Category Archives: Google

Google is booting online far-right website The Federalist from its ad platform for publishing content about the ongoing protests against police brutality that violated the companys rules around content that promotes hate.

As NBC News reports, Google determined that both The Federalist and right-wing website ZeroHedge violated its policy against monetizing content that promotes hatred, intolerance, violence or discrimination based on race.

When a page or site violates our policies, we take action. In this case, weve removed both sites ability to monetize with Google, a Google spokesperson said in a statement to NBC.

Update:Google is either walking back its own statement or disputing the report from NBC News. In a statement to TechCrunch provided by Google spokesperson Christa Muldoon, the company said the following:

To be clear, The Federalist is not currently demonetized. We do have strict publisher policies that govern the content ads can run on, which includes comments on the site. This is a longstanding policy.

Google also said that the issues with both sites arose from content in their comments sections violating its policies against dangerous and derogatory content.

It sounds like The Federalist was issued a warning that it will face demonetization if it doesnt remove the content while ZeroHedge was warned previously, did not fix the policy violations and was demonetized.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate, a British watchdog group, recently sent a report to Google flagging racist content focused on the ongoing protests across a number of U.S. sites, including The Federalist and ZeroHedge. The report also noted that such sites stood to make millions through Googles ad platform.

As NBC News reported, ZeroHedge published stories claiming that the protests were actually fake while The Federalist pushed a narrative that the media was lying about what happened at the public demonstrations. On its site, The Federalist [keeps] tally of those fired from lack of allegiance to the new woke overlords, referencing fallout from the current movement for racial justice. Weve reached out to Google for more information on which specific articles prompted the action.

Both sites have come under scrutiny by tech giants before. In March, Twitter removed a tweet from The Federalist recommending controlled voluntary infection as a solution to COVID-19. The tweet violated the companys rules banning content that puts people at higher risk of spreading the virus.

Twitter suspended ZeroHedge from its platform in February after the account published the personal details of a Chinese scientist it claimed was linked to a coronavirus conspiracy. After a review, Twitter reinstated ZeroHedge over this past weekend, saying that it made an enforcement error in choosing to suspend the account.

View post:

Google kicked ZeroHedge off its ad platform, put The Federalist on notice for racist protest content - TechCrunch

Google is partnering with Parallels to bring native Microsoft Office applications and other legacy enterprise Windows applications to Chromebooks. Google revealed the new partnership in a blog post looking at the future of Chrome OS for enterprises.

While Chrome OS has long supported Windows desktop apps that are streamed via the cloud through a Parallels Remote Application Server, this new partnership means the apps will run virtualized on Chromebooks instead. The new feature is set to be available this fall for Chrome Enterprise customers.

Parallels Desktop will be integrated natively into Chrome OS, improving performance and enabling offline access for these applications on Chromebooks. Its a surprising, but welcome move that will mean Chrome OS will be able to support both Android apps and Windows apps in the future.

It will also likely entice businesses to seriously consider Chromebooks as Windows laptop alternatives for certain employees, without having to invest in solutions to stream business apps to a Chromebook.

Google isnt providing many details about the Parallels partnership just yet, but the company promises more to come on this over the coming months.

Update June 16th, 4:00pm: Added additional details, including the planned fall release window.

See the original post:

Google is bringing Microsoft Office and other Windows apps to Chromebooks - The Verge

Google has leased the top-floor office space at the Buffalo Heights District, a mixed-use development at 3663 Washington Ave. (Contributed photo)

Google, the California-based technology giant, is opening an office in the Heights area.

The company has signed a lease to establish an office on the top floor of the Buffalo Heights District, a mixed-use development at 3663 Washington Ave., according to a news release from the land owner and developer, BKR Memorial II, LLC. Below the One Buffalo Heights office space is the St. Andrie luxury apartment complex, while an H-E-B grocery store opened last October on the ground level.

Google is a major player, not just as a driver of innovation and economic transformation, but also as an engaged member of the community, Russell Gordy, the owner of BKR Memorial, said in a news release. We are pleased they chose Buffalo Heights when they were making a commitment to Houston.

Google will occupy a 12,000 square foot office space at the Buffalo Heights District, which also announced its plan to expand the development with additional residential units, office space and retail and restaurant offerings. The idea is to continue fostering a walkable urban streetscape that includes green space as well.

BKR Memorial said the Houston Endowment philanthropic organization plans to construct its 40,000 square foot headquarters adjacent to the Buffalo Heights development and overlooking Spotts Park.

Innovative companies such as Google understand how walkable, mixed-use environments positively impact recruiting and retaining the best talent, said CEO Jonathan Brinsden of Houston-based Midway, another developer involved with the Buffalo Heights District.

Continued here:

Google leases office in Buffalo Heights development - The Leader

You dont need Googles own gamepad or dongle to try its Stadia cloud gaming service, particularly now that it works on practically any Android phone but if you want to fire up Stadia on your 4K TV with a wireless gamepad, you can do that for cheaper now.

Today, Google is offering a new Stadia Premiere Edition starter kit for $99, which comes with the companys Chromecast Ultra HDMI dongle and the Stadia Controller youll need to control it from your couch, and which also works plugged into a phone or wirelessly with a computer.

Previously, Google sold both devices in a $129 bundle that also came with a free three-month subscription to the Stadia Pro service, which offers 4K-ish streaming, surround sound, and access to free games each month. The new bundle no longer comes with three free months of Stadia Pro, so its not exactly a $30 savings but if youre planning to take advantage of Googles free version of Stadia, which comes with a one-month free trial of Pro anyhow, youre paying less than you would have before.

Currently, the Chromecast Ultra is the only officially supported way to play Stadia on a TV, and the Stadia Controller is the only controller compatible with the Chromecast Ultra experience because the Chromecast doesnt communicate directly with controllers. (The Stadia Controller can send its commands directly to Stadias servers using your home Wi-Fi, which lets it get around that limitation.)

You could theoretically plug your Android phone or tablet into your TV with an HDMI cable, however, and use any of the many other supported controllers to play.

If you already own a Chromecast Ultra, check your old emails; you might be able to take advantage of a free three-month Stadia Pro trial offer, as well.

Go here to read the rest:

Google has a new Stadia starter kit, and its $30 cheaper - The Verge

A lawsuit filed this week in federal court accuses YouTube of discriminating against African American video makers and viewers by factoring in race when it comes to filtering or monetizing content.

The suit filed in a courthouse in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose on Tuesday seeks class action status and names as defendants the leading video sharing platform and its parent companies Google and Alphabet.

"Under the pretext of finding that videos violate some vague, ambiguous, and non- specific video content rule, defendants use computer driven racial, identity and viewpoint profiling and filtering tools to restrict, censor, and denigrate" blacks, the suit argued.

YouTube uses metadata and other ":signals" from videos to make decisions about filtering content or placing money-making advertising based on race, according to the suit.

"Defendants continue to knowingly, intentionally, and systematically block, demonetize, and deny plaintiffs and other persons similarly situated, their contractual and other legal rights to access YouTube based on the color of their skin or other protected racial traits, rather than the material in their videos," the suit contended.

Triggers for YouTube filtering software include tags on videos referencing white supremacy, police brutality, and "Black Lives Matter," according to the suit.

YouTube did not immediately return a request for comment.

Google on Thursday boosted to $1 billion the amount of free advertising it will give non-profits this year, taking special interest in groups combatting racism and damage done by the coronavirus pandemic.

Google has also committed $275 million to help black artists on YouTube, fund African American small businesses and other projects.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

Subscribe to newsletters

* Enter a valid email

* Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Read more here:

YouTube hit with discrimination suit by black artists - Livemint

Contrary to ongoing reports, the Government of India hasnt ordered Google and Apple to ban Chinese apps like TikTok and CamScanner from Play Store and App Store respectively. The Governments clarification comes in response to a viral message of an order allegedly from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) doing the rounds claiming that Google and Apple have been prohibited from making some very specific apps available on their respective stores.

The purported order mentions 15 apps, most of them based out of China (which means most of them are made by Chinese developers/companies), including LiveMe, Bigo Live, Vigo Video, BeautyPlus, CamScanner, Clash of Kings, Mobile Legends, TikTok, ClubFactory, Shein, Romwe, AppLock, Club Factory, VMate, and Game of Sultans. The Government of India, via its @PIBFactCheck handle, has confirmed that the order thats doing the rounds is fake.

This doesnt mean such a ban isnt possible in the future though. This is because intelligence agencies have reportedly raised a red-flag over the use of 52 apps, many of them with links to China, over privacy concerns, and advised the Government to either block these apps or discourage Indians from using them. TikTok is again mentioned in this list, so are a couple of apps from Xiaomi. Zoom also somehow figures in the list, though it is made by a company based out of the US.

The Government of India is said to have taken due cognizance of the issue and is reportedly in the process of examining the risks involved with using these apps on a per app basis. Only time will tell, how things will transpire for these apps in India in the days to come.

All of this comes amid the ongoing India-China standoff and therefore its self explanatory that were dealing with a very sensitive issue here. The Governments clarification is a welcome step, and also a wake up call, to not blindly believe everything we see on the internet or WhatsApp groups.

Get live Stock Prices from BSE, NSE, US Market and latest NAV, portfolio of Mutual Funds, calculate your tax by Income Tax Calculator, know markets Top Gainers, Top Losers & Best Equity Funds. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Financial Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Biz news and updates.

See original here:

Govt clarifies it hasnt ordered Google, Apple to ban TikTok, other Chinese apps in India - The Financial Express

Google is facing a $5 billion class action lawsuit over tracking Chrome users even in incognito mode.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the federal court in San Jose, California on Tuesday, accuses the company of collecting information about what people view and what pages they visit online despite claiming incognito mode is private, Reuters reports.

The complaint further alleges gathering data throughGoogle Analytics, Google Ad Manager, and various mobile apps helps the company learn about users closest contacts, hobbies, dieting habits, and even the most intimate and potentially embarrassing things they search for online.

Google cannot continue to engage in the covert and unauthorized data collection from virtually every American with a computer or phone, the lawsuit argues. The complaint seeks compensation of at least $5,000for violations of federal wiretapping and California privacy laws for the millions of people whove used incognito mode since June 1, 2016.

As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity,Google spokespersonJose Castaneda told Reuters, adding the company has every intention of defending itself in court.

Skeptics have long been warning companies like Google and Facebooks pervasive tracking practices collect data about users even when using incognito mode.

[M]any sites and apps include code from other parties of which users are typically unaware, researchers from Microsoft,Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pennsylvania wrote in a study published in 2019. Such third-party code can allow companies to monitor the actions of users without their knowledge or consent and build detailed profiles of their habits and interests.

Google has also previously been accused of personalizing search results in incognito mode by rival DuckDuckGo a claim that suggests the companys private browsing mode isnt as anonymous as we might think.

Read next: California blocks bill that couldve led to a facial recognition police-state

Why is queer representation so important? What's it like being trans in tech? How do I participate virtually? You can find all our Pride 2020 coverage here.

Go here to read the rest:

Google faces $5 billion lawsuit over tracking users in incognito mode - The Next Web

Jurgen Klopp does not need reminding just how special it would be to lead Liverpool to a first English league title in 30 years.

But throw in an unexpected enforced three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic and Klopp recognises that this will always be remembered as a unique season, and will make his teams likely success all the better.

Given that all of Liverpools final nine matches will be played in soulless, empty stadiums has led some to question whether that will taint the Reds likely achievement, with the idea of an asterisk by their name to mark out this situation.

An idle moment in lockdown led the Liverpool manager to look up what asterisk means in English, as conversations swirled around over whether the season should be voided completely or decided on a points-per-game method.

But now football has resumed, with the Reds holding a whopping 22-point advantage over Manchester City, Klopp can concentrate on guiding his players over the line.

Usually I do not pay too much attention to what everyone is saying around us, he says. Now I have had a lot of time to read, and I heard and saw a lot.

I had to google the word asterisk. I only knew it from the Asterix comics!

But for me, 100%, this is the most difficult year and season to become champions. It is an interrupted season that has never happened before and whoever will become champions, it will be historical.

It is a year that we will never forget and hopefully never have again because I hope we find solutions for this stuff.

So give us an asterisk. Yes. Do it.

It is the most difficult season ever. The only difference is that there is quite a points gap between us and other teams.

But if you saw City playing the other night [beating Arsenal 3-0] and saw the bench where they changed five times and there was still no Leroy Sane on the pitch, you think wow, this is really impressive. That is our opponent.

That is why when they were having the discussions about the season, I felt quite tense. Now it is over and we are here.

Liverpool begin again away to Everton in Sunday nights Merseyside derby and require just two more victories to become Premier League champions.

It will be a trip across Stanley Park to Goodison like no-other for the Reds with the Gwladys Street unable to provide its usual raucous atmosphere for the home side, but it is football.

Although Klopp shudders at the idea of his team being almost there, and of it being a matter of time until the celebrations start.

We worked so hard for this and we want to get over the line somehow, admits the German.

Nobody has to tell us we are nearly there. I am not interested in nearly, or in close. I am interested in playing the best football we can.

We have no limits or comparisons to football behind closed doors. Is it possible to play great, run a lot and run more than other periods? I dont know but lets try.

It will be different in the stadium but it is our job to make it as special as possible, especially for the Liverpool supporters.

It is a very different climate in which Liverpool will resume their Premier League campaign with football at the centre of major social issues.

Marcus Rashford has forced the government into a U-turn over school meal vouchers during the summer holidays, while every shirt this weekend is adorned with Black Lives Matter on the back in place of players names in support of the movement for racial justice.

Never afraid to speak his mind on such issues, Klopp has full backing for this.

He adds: If football is a role model for anything in life, it is for equality. Everybody is exactly the same, wherever you come from. Its all about who you are, not which colour you have.

For us in football, it is completely natural and that is how it should be everywhere. Judge people only because of who they are and not because of other things.

It is so dumb, so unbelievably dumb, not to do it like this. It is really hard for me to even understand a little bit how it can be like this.

But it is like this and so we have to stand up or we have to kneel whatever we have to do we will do.

Read more here:

An asterisk on Liverpool's title? I had to Google the word, says Klopp - iNews

Apple has officially released iOS 13.5 to the public. The update includes changes such as Face ID improvements for masks, new Apple Music features, and more. Perhaps most importantly, however, the update brings the first version of the COVID-19 Exposure Notification API developed by Apple and Google. Heres how that feature works, while also preserving your privacy.

Update 6/19: A viral trend on social media suggests that the Exposure Notification API by Apple and Google is being used for government surveillance. This is, in every way, shape, and form, false. Again, without a corresponding application from public health agencies, the actual API does nothing. When a public health application is available, the Exposure Notification API allows for COVID-19 contact tracing while preserving privacy.

You can learn more about how this works in the article below. Learn how to manage COVID-19 exposure notifications here.

When a user enables the feature and has an app from a public health authority installed, the device will regularly send out a beacon via Bluetooth that includes a random Bluetooth identifier. When two people are near each other, their phones will exchange and record these Bluetooth identifiers.

If someone tests positive for COVID-19, they can voluntarily report the positive test to the Exposure Notification application for their region. These screenshots show public health authority developers how to walk users through the process of reporting that they tested positive for coronavirus, including a unique test identifier:

The Exposure Notification API will also likewise download a list of the keys for the beacons that have been verified as belonging to people confirmed positive for COVID-19, and check against that list. If there is a match, the user may be notified and advised on the next steps.What constitutes as an exposure? This is up to the public health agencies to decide, but the API itself includes a minimum of 5 minutes of interaction for it to be considered a match.

Think of it like this: Person A and Person B spend more than 5 minutes together at a restaurant. During this time, their smartphones exchange the anonymous Bluetooth identifier. They go their separate ways, but Person A tests positive for COVID-19 a few days later and chooses to report that positive test via the Exposure Notification app. Person B will then receive a notification saying that someone they recently interacted with has tested positive for COVID-19.

The public health authorities can determine what the next steps are. If ample testing is available, the app might suggest that Person B get tested even if they are asymptomatic. If testing is constrained, the app might suggest that Person B monitor for symptoms and only get tested if they become symptomatic, while also self-isolating.

Privacy is a tentpole of the Exposure Notification API. Perhaps the biggest privacy protection in Apple and Googles Exposure Notification API is that location data plays no part in how it works. The two companies say that these applications should collect as little data as possible, and location data is not needed for this Bluetooth-based approach.

Apple and Google have repeatedly emphasized that much of the control is in the hands of the public health authorities themselves. Apple and Google are providing the Exposure Notification API, and developers can adjust the details as-needed while preserving the privacy and requirements of the API.

In fact, the API is only used by public health authorities, and can only be used for COVID-19 purposes. Not just any developer can access this API and implement it into their application. In the long-term, the companies say they are still exploring the possibility of allowing health authorities to send exposure notifications without requiring an app.

With the release of iOS 13.5 this week, Apple and Google also said they had made further privacy enhancements to the Exposure Notification API:

More details on the Exposure Notification API:

Useful Links:

As of right now, the only thing you can do is download and install iOS 13.5 on your iPhone. Again, what Apple and Google have developed isnt an application, but rather an API on top of which public health agencies can build their own applications.

Currently, no public health agencies have released an application for COVID-19 exposure notifications that actually uses the Apple and Google API. Apple says that 22 countries around the world have requested and received access to the API so presumably there are applications on the way, we just dont know when.

In the United States, three states have committed to building applications using the Exposure Notification API: Alabama, North Dakota, and Virginia. Many other states say they have no plans to participate, and you can find the full list here. Its important to keep in mind that as state health officials become more knowledgable on how the Apple and Google API works, their plans might change.

Once you have an app from a public health authority, you can enable and manage exposure logging in the Settings app on your iPhone. To access this interface, simply open the Settings app, tap Health, then look for the COVID-19 Exposure Logging pane. Here, you enable Exposure Logging, delete exposure logs, and manage installed applications.

Now that the first version of the Apple and Google Exposure Notification API is available, and the companies have made several changes in the name of privacy, will you enable the functionality on your device when an app is available? Let us know down in the comments!

Read more about the Exposure Notification API:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

Excerpt from:

Heres how Apple and Googles Exposure Notification API works while securing privacy - 9to5Mac

"Remove China Apps" was not available on the Google Play Store on Wednesday, a little over two weeks after it launched with the assurance that it could help Indians identify apps made by Chinese developers.

Anti-Chinese sentiment has been rising in India in recent weeks as the two countries feud over a border dispute.

Remove China Apps was downloaded more than 4 million times before it was taken down, according to analytics company Sensor Tower. In India, nearly 160,000 users gave the app a 5-star rating on the Play Store before it was taken down.

But it was not entirely successful in detecting apps from Chinese developers, according to some users.

On Tuesday, user Sridhar Toopurani wrote in a review of the app that "while the concept is good ... it did not detect MI Video, Helo etc."

The incident, at a remote, mountainous crossing close to Tibet, was the latest in a long line of border flare-ups between the neighboring powers, and has fueled a fresh round of anti-China sentiment in India.

Sonam Wangchuk, an education reformer who was also the inspiration for a popular movie character in India, asked fellow Indians to boycott all things Chinese in response to the border standoff.

He shared a video on YouTube last week, urging Indian citizens to stop buying Chinese goods, to "use your wallet power ... and stop virtually financing the current military bullying." The video has been viewed more than 3.7 million times.

Actor Arshad Warsi addressed his 2.2 million followers on Twitter, saying he is "consciously going to stop using everything that is Chinese."

"As they are a part of most of the things we use, it will take time but I know, one day I'll be Chinese free. You should try it too," he added.

The Remove China App caught the attention of Chinese state-run tabloid The Global Times.

Tensions between the two countries are escalating, but they also have a longstanding business relationship.

Chinese investors have also poured a lot of money into some of India's buzziest tech startups.

Vedika Sud contributed to this report.

Originally posted here:

Google removes app that claimed to detect Chinese apps on Indian phones - CNN