When the Justice Department recently said that two major tech companies had paid out a total of $100 million to a scammer posing as a hardware manufacturer, it chose to not name the businesses that had been conned. But now, both Google and Facebook are confirming that they were the ones victimized by this phishing scheme. [More]
Google’s Waymo Now Offering Self-Driving Car Rides To The Public
By 4.25.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Google’s Waymo is taking another step toward its driverless car future in Arizona, where the company is now accepting applications for a new program that gives regular people access to its fleet of self-driving minivans. [More]
Samsung To Make Google Play Default Music App On All Devices
By 4.21.17 — Updated: 4.23.17
If you’re planning to order one of Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 devices today, you’ll also be getting a little bit more — or at least Google hopes you do: Google Play Music streaming service will now be the default music app on Samsung devices. [More]
Google Home Now Recognizes Specific Users’ Voices, Allows For Multiple Accounts
By 4.20.17
In a move to differentiate its Google Home voice-activated assistant from competitors like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, or Microsoft’s Clippy (yes, we know it’s Cortana, but we prefer Clippy), Google has tweaked its Google Home assistant to allow for multiple users, each of whom can supposedly be uniquely identified by their voice. [More]
Google Reportedly Planning To Build Ad-Blocker Into Chrome
By 4.20.17
Unless you work in the advertising industry, chances are you hate online ads that slow down, interrupt, or just plain ruin your browsing experience. That’s why the use of ad-blocking technology has soared in recent years. But would Google, which makes a mountain of money off web ads, actually build an ad-blocker directly into its Chrome browser? [More]
Google Blocks Burger King Whopper Ad From Triggering Google Home
By 4.13.17
Well, that was quick: Soon after Burger King launched a new ad designed to force any Google Home devices within range to wake up and spit out a list of the Whopper’s ingredients, Google has apparently disabled the functionality that triggers the devices. [More]
5 Things You Should Know About Google’s New ‘YouTube TV’ $35/Month Streaming Service
By 4.5.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
When Google confirmed YouTube TV — its answer to live-TV streaming platforms like DirecTV Now, Sling, and PlayStation Vue — details were still sketchy. Today, the internet giant officially launched the service, showing potential viewers exactly what they’ll get for their $35/month. [More]
Verizon, AT&T Pull Ads From Google, YouTube After Ads Run Next To Offensive Videos
By 3.23.17
Days after Google began apologizing to advertisers that stopped running YouTube ads after learning their brands were being featured alongside offensive and hateful videos, Verizon and AT&T say they are also pulling the plug on ads with the tech giant. [More]
Why Are So Many Tech & Telecom Companies Bad At Respecting Your Privacy?
By and 3.23.17
The 21st century world is all about data: who has it, how they use it, when they share it, and how much they make from selling it. Despite the proliferation of terms of service and privacy policies, the companies responsible for handling our data are largely doing a poor job of telling us what they do with it. [More]
Judge Says Google Must Do More To Disclose That It Intercepts, Scans Emails From Non-Gmail Users
By 3.21.17
Google recently tried to settle a class-action lawsuit with non-Gmail users who sued because their emails to Gmail users were being intercepted and scanned for the purposes of providing targeted advertising to the recipient. However, that settlement has been rejected by the judge in the case, who says it doesn’t go far enough in requiring proper disclosures from Google about this invasive practice. [More]
Google Apologizes To McDonald’s, BBC, For Running Their Ads Alongside Offensive YouTube Clips
By 3.20.17
Google is apologizing to some very big companies that stopped running YouTube ads after learning that their brands were being featured alongside offensive and hateful videos. [More]
Search Warrant Issued For Everyone Who Googled Identity Theft Victim’s Name
By 3.17.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Try to imagine a police officer in the pre-internet era serving a search warrant on the phone company, wanting the names of everyone who looked up a certain number. What would have seemed ludicrous at the time is now feasible, and one judge believes Google should turn over the personal information for anyone who used the search engine to look up a victim’s name. [More]
Facebook, Google, Twitter Told To Revise User Agreements Or Face Fines In Europe
By 3.17.17
Operating globally is tricky: You have to know, and follow, the rules not just of the country where you’re based, but of the countries and regions where you serve customers, too. And for a major silicon valley trio, the way they serve customers in the European Union is apparently not up to snuff. [More]
Google & Levi’s Will Sell A $350 “Smart” Jean Jacket
By 3.13.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
There are devices you wear on your wrist or maybe strapped around your arm, but Levi’s and Google have gone a step further in the realm of so-called “wearables” with a jacket that wirelessly connects with the user’s smart phone. [More]
Google Says Some Pixel Phones Have Broken Microphones
By 3.9.17
When you spend the better part of a thousand dollars on a new phone, it’s pretty reasonable to expect that it will actually work. But Google says that a small number of its Pixel phones contain a hardware issue resulting in broken microphones. [More]
Google Says Android, Chrome Vulnerabilities Detailed In WikiLeaks Documents Resolved
By 3.9.17
A day after Apple and Samsung announced that they had fixed or were working to fix vulnerabilities referenced in WikiLeaks’ data dump of alleged “Vault 7” CIA documents, Google has followed suit, noting that it has addressed any exploitable vulnerabilities in its Android and Chrome OS devices. [More]
YouTube Goes Up Against Cable Companies With $35 Live TV Streaming Service
By 2.28.17
Back in October, Google began shaping up its YouTube-based pay-TV service with the hope of launching the option early this year. Now, just as February comes to an end, the company has officially launched YouTube TV. [More]
Google’s Waymo Sues Uber For Stealing Trade Secrets About Self-Driving Cars
By 2.24.17
It’s no secret that self-driving car tech is a growing, multi-billion-dollar, highly competitive new space. What is supposed to be secret, however, are confidential design documents about how each company makes their autonomous cars work. Google, however, says that roughly 10 GB of those secrets — in the form of 14,000 files — walked out the door with a former employee who took them with him to Uber, swiping Google’s work and designs for the competition. [More]
