Category Archives: Google

Considered to be the first Muslim woman teacher in India, Google on Sunday paid tribute to educator and feminist icon Fatima Sheikh on her 191st birth anniversary.

Notably, Sheikh played an important role in establishing one of Indias first schools for girls. Sheikh co-founded the Indigenous Library in 1848 along with pioneers of womens education and social reformers, Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule.

It takes a woman and her unflinching will to bring about reform in the face of resistance, Google India tweeted.

Sheikh was born on January 9, 1831, in Pune, Maharashtra. She lived with her brother Usman. They welcomed the Phule couple to their home after they were evicted for attempting to educate lower caste people. The Indigenous Library was opened under the Sheikhs roof.

Dalits, Muslim women and children from marginalised communities, to whom doors of the school were shut, gained education with the efforts of Phule and Sheikh.

Although Sheikhs story has been historically overlooked, the Indian government shone new light on her achievements in 2014 by featuring her profile in Urdu textbooks alongside other trailblazing Indian educators, said Google India.

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It takes a woman and her unflinching will to bring about reform: Google pays tribute to Fatima Sheikh - The Indian Express

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Bell told the government that it supports a regime in which 'digital services that provide our news stories to the users of their platforms' have to 'financially contribute'

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Some of Canadas largest broadcasters urged the federal government to force Google and Facebook to share revenue with them, arguing those funds are needed for their beleaguered local TV news operations.

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Bell Media cannot continue to operate its news business at a loss indefinitely, the company said in its submission to a Heritage Canada consultation on the Liberal governments promised news compensation legislation, obtained through access to information.

Bell, whose Bell Media division includes CTV, said we firmly believe that all Canadian broadcasters who gather and produce news should be included in any news compensation regime.

More than three quarters of the companys local TV stations havent been profitable in several years, experiencing an aggregate loss of $340.7 million since 2012. In fact, local television is buckling under extreme financial pressure with the sector being unprofitable since 2012, it said, noting that in the past five years, privately-owned TV and radio stations have seen cumulative revenue losses of $1.36 billion.

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Bell submitted the document as part of an initial consultation in which the government reached out to specific stakeholders to ask what tack it should take in its legislation aimed at forcing web giants to share revenue with news publishers. The Liberal government has since said it will follow the Australian model, which imposes bargaining rules for publishers and online platforms. News media that publish online, including TV and radio stations, apply to be included in Australias news media bargaining code.

In mid-December, the mandate letter for Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez directed him to introduce, by early 2022, legislation that would level the playing field between global platforms and Canadian outlets.

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The biggest targets of that legislation will be Google and Facebook, whose parent company rebranded to Meta in October. The two companies earn an estimated 80 per cent of all digital advertising revenue in Canada.

The National Post requested all 46 of the written documents submitted in the first phase of its consultation, which took place in the spring. The partially redacted document released by the government did not include the comments submitted by Google, Apple News Canada or Rogers, another large broadcaster. While it had notes from at least one meeting with Reddit, it did not include any notes from conversations with representatives from Meta, which was among the companies that the government said provided input and information orally.

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Bell told the government that it supports a regime in which all online digital services that provide our news stories to the users of their platforms have to financially contribute to our news ecosystem.

The company argued that while broadcasters have put their content online, they cant earn enough from online advertising to justify the expense of funding the operations, while Google and Facebook online ad revenue continues to grow.

These digital platforms are growing their revenue at the expense of Canadian broadcasters while at the same time profit from the content we create through our local news infrastructure (i.e. our local journalists and news gathering resources), it argued.

Frankly, without news content provided by our journalists, these platforms would have significantly less content to provide.

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Corus, which owns Global, argued that news outlets effectively have no choice but to use Google a company can opt not to be indexed by Google, which would stop Google from monetizing the news content, but doing so would close an important connection to market.

Similarly, news outlets that dont post content to Facebook and Instagram are cutting themselves off from the 25.5 million Canadians who use these platforms, Corus said. Those who do choose to participate do so on Facebooks terms, where all of the costs of creating the content are borne by us, and Facebook holds almost all of the tools to monetize it.

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters told the government that according to a 2018 report, more than 75 per cent of Canadians turn to TV and radio to get their news, and that the value of news content to digital platforms is clear.

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While they may help to direct audiences to news sites and create some value for publishers, they retain most of the value of the user interaction through their ability to gather, aggregate, resell and exploit user data to advertisers through their algorithms, the CAB said.

CBC/Radio-Canada pointed out in its submission that public broadcasters, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Special Broadcasting Service, are included in Australias regime.

It said that any funds the CBC would obtain from the digital platforms would be reinvested into Canadian content, including but not limited to, our digital properties.

CBC urged the government to act quickly. If we take too long to implement a solution, too many news outlets will close, too many journalists will be let go or not developed, and misinformation and disinformation will continue to spread, leading to distrust in our institutions and sowing divisions in our communities.

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CBC, Bell among broadcasters urging Ottawa to force Google and Facebook to share revenue: documents - National Post

by: Kevin Accettulla, Nexstar Media Wire

This April 26, 2017 file photo shows the Google mobile phone icon, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) Google has released its most searched terms in 2021.

Each year, Google releases a list of the most popular search terms broken down by different categories. The most-searched terms overall were NBA, DMX, Gabby Petito, Kyle Rittenhouse, and Brian Laundrie.

The top news searches were Mega Millions, AMC stock, stimulus check, Georgia Senate race, and GME, according to Google.

The most-searched people were Kyle Rittenhouse, Tiger Woods, Alec Baldwin, Travis Scott, and Simone Biles, according to Google.

The top how-to searches for 2021 included how to pronounce Dogecoin, how to pronounce Michael Jackson, how to be eligible for stimulus check, how to be more attractive, and how to style straight leg jeans.

As for musicians and bands, Google said the most-searched terms were Travis Scott, Morgan Wallen, Adele, The Weeknd, and Dr. Dre.

The most-searched memes included Bernie Sanders mittens, Twisted Tea, and Squid Games, according to Google. COVID vaccine near me and COVID testing near me were the top two searches for near me, according to Google.

Olivia Rodrigo had two of the most-searched songs with Drivers License and good 4 u, while the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Lakers were the most-searched sports teams.

View the entire list of top searches by visiting Google Trends.

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What were the most searched terms on Google in 2021? - WVNS-TV

Google was dethroned as the worlds most popular website in 2021.

The tech giant was pushed into second place as TikTok took the No. 1 spot as the most popular website in 2021, according to cybersecurity company Cloudflare.

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

In 2020, Google took the No. 1 spot while TikTok came in at No. 7, making the feat of reaching No. 1 by jumping six spots all the more noteworthy.

In September, TikTok hit a new record, reporting 1 billion monthly active users.

The top 10 most popular websites in 2021 can be seen below.

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Google is dethroned as world's most popular website | TheHill - The Hill

Google has issued a warning to Chromes more than two billion users amid fears the browsers forthcoming update will break a number of websites around the world.

The tech giant announced the news via its Chromium Bug tracker, the codebase for Chrome, and a solution to the issue is currently nowhere in sight.

Its currently unclear what websites and how many are due to be affected by the problem.

Many of those that are will not likely know theyre affected until its already too late, experts say.

Users of Chrome should brace themselves for disruption or find another browser to use until the issue is resolved, a Forbes report said.

Based on Googles current release rate, Chrome Canary users could be facing this decision as soon as next month while the billions of users running the browsers stable version are looking at a 3-6 month countdown,the reportforecasted.

According to the outlet, the source of the issue comes down to version numbers ofChromes software.

The official version of Chrome is currently on version 96, while Chrome Canary the early access developer build is already on version 99.

When the version reaches 100, websites affected by the glitch will apparently stop loading.

The reason for this is these sites check the version of Chrome visiting the site, but website design software like Duda only checks the first two digits, the report, by Gordon Kelly, reads.

The check is for security reasons to stop older, unsupported versions of Chrome from visiting (version 40 and older is a common cut-off point) and Chrome 100 will be read as Chrome 10 and blocked.

Google has been launching new versions of its Chrome software at a startling speed in recent months.

For instance, Chrome 95 was only just released by the company in October.

Google is reportedly experimenting with a hack to stem the effects of the glitch.

That hack reportedly involves altering how its version numbers are displayed to ensure 99 is displayed in the first two digits in the version 100 update.

It remains unclear whether the hack will be successful or how long it would take to implement if it was.

Chrome has been under sustained scrutiny for the last 12 months, amid data leaks, privacy concerns, and other issues.

Just this week, billions of Chrome users were urged to update certain settings to stop Google from tracking their every move.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been reproduced here with permission.

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Google warns 2 billion users of update that could break websites worldwide - New York Post

This year, I realized that not being racist isn't enough. It delivered urgency to be actively anti-racist in both my personal and professional life.

But if 2020 jolted me awake, 2021 has kept me wired and restless. Ideals, priorities and values that were surfaced last year have stayed top of mind. Though my individual diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) journey will look different from yours, what hopefully unites us is our commitment.

To help, here are four DEI lessons I learned from my work as VP of Global Marketing at Google this year, along with tools to inspire all of us in 2022. After all, our work is never done.

For years, I've witnessed the transformational power of sharing personal stories within my team. Hearing first-hand journeys about identity has helped us shape a culture of psychological safety and belonging.

When we expose rarely seen aspects of ourselves however raw, imperfect or not-figured-out we foster empathy, build trust and deepen connection with others. For most of us, it's the courage in this open sharing that defines vulnerability.

But there's another type of openness that is equally significant: We must own our blind spots. Questioning, listening and learning should be celebrated and valued as another way to connect and grow.

Brands hold significant influence in shaping people's perceptions. As leaders, it's our duty to uphold the standards for learning and growing we have in both our personal and professional lives. We cannot allow our work to perpetuate stereotypes or turn a blind eye to biases.

Standards, benchmarks and practical guidance shape the best work in my field, marketing. Imagine what would be possible if all marketing teams used those tools to be more inclusive.

The launch of Google's All In toolkit, for example, represents a positive step in this direction. It offers ideas and guidance to embed inclusivity throughout every stage of marketing, and valuable considerations about marketing to a range of audiences.

With a solid place to start, I'm feeling hopeful about the progress brands can make to have more inclusive marketing in 2022.

Last year, a study found that 85% of Gen Zers think brands should be about something more than profit, and 80% believe brands should help make people's lives better.

Consumers want more than bandwagoning and virtue signaling. They want to see action and a true desire to make progress.

There are many ways to drive meaningful progress, such as helping people shop their values by enabling them to see and support Black-owned, Latino-owned, women-owned or veteran-owned businesses. At Google, we mark wheelchair accessible routes in Maps, and empower the hearing-impaired with live captioning on Android and in Google Meet.

These examples inspire me about the impact brands can have if we not only endorse inclusivity through marketing, but also double down on championing consumers' needs.

This year, one idea struck so clearly: It's our humanity that creates the most meaningful work. In other words, bringing my full self to work is the best asset I can offer my team.

In 2021, my identity as an Asian American leader was particularly forefront. The horrific surge in violence and discrimination toward the AAPI community inspired a real urgency in supporting my community.

At work, stepping up to champion our #StopAsianHate commitments was a responsibility that felt both personal and profound. It was a moment where Marvin the Marketing Leader and Marvin the Human were linked, multiplying the meaning of my work and the influence of my leadership.

As leaders, our impact will be commensurate with the authenticity, lived experience and human empathy that we bring to the table.

And with that: 2022, I'm ready for you. I invite each of you to bring your questions. Elevate your inclusivity standards. Act on your brand's values. And, most importantly, bring your heart.

Marvin Chow is the VP of Marketing at Google, where he leads marketing for some of Google's largest products including Search, Maps, Chrome, Photos and Messaging. Follow him on Twitter @theREALmarvin.

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4 lessons this Google VP learned about inclusivity in 2021: 'We must own our blind spots' - CNBC

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 20, 2020.

Geert Vanden Wijngaert | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Alphabet is on the verge of wrapping up its best year from an investment perspective since 2009, and has proven to be by far the top-performing Big Tech stock of 2021.

As of Thursday's close at $2938.33, Alphabet's stock is up 68% this year. With just five trading days left in 2021, it's virtually impossible for any of its biggest peers to catch up.

Microsoft is the closest, up 51%. Apple has gained 33%, followed by Facebook (now Meta) at 23% and Amazon at 5%. You can even throw in Tesla, which has climbed 51% for the year. The Nasdaq 100, a basket of the largest nonfinancial companies in the Nasdaq, is right in the middle, up 27%.

Alphabet, which gets the vast majority of its revenue from Google's advertising business, has proven resilient during the Covid pandemic and resistant to the latest bout of inflationary concerns. Consumers have flocked in greater numbers to web and mobile search, maps and YouTube videos, and Google's growing cloud infrastructure unit picked up business from the explosion in remote work.

In its third-quarter earnings report in October, Alphabet reported a 43% increase in advertising revenue to $53.1 billion, and a similar jump in YouTube ad sales to $7.2 billion. Earnings topped analyst estimates.

While other ad-based internet companies like Facebook and Snap were dragged down by privacy changes to Apple's iOS, Google has held up better, thanks in part to its control over the Android operating system and lack of reliance on Apple.

For the full year, revenue is expected to climb 39% to $254 billion, according to the average analyst estimate in a Refinitiv survey. That would mark the fastest growth since 2007 and follows a year of just 13% expansion, as the Google parent reckoned with a brief drop in revenue, for the first time, in the second quarter of 2020.

In early 2021, Google's search business began growing at pre-pandemic levels,driven by a rebound in advertising. Countries began reopening and consumers searched more for products and travel options while spending additional time on YouTube, which saw the most significant growth of any social media app among American users during the pandemic, according to the Pew Research Center.

"Alphabet's recovery from the 2Q20 COVID-19-induced advertising slump has been remarkable," wrote analysts from Argus, in a late October report. The firm has a buy rating and wrote, "We see continued momentum in the coming quarters as e-commerce and digital advertising have burgeoned with economic recovery."

The last time Google delivered better returns for Wall Street was 12 years ago, when the stock more than doubled for the year. Google was a much smaller company then, and its market cap didn't hit $1 trillion until January 2020.

Less than two years after reaching that milestone, Alphabet added nearly another trillion dollars, peaking just shy of $2 trillion in mid-November. Its market cap sits at $1.95 trillion, as of last week's close.

It's not just about advertising.

Revenue in Google's cloud division climbed 45% to $4.99 billion in the third quarter, while operating loss narrowed to $644 million from $1.21 billion a year earlier. Google Cloud Platform trails Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure in the cloud infrastructure market, but it's benefiting from an emerging multicloud trend, as big businesses spread their workloads rather than relying on a single vendor.

Alphabet also saw big returns from its investment arms GV and CapitalG. Portfolio companies including UiPath, Duolingo, Freshworks and Toast went public this year. Alphabet recorded investment gains of $188 million in the third quarter, up from $26 million a year earlier.

Freshworks CEO Girish Mathrubootham at the Nasdaq

Freshworks

Looking to 2022, analysts' predictions are more muted, and Alphabet may need to find new growth drivers to continue its outperformance. Revenue growth is expected to slow to 17%, about where it was in 2019, before the pandemic.

Meanwhile, investors are still waiting for some progress out of Alphabet's "Other Bets." Its self-driving car company Waymo continues to lose a ton of money, though it made strides in new cities during 2021. Alphabet continues to consolidate other projects that haven't been able to break out, announcing most recently that its folding Sidewalk Labs, its smart city efforts, into Google.

WATCH: Gene Munster on tech earnings

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Alphabet was the top Big Tech stock of the year here's why - CNBC

After briefly halting sales of its 6-Series and 5-Series Google TVs due to sluggish, buggy software, TCL this evening announced that the TVs are back. Recent software updates have allowed us to make significant improvements on the stability and speed of the TCL televisions featuring Google TV, spokesperson Rachelle Parks said by email. With these updates, this product now represents the powerful performance that TCL and Google believe is the future of TV.

The Google TVs represent TCLs effort to take a platform agnostic approach with its TV hardware; the company is best known for its popular sets that come preloaded with Roku software, but it has also manufactured Android TV products. The 6-Series (R646) and 5-Series (R546) are the companys first TVs with the newer Google TV interface, however, and early buyers complained of slow performance and some significant bugs when operating the products.

I can report that the 6-Series unit Ive been reviewing just received yet another software update today, and this seems to be the version that TCL thinks is up to snuff for customers.

The 6-Series Google TV offers improved hardware over the Roku TV version: the Google model has full HDMI 2.1 support for 4K gaming at 120Hz, for instance.

Stay tuned for our full review now that TCL has resumed sales of its premium Google TVs.

TCLs full statement is below:

TCL is committed to delivering premium products with world-class experiences and the new product featuring Google TV is certainly no different. Recent software updates have allowed us to make significant improvements on the stability and speed of the TCL televisions featuring Google TV. With these updates, this product now represents the powerful performance that TCL and Google believe is the future of TV.

Owners of the TCL Google TVs should be prompted to update their sets to the latest firmware automatically, but they can also manually get the update by following this process on the companys website.

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TCL resumes selling its Google TVs after rolling out software fixes - The Verge

Google Fit can use the devices camera sensor to track heart rate and respiratory rate on Pixel devices. However, the feature is now reportedly coming to iOS devices. As per a new report by 9to5Google, Google Fit is now adding the same capabilities on iOS, allowing iPhones get the feature as well.

With the addition, iPhone users will be able to use the rear camera on their device to measure heart rate as well as respiratory rate. The feature will also work when the smartphone doesnt have an active internet connection.

When users place their finger on the rear camera sensor of the device and apply slight pressure, Google fit can track the incoming light in the sensor to gauge the heart rate. Users can also place their hand in front of a light source and allow Google Fit to measure their heartbeat by tracking subtle changes in the colour of your fingers.

The process takes about 30 seconds and will show users a graph with beats per minute. Once measurements are taken, users can choose to save the vitals to Google Fit or not. The accuracy of the process is determined by Google Fits algorithms which also account for factors like age and skin tone.

Coming to the respiratory rate measuring feature that works by tracking a users breath when they keep the phone steady in front of them with the torso visible in the apps display. On-screen prompts in the app will guide users when they need to hold still. The subtle chest movements when you breath will be detected and the app will have your breath rate.

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iPhone users can now use Google Fit to measure heart rate, respiratory rate - The Indian Express

Major tech companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft have delayed their mandatory return to office policy, which was due to start in January 2022 for many players. This in light of the increased spread of the new Omicron Covid-19 variant. Heres a look at the steps the major tech companies are taking in light of Omicrons spread.

Amazon had already announced back in October that all of their employees would not have to come to offices, though initially, it had plans for a return to office by January 2022. They had also lifted mask mandates back in November, which is now back for Amazon warehouse employees, reported CNBC.

In response to the rapid spread of the Covid-19 omicron variant in the US and guidance from public health authorities and our own medical experts, face coverings are again required for everyone, the notice reads.

Google has delayed its return to office policy indefinitely. It initially had plans for a return to office in January 2022. According to an internal memo obtained by CNBC, Google employees who havent been vaccinated may be put on forced leave or even be fired from the company if they fail to follow Covid-19 rules.

According to the memo, the company gave its employees till December 3now extended to January 18 to provide proof of vaccination or proof of a medical or religious exemption.

Google spokesperson Lora Lee Erickson stands behind the policy saying, As weve stated before, our vaccination requirements are one of the most important ways we can keep our workforce safe and keep our services running. Were committed to doing everything possible to help our employees who can get vaccinated do so, and firmly stand behind our vaccination policy.

Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out a memo to company employees explaining that the rise in Covid-19 cases and concerns around the new Omicron variant will lead to a delay in their plans for a return to office to a date yet to be determined.

Apple also announced $1,000 bonuses to employees and retail workers for their work from home needs. As of October 2021, Apple is not taking any strict action against unvaccinated employees, though they have mandated regular Covid-19 tests for employees who are still unvaccinated. Apple has also closed three more retail stores in Miami, Ottawa and Annapolis this month amid rising COVID cases, reported Bloomberg. It has restored its mask mandate in stores and in a statement said, it will regularly monitor conditions and adjust our health measures. It will also continue with daily health checks, Covid-19 testing for employees and offer them paid leave as cases rise.

According to The Associated Press, Intel has notified all employees to either submit an exemption or get vaccinated against COVID-19 before January 4, 2022. Failure to comply with this demand could potentially lead to unpaid leave.

In a memo issued on December 7, Intel HR head Christy Pambianchi said that unvaccinated employees would need to seek an exemption or get weekly tests, even if they work from home. The company would reportedly review medical and religious exemptions till March 15, 2022. Intel reportedly doesnt plan on firing unvaccinated employees and would also still provide healthcare benefits to employees on unpaid leave.

Companies like Microsoft and Meta (previously Facebook) have also enforced vaccine mandates. Microsoft will require proof of Covid-19 vaccination to enter their buildings in the US. Meta also mandates that all employees be fully vaccinated before their offices reopen which has been pushed back due to the new Omicron variant.

Meanwhile, Amazon, Meta and Twitter announced that they would not be sending their teams to the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas which is scheduled for January 2022. Other firms like Google still plan to attend. Attendees will need to be fully vaccinated in order to get access to the show floor. But there are concerns that these measures will not be enough given the rise in breakthrough cases with Omicron in the US and other countries

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Omicron Covid-19 variant: Where Apple, Google, Amazons and others now stand on vaccination, reopening office - The Indian Express