Google's AI model faces European Union scrutiny from privacy watchdog
European Union regulators say theyโre investigating one of Googleโs artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the blocโs strict data privacy rules.
California advances unique safety regulations for AI companies despite tech firm opposition
California lawmakers have advanced a bill that would regulate powerful artificial intelligence systems.
Judge rather than jury will render verdict in upcoming antitrust trial
A judge rather than a jury will decide whether Google violated federal antitrust laws by building a monopoly on the technology that powers online advertising.
Japanese doctors demand damages from Google over "groundless" reviews
A group of Japanese doctors has filed a civil lawsuit against U.S. search giant Google, demanding damages for what they say are results showing unpoliced derogatory and often false comments.
Congress urged to revive long-stalled debate about regulating self-driving vehicles
Advocates for the self-driving vehicle industry are asking Congress to expand their ability to test and eventually sell autonomous cars and trucks.
KFC apologizes for app alert urging orders for Kristallnacht
KFC has apologized for accidentally sending an automated push alert to its app users in Germany that appeared to urge people to order food to commemorate the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht โ the โNight of Broken Glassโ โ when Nazis terrorized Jews throughout Germany and Austria.
Bed Bath & Beyond tumbles after influential investor exits
The newest meme stock on Wall Street, Bed Bath & Beyond, has tumbled even further in after-hours trading after a high-profile activist investor confirmed that heโs bailed out of the stock.
Google workers demand abortion protections, data privacy
Hundreds of Google employees are petitioning the company to extend its abortion health care benefits to contract workers and to strengthen privacy protections for Google users searching for abortion information online.
Bed Bath & Beyond shares soar as Ryan Cohen takes huge stake
The investment firm of billionaire Ryan Cohen has taken a large stake in Bed Bath & Beyond and is recommending that the struggling retailer sell all or part of its business.
Zuckerberg, Chan to invest up to $3.4B for science advances
A spokesperson for the company that runs the philanthropy of Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, said the company is investing up to $3.4 billion to advance human health over 10 to 15 years.
Google cracks down on ads promoting climate change denial
Google will no longer allow digital ads promoting false climate change claims to appear next to the content of other publishers, hoping to deny money to those making such claims and to stop the spread of misinformation on its platform.
Ozy CEO: 'premature' to shut down after week of scandal
Carlos Watson, the CEO of Ozy Media, says it was โprematureโ to shut down and that he wants to keep operating, despite a scandal-ridden week that exposed Ozy as a media company without much of an audience.
Self-driving car pioneer Waymo gets $2.5B to fuel ambitions
The self-driving car pioneer that was spun off from Google isnโt allowing a recent wave of executive departures to detour its plans to expand its robotic taxi service.
Australia to amend laws to make Google and Facebook pay
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)CANBERRA โ Australiaโs government said on Tuesday it will amend draft laws that would make Google and Facebook pay for news to clarify that publishers would be paid in lump sums rather than per click on news article links. โOn face value, the amendments keep the integrity of the media code intact,โ the centerโs director Peter Lewis said in a statement. Google and Facebook, which take a combined 81% of online advertising in Australia, have condemned the bill as unworkable. Google has threatened to make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the code were introduced. Seven West Media on Monday became the largest Australian news media business to strike a deal with Google to pay for journalism.
Major Australian media company strikes Google news pay deal
Kerry Stokes, chairman of Seven West Media, which owns 21 publications, thanked the government and the Australian competition regulator for their proposed law that the Parliament will consider Tuesday. Google has reached pay deals with more than 450 publications globally since News Showcase was launched in October. Neither Google nor Seven West Media mentioned how much the deal was worth. โIf it goes through as is, it will be very beneficial for Australian media,โ Barnet said of the code. Seven West Media said it will release more details about the deal after those details are finalized within 30 days.
Australian prime minister says Bing could replace Google
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)CANBERRA โ Australia's prime minister said on Monday that Microsoft is confident it can fill the void if Google carries out its threat to remove its search engine from Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he has spoken to Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella about its search engine, Bing, filling the space. AdAlthough Bing is Australiaโs second most popular search engine, it has only a 3.6% market share, according to web analytics service Statcounter. AdThe mandatory code of conduct proposed by the government aims to make Google and Facebook pay Australian media companies fairly for using news content the tech giants siphon from news sites. But Google is resisting the Australian plan because it would have less control over how much it would have to pay.
Google workers form new labor union, a tech industry rarity
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)A group of Google engineers and other workers announced Monday they have formed a union, creating a rare foothold for the labor movement in the tech industry. About 225 employees at Google and its parent company Alphabet are the first dues-paying members of the Alphabet Workers Union. But the new union, which will be affiliated with the larger Communication Workers of America, says it will serve as a โstructure that ensures Google workers can actively push for real changes at the company." Later in 2018, thousands of Google employees walked out to protest how the company handled sexual misconduct allegations against executives. Allen said the Alphabet Workers Union is not currently planning to pursue official recognition as a collective bargaining group.
Google rejects DOJ antitrust claims in court filing
FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2019, file photo a sign is shown on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif. Google is formally pushing back on antitrust claims brought against it by the Justice Department two months ago. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)Google is pushing back in court this week on antitrust claims brought against it by the Justice Department two months ago. In a legal filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Google denied or partially rejected almost 200 specific complaints against it. On only one count, that Google was a โfounded in Menlo Park garage 22 years ago,โ did the company side with the Justice Department. In October the Justice Department sued Google for abusing its dominance in online search and advertising โ the governmentโs most significant attempt to protect competition since its groundbreaking case against Microsoft more than 20 years ago.
Dozens of states file anti-trust lawsuit against Google
The lawsuit, announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by states represented by bipartisan attorneys general. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court in Washington by attorneys general of 35 states as well as the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. โThis is a big deal.โThe DOJ brought an antitrust suit against AT&T in 1974 that led to its breakup. On Wednesday, 10 states led by Republican attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Google accusing it of โanti-competitive conductโ in the online advertising industry, including a deal to manipulate sales with rival Facebook. ___This story has been updated to reflect the lawsuit is an effort of 35 states as well as the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, not 38 states.
EU auditors: Antitrust probes too slow to curb tech giants
The European Court of Auditors, which has examined the EU's enforcement of competition rules over the past decade, says antitrust investigations have taken too long, dulling their effectiveness. Google is currently appealing a 2.4 billion euro ($2.9 billion) antitrust fine levied in 2017 that stems from an investigation into its shopping search results that began a decade ago. Google is currently appealing a 2.4 billion euro ($2.9 billion) antitrust fine levied in 2017 that stems from an investigation into its shopping search results that began a decade ago. The report found that antitrust cases took an average of four years before a decision was made. Under EU legislation, antitrust investigations can only start after a competition problem has been spotted, the report said.
Report: Google facing onslaught of antitrust cases in US
U.S. Attorney General William Barr has previously said he hoped to decide whether to pursue an antitrust case against Google by the summer. Google acknowledged it has ongoing discussions with the Justice Department and Paxton without elaborating on the nature of the talks. When the FTC closed its case, Google was generating annual revenue of $50 billion. Most of the money comes from a digital ad market that Google dominates along with social networking rival Facebook another potential target of antitrust regulators. Antitrust regulators in Europe have attempted to crack down on Google by imposing multi-billion dollar fines and ordering changes to its practices.
Google wants to help you survive world filled with data breaches
Google is trying to help users navigate that headache by rolling out new tools. If a username and password has been compromised in a data breach, a notification will pop up encouraging you to change your password. Google pulls in data to check breached passwords from the open Web and Dark Web, said Mark Risher, director of account security at Google, at a briefing with reporters in New York. Usernames and passwords are often "dumped" on the open Web in the wake of data breaches, he said. Google has found 4 billion unique username and password combinations from crawling only the open Web.
The Pixel 4 is coming: Google announces October 15 event
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - The Pixel 4 is coming soon: Google has sent members of the press an invitation to an October 15 "Made by Google" event at which it's expected to unveil the new smartphone. At last year's event, Google rolled out the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, the Home Hub and a new Chromebook. The new Pixel is expected to have 6 GB of RAM, up from 4 GB in the Pixel 3. They'll most likely be powered by the phone's motion sensors that Google described in a blog post in July. Pixel phones are currently the only Android devices that feature Android 10.
New baby monitor could use AI to alert parents before infant awakes
The internet search giant has worked on a product that promises to warn parents before their little one has even woken up. Using video streaming, audio recordings and AI, the device would monitor the baby's behavior against a database of normal patterns. Based on the infant's movements and any noise it makes, it would detect anything out of character and subsequently issue an alert if the baby appears uncomfortable. An alert could be issued before the baby cries or even wakes up, according to the patent, which was first reported by CNBC. The patent filing states: "While a baby's cry may alert his parents to the baby being in distress, sometimes a baby will not audibly indicate his distress.
Google pulls popular app after it spread malware
CNN imageMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Google has removed a popular app after researchers discovered it was spreading malware. Researchers at security firm Kaspersky had found a number of negative reviews on the app's Google Play profile that complained the app had the "presence of unwanted features," according to a blog post. The Android version of the app that was injected with malware from an advertiser could potentially show "intrusive advertising" to CamScanner users. On its website, CamScanner blames a third-party advertising company for inserting a "malicious module that produces unauthorized advertising clicks" into a new version of its Android app. CamScanner said it's developing an updated version of the app for the Google Play store and is also offering a direct download from its website for it.
Patrick Henry football ready to put maturity and discipline to work
ROANOKE, Va. โ The Patrick Henry Patriots had a 5-5 record in 2018, including a playoff game appearance where they fell to Mountain View. Making the postseason hasn't been an issue for seven years straight, but advancing has been a struggle. According to head coach Alan Fiddler, the maturity and experience this team has may be the secret to a great season. Receiver Trey Divers agreed, "A lot of teams in Roanoke, where there's discipline, you get your wins. Like Salem, they're disciplined, they win a lot of games, go to state championships.
Northside, George Wythe Boys, Parry McCluer girls win region titles
ROANOKE, Va. โ The Northside boys remain perfect on the year, downing Hidden Valley 61-36 to win the Region 3D championship. At Eastern Montgomery High School George Wythe outlasted Covington to win the 1C title. Elsewhere the Parry McCluer girls win the 1C title over Galax and William Fleming's girls win their semifinal in Region 5D over Mountain View 75-50. Here are the rest of your scores from around SW Virginia:BOYS BASKETBALLClass 6ARegion B FinalJames River-Midlothian 52, Franklin County 51Class 3Region D FinalNorthside 61, Hidden Valley 36Class 2ARegion C SemifinalMartinsville 41, Dan River 39Radford 61, Glenvar 48Class 1Region C FinalGeorge Wythe-Wytheville 80, Covington 51GIRLS BASKETBALLClass 5Region D SemifinalWilliam Fleming 75, Mountain View 46Class 3Region C FinalSpotswood 43, Brookville 41, OTRegion D FinalAbingdon 58, Lord Botetourt 56Class 1Region C FinalParry McCluer 59, Galax 47VACASemifinalFaith Christian-Roanoke 43, Grace Christian 21