Category: Google

Beefing Up Its Cybersecurity, Google Buys Mandiant for $5.4 Billion

SILVER SPRING, Md.—Google is fortifying its cloud services with a $5.4 billion acquisition of the cyber security firm Mandiant, the companies announced Tuesday. The acquisition is the first of many that analysts foresee in the cyber security sector following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Analysts and government officials have said they expect a wave of cyberattacks…


Google Suspends Ad Sales in Russia, Including on YouTube, State-Funded Publisher Sites

Google has suspended selling of all online advertising in Russia, including on its YouTube platform, the company said on Thursday. “In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we’re pausing Google ads in Russia,” Google said in a statement to The Wrap. “The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate.” The spokesperson…


Google Employees Told to Come Back to Offices, Vaccinated Don’t Need to Wear Masks

Google is asking employees in the United States, Asia-Pacific, and the UK to return back to offices for three days per week beginning April 4, marking the end of the company’s full-time remote working option instituted during the pandemic and a transition toward hybrid work. “Google’s approach to the hybrid work week was inspired by…


Fitbit Recalls Over One Million Ionic Smartwatches Over Burn Injury Risk

Google-owned Fitbit has recalled more than a million of its Ionic smartwatches following reports that overheating batteries had caused burn injuries, the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said on Wednesday. The regulator said Fitbit had received at least 115 reports in the United States and 59 from overseas, including cases where the overheating led…


Online Publishers Are Ditching Google

Multiple leading online publishers look to ditch Alphabet Inc.’s Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages program to optimize readers’ mobile-browsing experience, the Wall Street Journal reports. Media executives admitted that dropping AMP would give them more control over their page designs and ad formats, and make it easier to sell ad space in auctions, ultimately boosting competition and prices for…


Bill Maher Slams US-born Eileen Gu for Representing a ‘Totalitarian Police State Over America’ at Olympics

Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu. Lebron James and the NBA. Hollywood stars John Cena and Tom Cruise. Google. HBO host Bill Maher slammed these names during the latest episode of his show, criticizing them for choosing to support the Chinese regime. In a monologue on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Maher started by leveling criticism…


Google Announces Start of Multi-Year Process to Change Android User App Tracking

Google on Feb. 16 announced the start of a multi-year process to limit the ability for advertisers to track users of Android devices and said it is exploring technologies that reduce the potential for covert data collection. “Today, we’re announcing a multi-year initiative to build the Privacy Sandbox on Android, with the goal of introducing new, more private…


Google-Backed Artificial Intelligence Taught to Control Nuclear Fusion Reactor

DeepMind, the UK-based subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has taught artificial intelligence how to control a nuclear fusion reactor. The company announced on Feb. 16 that it had used AI to successfully control superheated matter inside a nuclear fusion reactor, and their findings are detailed in a paper published in the journal, Nature. DeepMind whose long-term goal is…


Google Keeps Android Ad Tool Into at Least 2024, Exploring Other Options

NEW YORK—Alphabet Inc.’s Google on Wednesday said it would keep alive for at least two years a tracking technology on its Android phones that is relied upon by advertisers, easing speculation about its plans after Apple Inc. frustrated the ad industry by restricting a similar tool. Google said it would give “substantial notice” before axing…


Dutch Foundation Seeks Consumer Damages Over Apple, Google App Payments

AMSTERDAM—Apple and Google face a potential class-action lawsuit in the Netherlands over app store charges, after a foundation headed by Dutch entrepreneur Alexander Klöpping began gathering claimants. The action, which still faces legal hurdles before any court hearing, reflects growing criticism over how much the two firms charge developers for payments on their app stores,…