Google

Google under new EU antitrust investigation – MLex reporter

Alphabet Inc's Google is being investigated by EU antitrust regulators on whether it may be forcing device makers to use Google Assistant as the default voice assistant on Android devices,…

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Google delays office return until January as COVID-19 worries linger

Alphabet Inc-owned Google is extending its voluntary return-to-office policy through January next year, CEO Sundar Pichai said, citing uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in many parts of the world.…

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Australia considering new laws for Apple, Google, WeChat digital wallets

The Australian government is considering new laws that would tighten the regulation of digital payment services by tech giants such as Apple and Alphabet's Google. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he…

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EU gives Google 2 months to improve hotel, flight search results

Alphabet unit Google has two months to improve the way it presents internet search results for flights and hotels and explain how it ranks these or face possible sanctions, the…

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Google is starting to tell you how it found Search results

Alphabet's Google will now show its search engine users more information about why it found the results they are shown, the company said this week. It said people googling queries…

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France fines Google 500 mln euros over copyright row

France's antitrust watchdog slapped a 500 million euro ($593 million) fine on Alphabet's Google on Tuesday for failing to comply fully with temporary orders the regulator had given in a row with…

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Dozens of U.S. states sue Google alleging antitrust violations

Thirty-seven U.S. state and district attorneys general sued Alphabet Inc’s Google, alleging that the search and advertising giant violates antitrust law in running its app store for Android phones. The…

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Trump sues Facebook, Twitter and Google, claiming censorship

Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday filed lawsuits against Twitter Inc, Facebook Inc, and Alphabet Inc’s Google, as well as their chief executives, alleging they unlawfully silence conservative viewpoints.…

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Google to introduce measures to curb online financial scams in UK

Google will clamp down on financial fraud on its platform in Britain, saying on Wednesday that all financial services will need to be verified by the regulator before they can…

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UK regulator opens formal probe into Amazon, Google over fake reviews

Britain's competition regulator on Friday opened a formal investigation into Amazon and Alphabet Inc's Google over concerns the tech giants have not done enough to combat fake reviews on their…

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Google in EU crosshairs again with advertising antitrust inquiry

Google was in the EU antitrust spotlight again on Tuesday as regulators opened an investigation into whether its digital advertising business gives the Alphabet unit an unfair advantage over rivals…

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Google’s adtech business set to face formal EU probe by year-end

Alphabet unit Google could face its biggest regulatory threat, with EU antitrust regulators set to open a formal investigation into its lucrative digital advertising business before the end of the…

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UK competition watchdog secures Google commitments on third-party cookies

Google has given commitments to Britain's competition regulator over its plan to remove third-party cookies from its Chrome browser, the Competition and Markets Authority said on Friday. The data watchdog…

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Google loosens its search engine grip on Android devices in Europe

Google has bowed to pressure from rivals and will let them compete for free to be the default search engines on Android devices in Europe, widening a pledge to EU…

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Google agrees to change some ad practices after French watchdog imposes fine

Alphabet's Google agreed to make changes to some of its widely-used online advertising services under an unprecedented settlement with France's antitrust watchdog released on Monday. The authority also fined the…

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German competition authority launches probe into Google’s news showcase

Germany's competition authority is investigating Alphabet Inc's Google News Showcase, a platform which makes news available on the tech giant's news website, it said on Friday. Cooperation with Google could…

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Serie A seals deal with Google against online piracy apps

Serie A said on Monday Google agreed to remove from its content platform some video apps illegally enabling users to watch live games as a part of a deal between…

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UPDATED: Google “respectfully disagrees” with Italy’s antitrust decision

Google "respectfully disagrees" with Italy's antitrust decision to fine it 102 million euros ($123 million) for abuse of dominant position due to its Android mobile operating system and app store…

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Alphabet Waymo self-driving unit CEO stepping down

The head of Alphabet Inc’s self-driving unit Waymo said on Friday he was stepping down as chief executive and would be replaced by a pair of executives. John Krafcik, a…

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Google Maps to start directing drivers to ‘eco-friendly’ routes

Google’s Maps app will start directing drivers along routes estimated to generate the lowest carbon emissions based on traffic, slopes and other factors, the company announced. Google, an Alphabet Inc…

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Google to contribute $29 mln to new EU fund to fight fake news

Alphabet unit Google will contribute 25 million euros ($29.3 million) to the newly set up European Media and Information Fund to combat fake news, the company said on Wednesday, amid…

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Google signs deals with Italian publishers for content on News Showcase

Alphabet Inc's Google said on Wednesday it had sealed agreements with various Italian publishers to offer access to some of their content on the U.S. tech giant's Showcase news platform.…

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Google fires second AI ethics leader as dispute over research, diversity grows

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google fired staff scientist Margaret Mitchell on Friday, they both said, a move that fanned company divisions on academic freedom and diversity that were…

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News Corp signs news partnership game-changer news deal with Google

Feb 17 (Reuters) - News Corp struck a global news deal with Alphabet Inc's Google, the Rupert Murdoch-controlled media company said on Wednesday, in one of the most extensive deals…

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France fines Google 1.1 million euros over hotel rankings practices

PARIS (Reuters) - Google Ireland and Google France have agreed to pay a 1.1 million euros ($1.34 million) fine after a probe found that Google's hotel rankings could be misleading…

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Australia to introduce landmark Google, Facebook legislation to parliament next week

Australia will introduce landmark legislation to force Alphabet's Google and Facebook to pay publishers and broadcasters for content next week, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Friday. Australia is on course…

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Ford, Google join hands to offer cloud-based data services

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co will tap into software, artificial intelligence and cloud computing offered by Alphabet Inc's Google to develop new consumer services and modernize internal operations,…

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Google says it will shut search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

Alphabet Inc's Google said on Friday it would block its search engine in Australia if the government proceeds with a new code that would force it and Facebook Inc to…

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Google and French publishers sign agreement over copyright

In a first in Europe, Alphabet's Google and a group of French publishers said on Thursday they had agreed a general framework over copyrights under which the U.S. tech giant…

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Google completes $2.1 bln acquisition of Fitbit

Jan 14 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google has completed its $2.1 billion acquisition of wearable device maker Fitbit Inc, the companies said on Thursday. The deal had triggered concerns over…

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Google launches $3 mln fund to fight vaccine misinformation

Jan 12 (Reuters) - The Google News Initiative on Tuesday launched a global open fund to fight misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, worth up to $3 million. The "COVID-19 Vaccine Counter…

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UK’s competition watchdog to probe Google’s browser changes

UK's competition watchdog said on Friday it has launched an investigation into Google's proposals to remove third-party cookies and other functions from its Chrome browser, following concerns it would curb…

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Google to add App Store privacy labels to its iOS apps as soon as this week

Alphabet Inc's Google announced it will add App Store privacy labels to applications using the iOS operating system from Apple Inc as soon as this week or by next week.…

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Hundreds of Google employees in United States form workers’ union

More than 200 Google employees in the United States have formed a workers' union, the elected leaders of the union wrote in a New York Times opinion piece on Monday.…

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Google accused of colluding with Facebook in online ad market – FT

Financial Times - A group of 10 Republican-led US states has opened a new front in US antitrust actions against Google, charging the internet group with abusing its monopoly over…

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EU unveils landmark law curbing power of tech giants with threat of fines, break-up

U.S. technology firms including Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google face fines of up to 10% of annual turnover and could even be broken up under draft European Union rules announced…

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Update – Google services recover after going down in worldwide outage

(Reuters) -Many services from Alphabet Inc, including YouTube, Gmail and Google Drive, were down for thousands of users across the globe on Monday. The company’s video platform did not load…

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Google, adtech firms targets of fresh EU privacy complaints

Alphabet unit Google and digital advertising firms are the targets of fresh privacy complaints filed in six EU countries on Thursday over the way they sell ads to potential advertisers…

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French watchdog fines Google 100 million euros for breaching cookies rules

France's data privacy watchdog has handed out its biggest ever fine of 100 million euros ($121 million) to Alphabet's Google for breaching the country's rules on online advertising trackers (cookies).…

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EU sets out search ranking guidelines for Google, Microsoft, platforms

BRUSSELS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Alphabet unit Google, Microsoft and other tech giants will have to be more transparent in how they rank online search results, under European Commission guidelines…

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UPDATED: UK’s competition regulator looking at formal investigation into Google

Britain's competition regulator said on Monday it had received a complaint about Google related to its market study this year on online platforms and digital advertising. The complaint from a…

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Italy’s antitrust probes Google for possible abuse of dominant position

Italy's antitrust authority is investigating Alphabet's Google for alleged abuse of its dominant position in the Italian online display advertising market, it said on Wednesday. The investigation follows a complaint…

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U.S. says Google breakup may be needed to end violations of antitrust law

The U.S. sued Google on Tuesday, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals in the biggest challenge to the power and influence of…

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Google renames G Suite business software package ‘Workspace’

Alphabet Inc's Google announced Google Workspace as the new name for its package of business tools including email and document editing, replacing the G Suite brand introduced in 2016. The…

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Google to pay $1 billion globally to news publishers

Google plans to pay $1 billion to publishers globally for their news over the next three years, its CEO said on Thursday, a step that could help it win over a…

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Google offers concessions in fresh bid to win EU okay for Fitbit deal

Alphabet unit Google has offered concessions for a second time in a bid to address EU antitrust regulators' concerns about its bid for fitness tracker maker Fitbit, a European Commission filing showed on…

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Facebook, Google, Twitter urged by EU to do more against fake news

Two years after agreeing to a self-regulatory code of practice to tackle disinformation, Facebook, Alphabet's Google, Twitter and other tech rivals must try harder to be more effective, the European…

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Italy antitrust opens inquiry into Google, Apple, Dropbox on cloud computing

Italy's antitrust authority said on Monday it had opened an inquiry into Google Inc, Apple Inc and Dropbox Inc over cloud computing services. "The proceedings relate to alleged improper commercial…

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Google services including Gmail hit by serious disruption

Google services including Gmail, Drive and Docs are experiencing serious issues, as the company has acknowledged on its status dashboard. The issues appear to have begun shortly after 6.30am, but…

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Google to invest up to $2 bln in Polish data centre

Google will invest as much as $2 billion in a data centre in Poland to deal with cloud services, the Puls Biznesu daily said. News of the investment follows an…

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New Google default wipes users’ location, web history after 18 months

Alphabet Inc's Google announced it will automatically delete some location history after 18 months for new users and make it easier for everyone to access its search, Maps and YouTube…

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Ireland, Luxembourg need more muscle to police tech giants, EU report says

Ireland and Luxembourg, European headquarters to Google, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon, need a substantial boost in resources to deal with data breaches by U.S. tech giants, a European Union report said. The report by the European Commission,…

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EU to initiate controversial digital platform reforms

A significant, and politically-sensitive revolution in EU regulation is expected to be kicked off this afternoon by the European Commission. The EU's executive branch will be launching a public consultation…

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Google sees resurgence in state-backed hacking, phishing related to COVID-19

Security experts at Alphabet Inc's Google sent 1,755 warnings in April to users whose accounts were targets of government-backed attackers, following a resurgence in hacking and phishing attempts related to…

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Google introduces ‘Accessible Places’ feature

Google has announced that people can now turn on an “Accessible Places” feature to have wheelchair accessibility information more prominently displayed in Google Maps. When ‘Accessible Places’ is switched on,…

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Google gives company holiday on May 22 to avoid burnout

Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Friday it has asked employees to take a day off on May 22, to address work-from-home-related burnout during the coronavirus pandemic. Chief Executive Officer Sundar…

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Google to make verification mandatory for all advertisers

Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Thursday all advertisers would have to complete a verification process before buying ad space on its platform, starting this summer, in a bid to make…

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