Korea's anti-trust regulator conducted an inspection of Google's local headquarters to investigate whether the firm is engaged in anti-competitive behaviour over its Android operating system, Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday. Yonhap, citing unnamed sources, said the Korea Fair Trade Commission conducted the inspection last week and was probing whether Google forced smartphone makers using Android on its devices to not sell products using other operating systems. Regulators began looking into the matter after the European Union brought charges against Google for anticompetitive behaviour earlier this year. Google and the Korea Fair Trade Commission declined to comment. (Reuters)

South Korea probes Google for anti-competitive behaviour

European Union (EU) regulators brought a third antitrust charge against Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google today accusing it of blocking rivals in the lucrative online search advertising market.&nbsp; 
 
The European Commission also reinforced its existing charge against the world&#39;s most popular internet search engine that its search results favour Google&#39;s own shopping service over that of rivals.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Google has come up with many innovative products that have made a difference to our lives. But that doesn&#39;t give Google the right to deny other companies the chance to compete and innovate,&quot; European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told a news conference in Brussels. 
 
The Commission said it had sent two &quot;statements of objections&quot; to Google. 
 
Google could face fines up to 10 per cent of its global turnover&nbsp; 
 
The new chargesheet accuses Google of having abused its dominant position by artificially preventing third-party websites from displaying search advertisements from its competitors. 
 
This relates to Googles &quot;AdSense for Search&quot; platform, in which Google acts as an intermediary for websites such as those of online retailers, telecoms operators or newspapers, with searches producing results that include search ads.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We have also raised concerns that Google has hindered competition by limiting the ability of its competitors to place search adverts on third-party websites, which stifles consumer choice and innovation,&quot; Vestager said. 
 
The EU&#39;s pursuit of Google, along with probes into other US multinationals over tax issues and control of personal data, has caused irritation in Washington, with President Barack Obama last year accusing Europe of veering toward protectionism. 
 
Vestager, a former Danish economy minister who took over as the EU&#39;s powerful antitrust commissioner in late 2014, insists she is simply applying the law and promoting free competition.&nbsp; 
 
Google&#39;s AdWords and AdSense programmes have been on the Commissions radar since 2010, under Vestagers predecessor, after rivals complained about unfair advertising exclusivity clauses and undue restrictions on other advertisers. 
 
They form the core of Google&#39;s business which posted about $75 billion in revenue last year, the vast bulk of Alphabets total annual revenue. 
 
The Commission also said it had reinforced its earlier preliminary conclusion that Google had abused its dominant position by systematically favouring its comparison shopping service in its search result pages. 
 
Google could face fines up to 10 per cent of its global turnover for each case if found guilty of breaching the blocs antitrust rules. Google said it believe it increased choice for European consumers and increased choice. &quot;Well examine the Commission&#39;s renewed cases and provide a detailed response in the coming weeks,&quot; a Google spokesman said 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Google has been accused of artificially preventing third-party websites from displaying search advertisements from its competitors

European Union (EU) regulators brought a third antitrust charge against Alphabet Inc's Google today accusing it of blocking rivals in the lucrative online search advertising market. The European Commission also reinforced its existing charge against the world's most popular internet search engine that its search results favour Google's own shopping service over that of rivals. "Google has come up with many innovative products that have made a difference to our lives. But that doesn't give Google the right to deny other companies the chance to compete and innovate," European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told a news conference in Brussels. The Commission said it had sent two "statements of objections" to Google. Google could face fines up to 10 per cent of its global turnover The new chargesheet accuses Google of having abused its dominant position by artificially preventing third-party websites from displaying search advertisements from its competitors. This relates to Googles "AdSense for Search" platform, in which Google acts as an intermediary for websites such as those of online retailers, telecoms operators or newspapers, with searches producing results that include search ads. "We have also raised concerns that Google has hindered competition by limiting the ability of its competitors to place search adverts on third-party websites, which stifles consumer choice and innovation," Vestager said. The EU's pursuit of Google, along with probes into other US multinationals over tax issues and control of personal data, has caused irritation in Washington, with President Barack Obama last year accusing Europe of veering toward protectionism. Vestager, a former Danish economy minister who took over as the EU's powerful antitrust commissioner in late 2014, insists she is simply applying the law and promoting free competition. Google's AdWords and AdSense programmes have been on the Commissions radar since 2010, under Vestagers predecessor, after rivals complained about unfair advertising exclusivity clauses and undue restrictions on other advertisers. They form the core of Google's business which posted about $75 billion in revenue last year, the vast bulk of Alphabets total annual revenue. The Commission also said it had reinforced its earlier preliminary conclusion that Google had abused its dominant position by systematically favouring its comparison shopping service in its search result pages. Google could face fines up to 10 per cent of its global turnover for each case if found guilty of breaching the blocs antitrust rules. Google said it believe it increased choice for European consumers and increased choice. "Well examine the Commission's renewed cases and provide a detailed response in the coming weeks," a Google spokesman said (Reuters)

EU slaps third anti-trust charge on tech giant Google

Google on Wednesday announced a deal to buy Moodstocks, a French startup behind technology that helps smartphones recognise whatever they are aimed at. 
 
Moodstocks caught the US technology giant&#39;s eye for its work in computer vision and machine learning, as well for accomplishments in enabling smartphones or other mobile devices to recognise images and objects. 
 
Google is among Silicon Valley titans investing in ways to get computers to see and understand the world around them the way people do. 
 
Machine learning has been woven into an array of Google offerings, such as its free language translation and photo services. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a lot more to be done to improve machine vision,&quot; Google France tech site lead Vincent Simonet said in a blog post.&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s where Moodstocks comes in.&quot; 
 
The Moodstocks team, described as a small group of researchers and engineers, will join a Google research and development centre in Paris, according to Simonet. 
 
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.&nbsp;Google and its parent Alphabet are expected to integrate the image search team in artificial intelligence efforts. 
 
At its annual developers conference in May, Google unveiled a virtual home assistant device that will challenge Amazon Echo.&nbsp;Google Home, about the size of a stout vase, will hit the market later this year and will incorporate new virtual assistant software. 
 
When Home hits, it will challenge Amazon Echo voice-controlled assistants that have proven to be a hit since the Seattle-based online retail colossus unveiled them two years ago. 
 
Many Internet companies are exploring the promise of artificial intelligence, for example, smartphone applications that can learn a user&#39;s habits and anticipate searches and requests. 
 
Microsoft, Apple, and Google have each created their own virtual assistants for users. 
 
(AFP)

Google is investing in ways to get computers to see and understand the world around them the way people do

Google on Wednesday announced a deal to buy Moodstocks, a French startup behind technology that helps smartphones recognise whatever they are aimed at. Moodstocks caught the US technology giant's eye for its work in computer vision and machine learning, as well for accomplishments in enabling smartphones or other mobile devices to recognise images and objects. Google is among Silicon Valley titans investing in ways to get computers to see and understand the world around them the way people do. Machine learning has been woven into an array of Google offerings, such as its free language translation and photo services. "There's a lot more to be done to improve machine vision," Google France tech site lead Vincent Simonet said in a blog post. "That's where Moodstocks comes in." The Moodstocks team, described as a small group of researchers and engineers, will join a Google research and development centre in Paris, according to Simonet. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Google and its parent Alphabet are expected to integrate the image search team in artificial intelligence efforts. At its annual developers conference in May, Google unveiled a virtual home assistant device that will challenge Amazon Echo. Google Home, about the size of a stout vase, will hit the market later this year and will incorporate new virtual assistant software. When Home hits, it will challenge Amazon Echo voice-controlled assistants that have proven to be a hit since the Seattle-based online retail colossus unveiled them two years ago. Many Internet companies are exploring the promise of artificial intelligence, for example, smartphone applications that can learn a user's habits and anticipate searches and requests. Microsoft, Apple, and Google have each created their own virtual assistants for users. (AFP)

Google buys French startup that helps machines see

In the high tech hub of Tel Aviv, where companies have been responsible for ground-breaking advances like the USB stick, Or Offer never thought it would be hard to find workers for his fast-growing Internet data firm SimilarWeb. 
 
But an alarming lack of engineers, technicians and even doctors, which is jeopardizing Israel&#39;s place among the world&#39;s technological elite, sent him looking abroad. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a brutal fight over skilled employees,&quot; said Offer, whose company has quadrupled in size in the past two years, hiring over 200 new people. 
 
To boost the technical side of the business that analyses website data, he set up a development centre in Ukraine. 
 
Without the huge populations of emerging markets like India or the vast network of foreigners who call Silicon Valley home, Israel&#39;s high tech enterprise seems to have dried out the well. 
 
Over the next decade it will face a shortage of about 10,000 engineers and programmers in a market that currently employs 140,000, according to the country&#39;s chief scientist, Avi Hasson, who is the government&#39;s point man on sustaining innovation. 
 
&quot;The issue of skilled and available manpower is the main barrier to growth and competitiveness in the field of high tech,&quot; Hasson said. 
 
The industry, which sprouted from an advanced military and flourished with state backing, became a major growth engine and investment magnet for Israel. 
 
Multinationals like Apple, Intel and Google have been eager to snap up local start-ups and set up research centres. High-tech goods and services now account for 12.5 per cent of Israel&#39;s gross domestic product and half its industrial exports. 
 
Younger firms are noticing the skills problem as they compete for workers with the global giants operating in Israel. 
 
&quot;There are a lot of international players around, coming in with deep pockets. Facebook, Google and others can make offers 50 per cent above market and equity packages that are very lucrative,&quot; said Nir Zohar, president of website-designer Wix.com, which is known for its big-budget Super Bowl ads. &quot;It&#39;s becoming harder and harder with the amount of effort you need to put in to recruit.&quot; 
 
Human capital 
 
Since taking office in 2013, Bank of Israel Governor Karnit Flug has been sounding the alarm over the threat to Israel&#39;s pool of &quot;human capital&quot;. 
 
An aging population, lagging education and poor integration of Israel&#39;s Arab and ultra-Orthodox Jewish minorities in the labour market is making the workforce less effective, she said in a May speech. Combined, Israeli Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 30 per cent of the population. 
 
Nearly half the country&#39;s doctors, for example, are 55 or older, the highest figure in the Western world, while the rate of students completing medical school is among the lowest. 
 
University graduates in maths and computer science fell to 1,600 in 2008 from 3,000 in 2005. The figure has recovered, but not returned to prior levels. Israel is ranked 17 among the 34 members of the OECD in the ease of finding skilled workers. 
 
Tech companies prospered for years by tapping into the skills of workers trained in the military or intelligence sectors and start-ups benefitting from tax breaks and government funding. But those are drying up. 
 
Two years ago Israel lost the top spot it held for more than a decade among the OECD when it comes to investment in research and development, mainly due to a steep drop in government investment. South Korea is now top of the tree. 
 
Ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs rarely serve in the military and are marginalised from the high tech industry. The government is now implementing a number of programmers to include them, like improving language skills and special training. 
 
Visas 
 
Feeling the heat, firms have been fighting to bring in qualified foreigners to ease the stress. 
 
&quot;In Israel, to get a work permit is harder than to make peace,&quot; said Eldad Tamir, head of the Tamir Fishman Investment House and a partner in Eucalyptus Growth Capital, a fund that invests in high tech companies. 
 
Tamir&#39;s partner in Eucalyptus, David Perlmutter, former chief product officer at Intel, lamented that Israel imports labour for agriculture and construction but not for technology. 
 
&quot;If you look at other countries that want to develop, they bring in workers. All of Silicon Valley is based on that. Here it doesn&rsquo;t happen,&quot; he said. 
 
Nearly 75 per cent of computer and math workers aged 25-44 employed in California&#39;s Silicon Valley are foreign-born, according to the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies. 
 
In the 1990s, the influx of one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union helped fuel Israel&#39;s high-tech boom. Today about 30,000 people arrive annually, but it is not enough to meet the demands of the growing industry. 
 
&quot;Israel was built in a very homogenous way in terms of our innovation ecosystem. We did import talent, but only Jewish talent,&quot; and that needs to change, said Hasson. 
 
Only an &quot;anecdotal&quot; number of foreign high tech workers are being brought in today, Hasson said, referring to a smattering of cases like the US-born CEO of TowerJazz who over the past decade helped turn around the ailing chipmaker. 
 
He said Israel would soon begin a pilot for issuing a few hundred work visas a year, but it&#39;s unlikely to be enough. 
 
(Reuters)

Multinationals like Apple, Intel and Google have been eager to snap up local start-ups and set up research centres

In the high tech hub of Tel Aviv, where companies have been responsible for ground-breaking advances like the USB stick, Or Offer never thought it would be hard to find workers for his fast-growing Internet data firm SimilarWeb. But an alarming lack of engineers, technicians and even doctors, which is jeopardizing Israel's place among the world's technological elite, sent him looking abroad. "There's a brutal fight over skilled employees," said Offer, whose company has quadrupled in size in the past two years, hiring over 200 new people. To boost the technical side of the business that analyses website data, he set up a development centre in Ukraine. Without the huge populations of emerging markets like India or the vast network of foreigners who call Silicon Valley home, Israel's high tech enterprise seems to have dried out the well. Over the next decade it will face a shortage of about 10,000 engineers and programmers in a market that currently employs 140,000, according to the country's chief scientist, Avi Hasson, who is the government's point man on sustaining innovation. "The issue of skilled and available manpower is the main barrier to growth and competitiveness in the field of high tech," Hasson said. The industry, which sprouted from an advanced military and flourished with state backing, became a major growth engine and investment magnet for Israel. Multinationals like Apple, Intel and Google have been eager to snap up local start-ups and set up research centres. High-tech goods and services now account for 12.5 per cent of Israel's gross domestic product and half its industrial exports. Younger firms are noticing the skills problem as they compete for workers with the global giants operating in Israel. "There are a lot of international players around, coming in with deep pockets. Facebook, Google and others can make offers 50 per cent above market and equity packages that are very lucrative," said Nir Zohar, president of website-designer Wix.com, which is known for its big-budget Super Bowl ads. "It's becoming harder and harder with the amount of effort you need to put in to recruit." Human capital Since taking office in 2013, Bank of Israel Governor Karnit Flug has been sounding the alarm over the threat to Israel's pool of "human capital". An aging population, lagging education and poor integration of Israel's Arab and ultra-Orthodox Jewish minorities in the labour market is making the workforce less effective, she said in a May speech. Combined, Israeli Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 30 per cent of the population. Nearly half the country's doctors, for example, are 55 or older, the highest figure in the Western world, while the rate of students completing medical school is among the lowest. University graduates in maths and computer science fell to 1,600 in 2008 from 3,000 in 2005. The figure has recovered, but not returned to prior levels. Israel is ranked 17 among the 34 members of the OECD in the ease of finding skilled workers. Tech companies prospered for years by tapping into the skills of workers trained in the military or intelligence sectors and start-ups benefitting from tax breaks and government funding. But those are drying up. Two years ago Israel lost the top spot it held for more than a decade among the OECD when it comes to investment in research and development, mainly due to a steep drop in government investment. South Korea is now top of the tree. Ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs rarely serve in the military and are marginalised from the high tech industry. The government is now implementing a number of programmers to include them, like improving language skills and special training. Visas Feeling the heat, firms have been fighting to bring in qualified foreigners to ease the stress. "In Israel, to get a work permit is harder than to make peace," said Eldad Tamir, head of the Tamir Fishman Investment House and a partner in Eucalyptus Growth Capital, a fund that invests in high tech companies. Tamir's partner in Eucalyptus, David Perlmutter, former chief product officer at Intel, lamented that Israel imports labour for agriculture and construction but not for technology. "If you look at other countries that want to develop, they bring in workers. All of Silicon Valley is based on that. Here it doesn’t happen," he said. Nearly 75 per cent of computer and math workers aged 25-44 employed in California's Silicon Valley are foreign-born, according to the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies. In the 1990s, the influx of one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union helped fuel Israel's high-tech boom. Today about 30,000 people arrive annually, but it is not enough to meet the demands of the growing industry. "Israel was built in a very homogenous way in terms of our innovation ecosystem. We did import talent, but only Jewish talent," and that needs to change, said Hasson. Only an "anecdotal" number of foreign high tech workers are being brought in today, Hasson said, referring to a smattering of cases like the US-born CEO of TowerJazz who over the past decade helped turn around the ailing chipmaker. He said Israel would soon begin a pilot for issuing a few hundred work visas a year, but it's unlikely to be enough. (Reuters)

Israel's high tech boom threatened by shallow labour pool

Google&#39;s newest mobile operating system will be called Nougat, continuing a tradition of naming Android software after sweet treats, the tech giant said on Thursday. 
 
Google had invited people to send in suggestions at its annual developers conference in May, and revealed the winning Android name at a playful ceremony at its campus in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View. 
 
Nutella was thought to be a favorite, but Nougat won the day. 
 
Google shared the event in a Twitter message tagged #AndroidNougat and containing a looped snippet of video of the undraping of an Android statue standing atop giant nougat and nut bars. 
 
The technology giant has been letting developers work with the new mobile operating system, which is expected to be released later this year. 
 
Alphabet-owned Google&#39;s Android operating software is a computing phenomenon that powers the vast majority of smartphones sold across the world. 
 
There were 1.16 billion smartphones shipped in 2015 that are powered by Android, according to research group Gartner. That accounted for 82 per cent of the market, dwarfing the 225.85 million for Apple&#39;s iOS. 
 
Cupcake, the first version of the operating software to carry the name of an enticing desert, was released in 2009. 
 
It was followed by Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop and current-generation Marshmallow. 
 
(AFP)

This continues a company tradition of naming software after sweet treats

Google's newest mobile operating system will be called Nougat, continuing a tradition of naming Android software after sweet treats, the tech giant said on Thursday. Google had invited people to send in suggestions at its annual developers conference in May, and revealed the winning Android name at a playful ceremony at its campus in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View. Nutella was thought to be a favorite, but Nougat won the day. Google shared the event in a Twitter message tagged #AndroidNougat and containing a looped snippet of video of the undraping of an Android statue standing atop giant nougat and nut bars. The technology giant has been letting developers work with the new mobile operating system, which is expected to be released later this year. Alphabet-owned Google's Android operating software is a computing phenomenon that powers the vast majority of smartphones sold across the world. There were 1.16 billion smartphones shipped in 2015 that are powered by Android, according to research group Gartner. That accounted for 82 per cent of the market, dwarfing the 225.85 million for Apple's iOS. Cupcake, the first version of the operating software to carry the name of an enticing desert, was released in 2009. It was followed by Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop and current-generation Marshmallow. (AFP)

New version of Android crowned 'Nougat'

Microsoft said in May that it was providing funding to a computer scientist to develop a technology that could identify terrorist content

Some of the web's biggest destinations for watching videos have quietly started using automation to remove extremist content from their sites, according to two people familiar with the process. The move is a major step forward for internet companies that are eager to eradicate violent propaganda from their sites and are under pressure to do so from governments around the world as attacks by extremists proliferate, from Syria to Belgium and the United States. YouTube and Facebook are among the sites deploying systems to block or rapidly take down Islamic State videos and other similar material, the sources said. The technology was originally developed to identify and remove copyright-protected content on video sites. It looks for "hashes," a type of unique digital fingerprint that internet companies automatically assign to specific videos, allowing all content with matching fingerprints to be removed rapidly. Such a system would catch attempts to repost content already identified as unacceptable, but would not automatically block videos that have not been seen before. The companies would not confirm that they are using the method or talk about how it might be employed, but numerous people familiar with the technology said that posted videos could be checked against a database of banned content to identify new postings of, say, a beheading or a lecture inciting violence. The two sources would not discuss how much human work goes into reviewing videos identified as matches or near-matches by the technology. They also would not say how videos in the databases were initially identified as extremist. Use of the new technology is likely to be refined over time as internet companies continue to discuss the issue internally and with competitors and other interested parties. In late April, amid pressure from US President Barack Obama and other US and European leaders concerned about online radicalisation, internet companies including Alphabet Inc`s YouTube, Twitter Inc , Facebook Inc and CloudFlare held a call to discuss options, including a content-blocking system put forward by the private Counter Extremism Project, according to one person on the call and three who were briefed on what was discussed. The discussions underscored the central but difficult role some of the world's most influential companies now play in addressing issues such as terrorism, free speech and the lines between government and corporate authority. None of the companies at this point has embraced the anti-extremist group's system, and they have typically been wary of outside intervention in how their sites should be policed. “It’s a little bit different than copyright or child pornography, where things are very clearly illegal,” said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. Extremist content exists on a spectrum, Hughes said, and different web companies draw the line in different places. Most have relied until now mainly on users to flag content that violates their terms of service, and many still do. Flagged material is then individually reviewed by human editors who delete postings found to be in violation. The companies now using automation are not publicly discussing it, two sources said, in part out of concern that terrorists might learn how to manipulate their systems or that repressive regimes might insist the technology be used to censor opponents. “There's no upside in these companies talking about it,” said Matthew Prince, chief executive of content distribution company CloudFlare. “Why would they brag about censorship?” The two people familiar with the still-evolving industry practise confirmed it to Reuters after the Counter Extremism Project publicly described its content-blocking system for the first time last week and urged the big internet companies to adopt it. WARY OF OUTSIDE SOLUTION The April call was led by Facebook's head of global policy management, Monika Bickert, sources with knowledge of the call said. On it, Facebook presented options for discussion, according to one participant, including the one proposed by the non-profit Counter Extremism Project. The anti-extremism group was founded by, among others, Frances Townsend, who advised former president George W. Bush on homeland security, and Mark Wallace, who was deputy campaign manager for the Bush 2004 re-election campaign. Three sources with knowledge of the April call said that companies expressed wariness of letting an outside group decide what defined unacceptable content. Other alternatives raised on the call included establishing a new industry-controlled nonprofit or expanding an existing industry-controlled nonprofit. All the options discussed involved hashing technology. The model for an industry-funded organisation might be the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which identifies known child pornography images using a system known as PhotoDNA. The system is licensed for free by Microsoft Corp . Microsoft announced in May it was providing funding and technical support to Dartmouth College computer scientist Hany Farid, who works with the Counter Extremism Project and helped develop PhotoDNA, "to develop a technology to help stakeholders identify copies of patently terrorist content." Facebook’s Bickert agreed with some of the concerns voiced during the call about the Counter Extremism Project`s proposal, two people familiar with the events said. She declined to comment publicly on the call or on Facebook's efforts, except to note in a statement that Facebook is “exploring with others in industry ways we can collaboratively work to remove content that violates our policies against terrorism.” In recent weeks, one source said, Facebook has sent out a survey to other companies soliciting their opinions on different options for industry collaboration on the issue. William Fitzgerald, a spokesman for Alphabet`s Google unit, which owns YouTube, also declined to comment on the call or about the company's automated efforts to police content. A Twitter spokesman said the company was still evaluating the Counter Extremism Project`s proposal and had "not yet taken a position." A former Google employee said people there had long debated what else besides thwarting copyright violations or sharing revenue with creators the company should do with its Content ID system. Google`s system for content-matching is older and far more sophisticated than Facebook`s, according to people familiar with both. Lisa Monaco, senior adviser to the US president on counterterrorism, said in a statement that the White House welcomed initiatives that seek to help companies “better respond to the threat posed by terrorists’ activities online. (Reuters

Google, Facebook quietly move toward automatic blocking of extremist videos

China&#39;s Internet regulator has launched a new campaign to clean up the comments sections on websites to prevent the spread of what it calls harmful information and to encourage what it considers more helpful, well-intentioned comments to appear. 
 
The Chinese government already exercises widespread controls over the Internet and has sought to codify that policy in Law. 
 
In a statement late on Tuesday, the Cyberspace Administration of China said the crackdown on comments sections was aimed at tackling &quot;outstanding problems&quot;. 
 
Deputy head of the administration, Ren Xianliang, was quoted as saying in a statement that they wanted to carry out a large-scale &quot;cleanse&quot; of the comments sections and make it easier for people to report illegal or harmful content. 
 
&quot;Proactively foster a healthy, positive internet culture, and let cultured comment, rational posts and well-intentioned responses become the order of the day online,&quot; Ren said. 
 
Online media must make sure their stories are not simply &quot;click-bait&quot; and that they fulfil their responsibilities to society and make sure they properly control online comments to &quot;allow the Internet to better benefit the people&quot;, Ren added. 
 
Officials say internet restrictions, including the blocking of popular foreign sites like Google and Facebook, are needed to ensure security in the face of rising threats, such as terrorism. 
 
Foreign governments and business groups have pointed to restrictions on the Internet as a broader trade issue. 
 
(Reuters)

Beijing says the idea is to 'proactively foster a healthy, positive internet culture'

China's Internet regulator has launched a new campaign to clean up the comments sections on websites to prevent the spread of what it calls harmful information and to encourage what it considers more helpful, well-intentioned comments to appear. The Chinese government already exercises widespread controls over the Internet and has sought to codify that policy in Law. In a statement late on Tuesday, the Cyberspace Administration of China said the crackdown on comments sections was aimed at tackling "outstanding problems". Deputy head of the administration, Ren Xianliang, was quoted as saying in a statement that they wanted to carry out a large-scale "cleanse" of the comments sections and make it easier for people to report illegal or harmful content. "Proactively foster a healthy, positive internet culture, and let cultured comment, rational posts and well-intentioned responses become the order of the day online," Ren said. Online media must make sure their stories are not simply "click-bait" and that they fulfil their responsibilities to society and make sure they properly control online comments to "allow the Internet to better benefit the people", Ren added. Officials say internet restrictions, including the blocking of popular foreign sites like Google and Facebook, are needed to ensure security in the face of rising threats, such as terrorism. Foreign governments and business groups have pointed to restrictions on the Internet as a broader trade issue. (Reuters)

China Internet regulator to eliminate online comments

France will &quot;go all the way&quot; to ensure that multinationals operating on its soil pay their taxes and more cases could follow after Google and McDonald&#39;s were targeted by tax raids, Finance Minister Michel Sapin said.

Sapin, speaking in an interview with Reuters and three European newspapers, ruled out negotiating any deal with Google on back taxes, as Britain did in January.

Dozens of French police raided Google&#39;s Paris headquarters on Tuesday, escalating an investigation on suspicions of tax evasion. Investigators searched McDonald&#39;s French headquarters on May 18 in another tax probe.

&quot;We&#39;ll go all the way. There could be other cases,&quot; Sapin said.

Raids this month by police and justice investigators build on the work started by tax authorities three or four years ago, when they transferred tax data to judicial authorities that look into any possible criminal angle, Sapin said.

Google, McDonald&#39;s and other multinational firms such as Starbucks are under increasing pressure in Europe from public opinion and governments angry at the way businesses exploit their presence around the world to minimise the tax they pay.

However,&nbsp;Google says it is fully complying with French law.&nbsp;McDonald&#39;s declined to comment on the search, referring back to past comments that it is proud to be one of the biggest tax payers in France.

Sapin said he could not discuss what sums were at stake because of the confidentiality of tax matters.

A source in his ministry had said in February that French tax authorities were seeking some 1.6 billion euros ($1.78 billion) in back taxes from Google.

&nbsp;

NO DEAL

Asked if tax authorities could strike a deal with the tech giant, Sapin&nbsp;said: &quot;We don&#39;t do deals like Britain, we apply the law.&quot;

Google agreed in January to pay 130 million pounds ($190 million) in back taxes to Britain, prompting criticism from opposition lawmakers and campaigners that the sum was too low.

&quot;There won&#39;t be negotiations,&quot; Sapin said, adding that there was always the possibility of some marginal adjustments &quot;but that&#39;s not the logic we&#39;re in.&quot;

Google, now part of Alphabet Inc, pays little tax in most European countries because it reports almost all sales in Ireland. This is possible, thanks to a loophole in international tax law, but it hinges on staff in Dublin concluding all sales contracts.

This week&#39;s police raid is part of a separate judicial investigation into aggravated tax fraud and the organised laundering of the proceeds of tax fraud.

Should it be found guilty of that, Google faces either up to 10 million euros ($11 million) in fines or a fine of half of the value of the laundered amount involved.

A preliminary inquiry into McDonald&#39;s was opened early this year after former investigating magistrate and politician Eva Joly filed a lawsuit in December on behalf of an employee committee, a judicial source said.

French business magazine L&#39;Expansion reported last month that authorities had sent McDonald&#39;s France a 300 million euro bill for unpaid taxes on profits believed to have been funneled through Luxembourg and Switzerland.

It said tax officials had accused the giant U.S. burger chain of using a Luxembourg-based entity, McD Europe Franchising, to shift profits to lower-tax jurisdictions by billing the French division excessively for use of the company brand and other services.

The judicial source confirmed the investigation was looking into this.

The government said this week that it had raked in 3.3 billion euros in back taxes and penalties from just five multinationals in 2015.

&quot;Nothing prevents big groups from coming to us and declaring their taxes,&quot; Sapin said.

Google, McDonald's and other multinational firms such as Starbucks are under increasing pressure in Europe for evading tax. The governments are angry at the way businesses are exploiting their presence around the world to minimize the tax they pay. Google, however, has said that it is complying with the French law of paying taxes.

France will "go all the way" to ensure that multinationals operating on its soil pay their taxes and more cases could follow after Google and McDonald's were targeted by tax raids, Finance Minister Michel Sapin said. Sapin, speaking in an interview with Reuters and three European newspapers, ruled out negotiating any deal with Google on back taxes, as Britain did in January. Dozens of French police raided Google's Paris headquarters on Tuesday, escalating an investigation on suspicions of tax evasion. Investigators searched McDonald's French headquarters on May 18 in another tax probe. "We'll go all the way. There could be other cases," Sapin said. Raids this month by police and justice investigators build on the work started by tax authorities three or four years ago, when they transferred tax data to judicial authorities that look into any possible criminal angle, Sapin said. Google, McDonald's and other multinational firms such as Starbucks are under increasing pressure in Europe from public opinion and governments angry at the way businesses exploit their presence around the world to minimise the tax they pay. However, Google says it is fully complying with French law. McDonald's declined to comment on the search, referring back to past comments that it is proud to be one of the biggest tax payers in France. Sapin said he could not discuss what sums were at stake because of the confidentiality of tax matters. A source in his ministry had said in February that French tax authorities were seeking some 1.6 billion euros ($1.78 billion) in back taxes from Google. NO DEAL Asked if tax authorities could strike a deal with the tech giant, Sapin said: "We don't do deals like Britain, we apply the law." Google agreed in January to pay 130 million pounds ($190 million) in back taxes to Britain, prompting criticism from opposition lawmakers and campaigners that the sum was too low. "There won't be negotiations," Sapin said, adding that there was always the possibility of some marginal adjustments "but that's not the logic we're in." Google, now part of Alphabet Inc, pays little tax in most European countries because it reports almost all sales in Ireland. This is possible, thanks to a loophole in international tax law, but it hinges on staff in Dublin concluding all sales contracts. This week's police raid is part of a separate judicial investigation into aggravated tax fraud and the organised laundering of the proceeds of tax fraud. Should it be found guilty of that, Google faces either up to 10 million euros ($11 million) in fines or a fine of half of the value of the laundered amount involved. A preliminary inquiry into McDonald's was opened early this year after former investigating magistrate and politician Eva Joly filed a lawsuit in December on behalf of an employee committee, a judicial source said. French business magazine L'Expansion reported last month that authorities had sent McDonald's France a 300 million euro bill for unpaid taxes on profits believed to have been funneled through Luxembourg and Switzerland. It said tax officials had accused the giant U.S. burger chain of using a Luxembourg-based entity, McD Europe Franchising, to shift profits to lower-tax jurisdictions by billing the French division excessively for use of the company brand and other services. The judicial source confirmed the investigation was looking into this. The government said this week that it had raked in 3.3 billion euros in back taxes and penalties from just five multinationals in 2015. "Nothing prevents big groups from coming to us and declaring their taxes," Sapin said.

French finmin rules out Google tax deal, more firms could be targeted

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