Google

Google releases location data to show if coronavirus lockdowns working in 131 countries

Alphabet Inc’s Google on Thursday published reports for 131 countries showing whether visits to shops, parks and workplaces dropped in March, when many governments issued stay-at-home orders to rein…

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Private WhatsApp groups are easily accessible to public – DW

Private WhatsApp groups are easily accessible to the public, searches revealed on Friday. WhatsApp's "invite to group via link" feature is meant to allow people to share access to their private…

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UK Google users could lose EU GDPR data protections

Google is to move the data and user accounts of its British users from the EU to the US, placing them outside the strong privacy protections offered by European regulators.…

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Google under investigation over location tracking as Tinder faces data probe

Google and Tinder are facing regulatory investigations in the European Union over their use of users' personal data. The investigations were announced by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) which…

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Google to restrict political adverts worldwide

Google will no longer allow political campaigns to target advertising at people based on their supposed political leanings. Campaigns will also be unable to match their own database of prospective…

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Australia takes Google to court over geolocation practices

Australia is taking Google to court over geolocation data-collection practices. The Australian Consumer Commission (ACC) has filed a lawsuit on allegations that the electronics behemoth misleads the public on how…

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Reports that Google made large contributions to climate change deniers

The Guardian reports that Google has made “substantial” contributions to some of the most notorious climate deniers in Washington despite its insistence that it supports political action on the climate…

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EU court rules Google doesn’t have to forget you

The US search engine Google has won a European Union court battle against plans to impose a global “right to be forgotten” law, which has tipped the balance in favour…

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France fines Google nearly €1 billion

The French government and Google have reached a €945 billion settlement over tax fraud allegations, concluding investigations by authorities that have been ongoing for years. A Paris court approved the penalty on Thursday of €500…

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BBC and major tech firms join forces to fight fake news

Plans to help tackle so-called "fake news" have been announced by the BBC and some of the biggest names in journalism and technology. The new measures include an early warning…

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YouTube to pay $170M fine after violating children’s privacy law

Google will pay $170 million to settle allegations its YouTube video service collected personal data on children without their parents’ consent. The company agreed to work with video creators to…

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Google warns workers to tone down political rhetoric at work

Google has warned its workers to tone down the divisive political debate and ideological feuding that have caused severe ructions at the technology company — or risk seeing tighter controls…

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Gmail and other Google services experiencing issues

Google and its popular email service Gmail experienced issues on Monday for thousands of users largely based in the United States, according to reports on social media and on Down…

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Trump says that Google manipulated voters against him in 2016

President Trump alleged Monday that Google manipulated millions of voters into supporting Hillary Clinton in 2016, saying the company “should be sued” in his latest attack on the tech giant. The…

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Russia tells Google to stop promoting Moscow protests on YouTube

Russia’s state communications watchdog has called on Google to stop promoting “illegal mass events” on YouTube following renewed protests in Moscow. Several YouTube channels broadcast live as tens of thousands…

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US to open antitrust review of big tech firms

The United States Justice Department said on Tuesday that it was opening a large-scale antitrust investigation of big US tech firms. The probe will look into "whether and how market-leading online…

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Global businesses – including Google and Microsoft – back UK to block cyber threats with new tech

Major businesses including Google and Microsoft are backing the UK to become a world leader in tackling the most damaging cyber security threats, helping to ensure the UK remains one…

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Google reaches multimillion dollar settlement on violations of children’s privacy laws on YouTube

Google has reportedly reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission over alleged violations of children's data privacy laws on YouTube. The settlement comes after an FTC investigation…

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Google suspends ticket site Viagogo from advertising

Google has suspended Viagogo as an advertiser, after claims touts resell tickets at inflated prices on the site. The search engine’s surprise decision, which was welcomed by campaign groups and…

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Trump says he will ‘take a look’ at investigating Google for treason

Donald Trump has said he will "take a look" at investigating Google for treason. The company has denied that it works with China's military in response to the claims, posted…

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US launches investigation into France’s plan to tax tech companies

US President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into France's planned tax on tech giants - a move that could result in retaliatory tariffs. The US inquiry could pave the…

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French consumer group launches class action against Google

A French consumer rights group has launched a class action lawsuit against US tech giant Google for violating the EU's strict data privacy laws. The compensation claim is a first…

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Worldwide Internet problems as Google experiences network congestions

Large parts of the internet appear to have broken, seemingly because of an issue at Google. The Independent reports that websites and services including GSuite, YouTube and Snapchat stopped working properly,…

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Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing – Monday 20th May 2019

Good morning, The leading story on all Maltese newspapers relates to the latest developments in the case of the murder of Lassane Cisse. The world headlines include the latest developments…

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Google suspends business with Huawei, Intel, Qualcomm, and Broadcom cut off dealings too

Reuters reports that Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware and software products except those covered by open source licenses. Bloomberg now reports that Intel,…

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Eurovision Contest predictions – According to Google Malta and the Netherlands top the charts

Google has dug up search data from across the competing countries, giving it a good idea of where the most votes might go, The Sun reports. Google has examined searches…

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EU countries back copyright reform

EU member states have given the final approval for copyright reforms in a bid to overhaul its two-decade old copyright rules. The clearing of this final hurdle ensures artists…

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Apple in Dutch antitrust spotlight

Apple, already the subject of EU antitrust scrutiny, became the target of a Dutch investigation for allegedly favouring its own apps on its popular App Store. The Netherlands Authority for…

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More countries exerting pressure on Facebook and Google to block terror and hate-driven propaganda

Social media giants like Facebook and Google came under increasing pressure in Europe on Monday when countries proposed stricter rules to force them to block extreme material such as terrorist…

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Trump meets Google’s CEO

U.S. President Donald Trump said he met with the chief executive of Alphabet Inc’s Google on Wednesday and discussed “political fairness” and the company’s business in China, Reuters reports. The…

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EU finance ministers fail to agree to tax tech giants

No agreement was reached at a meeting of European Union finance ministers in Brussels regarding a plan a plan on the taxing of digital giants like Google and Facebook.…

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France unveils the “tax of the 21st Century”

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire (photo above) has unveiled plans for what is being described as the "tax of the 21st Century." A new French tax on digital giants.…

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Google fined €50 million by French data regulator for breach of EU data protection rules

Google has been fined 50 million euros by the French data regulator CNIL, for a breach of the EU's data protection rules. CNIL said it had levied the record fine…

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Documents show how Google uses Dutch shell company to move funds to Bermuda to reduce tax bill

Google moved €19.9bn ($22.7bn) through a Dutch shell company to Bermuda in 2017, as part of an arrangement that allows it to reduce its foreign tax bill, according to documents filed at…

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Google launches ad showing Christmas Classic ‘Home Alone’ star Culkin in an adult version of Kevin McCallister using Google Assistant

Home Alone is a Christmas classic, and Google has now launched a new ad that will tap into oil well of sweet Home Alone fan nostalgia, in the best way possible! As you…

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Google Plus to be shut down after security vulnerability exposing private data of 500,000 is discovered

Google said on Monday that it would shut down Google Plus, the company’s long-struggling answer to Facebook’s giant social network, after it discovered a security vulnerability that exposed the private…

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UK court blocks suit against Google on alleged iPhone breach

The British High Court has blocked a suit against Google on allegations that it had collected personal data on some 4 million iPhone users. Britain’s High Court was ruling Monday…

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Belgium to sue Google for not complying on sensitive military sites images

The Belgian defense ministry will sue Google for not complying with its requests to blur satellite images of sensitive military sites, a ministry spokeswoman said on Friday. Citing national security,…

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Balkans – Disinformation age challenges in the new ‘battle’ for Macedonia

As Macedonians prepare for the most important vote in their nation’s history, scores of Facebook posts are urging voters to burn their ballots. Hundreds of new websites are calling for…

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European finance ministers agree to intensify talks on tech tax

European finance ministers have agreed to intensify negotiations on an EU-wide tax targeting the revenues of Google, Apple and other technology giants even as several member states said that they…

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On this day in 1998, Google was incorporated

The History Channel - On this day in 1998, search engine firm Google, co-founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who met at Stanford University, files for incorporation in California. Google…

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Trump has warned Google, Twitter and Facebook they are “treading on troubled territory

US President Donald Trump has warned Google, Twitter and Facebook they are "treading on troubled territory" amid a row over perceived bias. He said they had to be "very careful",…

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Google terminated 39 YouTube channels linked to Iran state Broadcasting

The Middle East Eye reports that Google on Thursday said that it had identified and terminated 39 YouTube channels linked to state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. Google has also removed…

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Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Australia has a new Prime Minister, while the US Media is analysing the Trump legal issues. In Italy, the Diciotti saga saw its umpteenth twist in political drama,…

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Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning The dust haven't settled yet on Monday's summit Trump invites Putin for a second meeting for Autumn, this time in Washington. The EU issued a stark warning to…

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Google accuses Brussels of trying to dismantle its business model

Financial Times: Google accused Brussels of trying to dismantle its lucrative business model for smartphones and other mobile devices on Thursday, as it considered asking for emergency court protection against the…

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Wednesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Matteo Salvini denounces photos of people stranded at sea by Libya as fake after being accused that this is a result of his action. Donald Trump blames his…

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EU set to fine Google billion of euros on Android

AFP: The EU is set to fine US internet giant Google several billion euros this week for freezing out rivals of its Android mobile phone system, sources said, in a…

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Google and Facebook should take more responsibility to protect children from mental ill health epidemic, abuse and addictive behaviour – NHS

The Telegraph: NHS is “picking up the pieces” of an epidemic of mental illness among children, fuelled by social media, the head of the service has warned. Simon Stevens urged companies…

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