Category Archives: Google

Kim Komando| Special to USA TODAY

How many people and companies have your phone number if you had to guess? Maybe a hundred? Think again.

Want to be shocked? Your cellphone and landline number (if you still have one) are probably posted online where I found mine at a people search site that doesnt cost a dime. Tap or click here for 4 sites that let you search for phone numbers.

By the way, should you find your phone number at the No. 1 site on that list, take these steps to remove it.

Your phone number can do a lot of damage in the wrong hands. Its an easy way for someone to connect you to a leaked password or even intercept your two-factor authentication codes. Tap or click for a safer way to lock down your accounts.

No matter how long youve had your phone number, its never too late to start being more discreet with it. Here are a few ways to do just that:

Google Voice is a free service that gives you a phone number that you can use for just about anything. It works for both domestic and international phone calls and texts and voicemails.

I first set up a Google Voice number when I listed a house for rent online. When that number called, I knew what the call was concerning.

Its easy to get your own number right on your phone. All you need is a Google account to get started.

Download the Google Voice app for iOS or Android.

Open the app and sign in to your Google account.

Review the terms of privacy and tap Accept or Continue to proceed.

Tap Search to choose a phone number from the list. You can search by city or area code.

Tap Select next to the phone number you want.

Verify the number and enter a phone number to link to your Voice account.

Youll get a six-digit code to enter for the next step. Enter it and youre done.

Now you can use your Google Voice number however you please.

You can also use Google Voice to keep your old phone number if you're switching to a new one. This step is smart, given all the accounts and services tied to your number these days. Tap or click here for the steps to get that done.

Like what youre reading? Get tech news delivered to your inbox and be up-to-date in five minutes or less. Sign up for my free newsletter now.

A burner app gives you a second phone number by using your internet data or Wi-Fi to make and receive calls and texts. You can use this for just a short time like to contact someone selling an item you want to buy or keep it long-term.

A burner number is great for online dating, shopping, web forms, social media, and lots more.

Burner is one of the most popular options for iOS and Android. You can route calls directly to your secondary number. You can try it out free for seven days. After that, plans start at $4.99 per month for one line or $47.99 for a year.

Hushed for iOS and Android lets you create numbers from all over the world, so you can go outside your area code or the U.S. if youd like. Thats handy for traveling out of the country or obfuscating where you live. You can access your Hushed number(s) anywhere you have Wi-Fi.

A prepaid plan starts at $1.99 for seven days and comes with bundled minutes for local calls and texts. Unlimited talk and texting cost $3.99 per month and international service is $4.99 per month.

There are times when using an actual phone number you have control over is essential. But perhaps, you only need something to complete a form when you're creating an account online.

When in doubt, make up a phone number. Most forms won't let you move on without putting in 10 digits, so go with 555-123-4567 or something similar. Remember, if this is an account that will use your number for authentication or it's a company you want to hear from later, use your actual number or a burner.

You can always go with an alias if the site allows you to sign up and register with an email address instead. Tap or click for the easy way to do it if you use Gmail. Scroll to No. 5.

Bonus Tip: 10 security terms you need to know right now

You cant protect your privacy and security if you dont know the lingo. In this episode, Kim teaches you 10 important security terms you need to know and why theyre so crucial.

Check out my podcast Kim Komando Explains on Apple, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast player.

Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, Komando.

Learn about all the latest technology on theKim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website atKomando.com.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

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Need privacy? How to get phone calls without sharing your real number - USA TODAY

Sustainability professionals are leveling up their careers and businesses are getting new faces into their ESG departments, just in time for the new year. Food, electric vehicles and investment management firms headlined the final quarter of 2021 with unique sustainability hires.

In a first role of its kind, Hines promoted Mike Izzo, a former construction VP, to become chief carbon officer. Izzo will help the global real estate developer track its carbon emissions, develop a strategy attached to science based-targets and oversee the company's decarbonization.

Pollination Group, the climate change investment firm, appointed Helen Crowley as its newest partner to oversee the expansion into the U.K. and Europe. Crowley comes to Pollination after 30 years working in biodiversity and corporate sustainability for name brands such as Gucci. Carbon Zero Financial, social impact fintech firm, announced Cathryn Peirce, at only 27, its CEO.

After 14 years with Aramark, Kathleen Cacciola is making the jump to Googles food team as global sustainability lead. Tara Hemmer became senior vice president and CSO at Waste Management. Shauna Sadowski, a veteran in sustainability with roles at Simple Mills and General Mills is moving to Ikea to lead the sustainability development team in Sweden.

Design firm Designit hired former World Business Council Director Brendan Edgerton as its head of sustainability. HSBC made several moves including appointing Christine Chow as its new head of stewardship and engagement, where she will focus on HSBCs net zero transition, and moving Thomas OMalley to head of policy under the newly created Sustainability Office.

Continuing on the policy front, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau appointed climate activist Steven Guilbeault as the new minister of environment and climate change, and former environment minister Jonathan Wilkinson moved into the minister of natural resources role. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is moving into energy storage advocacy with the addition of Jeremiah Miller as its new director of storage markets and policy. And in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom tapped Julie Henderson to be director of Californias Department of Pesticide Regulation.

Ernest Moniz, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, moved away from policy and into business as he joined as an adviser to the board of Carbon Clean Solutions, a green technology startup.

KKR, a leading global investment firm, launched its Sustainability Expert Advisory Council, which comprises six ESG member experts: Robert Eccles, founding chairman of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), as chair; Alexandra Givens, president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology; Nat Keohane, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions; Andrew Stern, senior fellow at the Economic Security Project and President Emeritus of the Service Employees International Union; Roy Swan, head of mission investments at the Ford Foundation; and Claudia Zeisberger, senior affiliate professor of entrepreneurship and family enterprise at the business school INSEAD. Finally, Josh Henretig left Higg, a sustainable insights platform, to join the nonprofit organization Rock Mountain Inistute as its climate intelligence managing director.

The food sector had a busy quarter with hires. The 2016 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 honoree Tai Ullmann gained a top job as global sustainability lead at Cargill. Infarm, the vertical farm company, brought on former Kroger executive Suzy Monford as retail adviser for North America. The Kleenex of plant-based turkey, Tofurky, hired Gilad Kaufman as vice president of research and development. Tetra Pak named Seth Teply CEO after 20 years with the food packaging company. Emmanuel Faber became a partner of Astanor Ventures, which focuses on impact investing in agriculture and food tech.

As electric vehicles are picking up the pace, Blink Charging, an EV charging infrastructure business, announced automotive expert Amy Dobrikova as vice president of fleet solutions. Enevate, a battery innovator for EVs, made two important hires: Yednesh Parnaik as vice president of sales and marketing and Lalit Savalia as vice president of manufacturing operations. On the fuel side, Fusion Fuel Green, an emerging company in green hydrogen, appointed David Lovell as CEO of its Australia arm.

Shar Olivier became CSO of Ecoflix, a not-for-profit streaming platform. Natalie Prolman started a new position as community engagement and impacts manager at Everland, a portfolio of high-impact, forest conservation (REDD+) projects. Seattle Labor Leader Nicole Grant moved into the executive director role at climate justice nonprofit 350 Seattle. Veena Harbaugh became sustainability director of Sendle, a carbon-neutral shipping carrier for small e-commerce businesses. Apollo, a global asset manger, made Carletta Ooton head of ESG. And Rozina Kanchwala is director of energy justice partnerships at the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI). Cara Pratt became the new sustainability and resilience coordinator in Evanston, Illinois. EnergyRe, a developer of large-scale, renewable clean energy, announced Miguel Prado and Ryan Brown as CEO and COO, respectively. Adam Rutsteinjoined TD SYNNEX, the IT distributor, as director of global corporate responsibility and will lead the company's ESG team.

On the media side, former GreenBiz editor Jennifer Kho became the new president of JAWS, the womens journalism association.

Finally, 2016 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 honoree Miguel Cuunjiengmoved on from Ceres to Wells Fargos environmental and social risk management team.

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Hines creates the first chief carbon officer; Pollination, Google, Cargill make hiring moves | Greenbiz - GreenBiz

Indian Computer Emergency Response System (Cert-In), the national nodal agency for monitoring cyber security incidents and threats, will reach out to Twitter and Google as part of its full-scale investigation into the hacking of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Twitter account for a brief while early Sunday when a tweet on Bitcoin was posted, The Indian Express has learnt.

Sources said Twitter will be asked about how the account was not flagged for breach by its automated systems when someone else tried to log in. Google will be asked to furnish details of the blogspot account linked to the Bitcoin tweet, they said.

We will ask Twitter and Google for their version of the incident. Cert-In is expected to submit its probe report to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology soon, an IT Ministry official said, adding that the probe will be led by a Joint Secretary-level official.

When contacted by The Indian Express earlier in the day, Twitter said: As per our investigation to date, it appears that the account was not compromised due to any breach of Twitters systems.

Responding to queries, a spokesperson of the company said: We have 247 open lines of communication with the PMs Office and our teams took necessary steps to secure the compromised account as soon as we became aware of this activity. Our investigation has revealed that there are no signs of any other impacted accounts at this time.

At 2:11 am Sunday, Modis Twitter account sent out a tweet saying India has officially adopted Bitcoin as a legal tender. The government has officially bought 500 BTC and is distributing them to all residents of the country, it said. The tweet also had a link to a blog, with a postscript that said: The future has come today.

Nearly an hour later, another tweet from the official handle of the Prime Ministers Office said the Prime Ministers Twitter handle was very briefly compromised and that the matter had been raised with Twitter.

The Twitter handle of PM @narendramodi was very briefly compromised. The matter was escalated to Twitter and the accountimmediately secured. In the brief period that the account was compromised, any Tweet shared must be ignored, the tweet from PMO said.

This is the second time in less than two years that Modis account has been hacked and tweets with links to cryptocurrency have been shared. In September 2020, the Twitter account linked to Modis personal website and app had sent out tweets asking for donations to the Prime Ministers Covid relief fund through cryptocurrency.

Sundays hacking comes at a time when the Government is said to be bringing in a Bill to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India with certain exceptions.

The Bill seeks to create a facilitative framework for the creation of the official digital currency to be issued by the Reserve Bank of India. It also seeks to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India, however, it allows for certain exceptions to promote the underlying technology of cryptocurrency and its uses.

Last week, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had told Lok Sabha that the Government was not considering any proposal to recognise cryptocurrency as legal tender.

In July last year, the Twitter accounts of former president of the US Barack Obama, former vice-president and present president of the US Joe Biden, singer and rapper Kanye West, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Tesla chief Elon Musk sent out identical tweets, which said that if people sent bitcoins on a certain link, they would double their money.

Though these tweets were removed, some of the accounts that were compromised sent out these tweets again just hours later. Following the mass breach, Twitter said that several of its employees, who had access to internal systems, had their accounts compromised in a coordinated social engineering attack, which resulted in the hack.

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PM Modis handle hacked, probe will reach out to Twitter, Google - The Indian Express

We called four of the companies that were listed as towing businesses, but Google Maps put them at residential homes.

DENVER Denver residents in Park Hill and Congress Park may be surprised to learn how many towing businesses are in their neighborhoods -- and not just their neighborhoods, but at their homes.

"I'm not a towing company," said Park Hill resident Shana Kirk.

But Google Maps showed otherwise.

"We were just looking for directions on Google Maps and, suddenly, we noticed on top of our house, the pin for a towing company, which we do not own," said Kirk.

On Wednesday, Google Maps showed about a dozen icons at people's homes indicating different vehicle towing businesses from just south of National Jewish Health near Colfax Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, to just east of City Park.

"We called and said, 'You know, did you know that you're using our home address as your business address and could you please correct that on Google Maps?'" Kirk said when she called the business attached to her address. "And I said, 'What is the address of your company?' And she didn't know or wasn't allowed to provide it, so I asked to have her employer identified and she hung up."

The closest thing to a tow in the neighborhood is a street sweeping sign with the words "Tow Away Zone" on the bottom.

"We called just to see what would happen if we tried to actually book a tow ourselves to our own address," said Kirk. "I stopped at just before the point where she would have asked for payment information. I didn't want to provide that."

9NEWS called four of the companies that were listed as towing businesses based at residential homes.

They each had the same 228 prefix.

Each call started with the same recorded message.

Each call had the same hold music.

Each call had a different person answer with the same company name: "24/7 Towing and Roadside."

When we called the number for "Strong Wheels Road Assistance" listed at a residence in Park Hill, we were also told we had called "24/7 Towing and Roadside."

"Never heard of Strong Wheels Road Assistance," said Scott Johnson.

You would think he would have, since Johnson lives at the address where the business is supposedly based.

"I've been here about 30 years, 32 years now, and never has there been a commercial enterprise, a towing company or any kind of company," said Johnson.

Is this a scam? Is this a legitimate towing company saturating Google Maps with multiple listings, using different names and numbers to get to the same call center to guarantee getting the business of anyone needing a tow?

When we called Strong Wheels Road Assistance, we asked for a tow truck to be dispatched to our Park Hill location (in front of their supposed business address). We said we would pay for a tow truck to arrive and leave, just so we could see the name on the side of the tow truck, if a tow truck was really coming.

After quoting us a price of $189, we declined.

But because they quoted a price, it is possible whatever company it really is (if it is a real company), violated a state law, according to a spokesman for the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

The PUC regulates towing companies. It could investigate a complaint about the towing company offering a service without first getting a permit.

"I've reported multiple times to Google Maps," said Kirk.

"I think what you need to do is interview Google," said Johnson.

We reached out to Google's media team and received a response from a spokesperson that said:

Our team is actively investigating the issue and has already begun removing policy-violating content and disabling user accounts found to be associated with this fraudulent behavior. We have clearpoliciesthat prohibit fake contributed content, and our automated systems and trained operators work around clock to monitor Maps for suspicious behavior. We encourage our users toreportmisleading places and flagreviews, which helps us improve our automated detection systems and keep the information on Maps authentic and reliable.

As of Wednesday night, the 11 towing companies we found listed in Congress Park and Park Hill had been removed from Google Maps.

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Residents surprised to learn their homes are listed as towing companies on Google Maps - 9News.com KUSA

Google Doodle today: Google Monday doled out an interactive game to celebrate one of the worlds most popular dishes Pizza.

With the doodle, Google marked the day when the culinary art of Neapolitan Pizzaiuolo was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

According to the UNESCOs website, the art of the Pizzaiuolo originated in Naples, Italy and was inscribed in 2017. It refers to a culinary practice comprising four different phases relating to the preparation of the dough and its baking in a wood-fired oven, involving a rotatory movement by the baker.

Although flatbread with toppings has been consumed for centuries in ancient civilizations from Egypt to Rome, the southwestern Italian city of Naples is widely credited as the birthplace of the pizza known today (dough layered with tomatoes and cheese) in the late 1700s, says Google.

The interactive game showcases different pizzas with toppings from around the world, including one of Indias favourite the Paneer Tikka Pizza. From the classic Margherita to the Tom Yum with shrimp and lime leaves, the ten different levels of the game challenge the user to cut perfect slices of pizza. A bonus round features a dessert pizza.

Today, an estimated five billion pizzas (350 slices per second in the US alone) are consumed internationally each year, says Google. The doodle celebrates this global migration and technological innovation behind the dish.

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Test your pizza-cutting skills with Googles interactive doodle today - The Indian Express

Eve, the makers of high-end Apple HomeKit smart home gadgets for home security, energy, and lighting, has been leading the charge for the new Matter standard for a while now, specifically, its primary protocol Thread. As one of the first device makers to release Thread-based products, Eve just announced its tenth device to get the promised hardware upgrade the $99.99 Eve Room indoor air quality monitor.

With almost half of its existing products now Thread-enabled and ready for Matter, the company is turning its attention to the rest of its portfolio. Jerome Gackel, CEO of Eve Systems, confirmed to The Verge that Eve will be launching a Thread-enabled Eve Water Guard (a leak detector) in February 2022 and an Eve Flare (a portable lamp) in March; and Thread versions of the Eve Light Switch (a hardwired wall switch) and the Eve Motion (a motion sensor) will follow shortly. These two products are getting more than just a new radio, however, both will get an entirely new design, says Gackel. The new Eve Motion will include a luminosity sensor (a digital light sensor).

The company is also entering a brand-new product category: smart shades. Eve MotionBlinds are rechargeable battery-powered smart motors for Coulisse shades. They will launch in January and will be HomeKit certified alongside using a Thread radio and being upgraded to Matter when the standard launches.

Eve has committed to upgrading all its existing compatible devices to Matter when the standard is expected to arrive in June 2022, starting with its US smart plug Eve Energy and the Eve Motion and Eve Door & Window sensors. The second rollout will cover its light switches (US and European versions), the Eve Thermo radiator valve in the fall, and Eve Weather, Eve Room, and Eve Energy (UK and Australian editions) at the end of 2022.

This leaves only the companys indoor camera out of the Thread party (at least in terms of its US products). The Eve Cam works over Wi-Fi, which is supported by Matter, but cameras arent part of the Matter specification yet.

However, as Gackle first told Stacey Higginbotham, some customers may not want to rush to Matter initially. Its a reality that when Matter launches, it wont support every functionality of every manufacturers devices right away, Gackel told The Verge. Over time, it will. So, if a user is specifically using an Eve device for function X, Y, or Z, they should confirm it will be supported at Matters launch, or possibly choose to stay on HomeKit via Thread until it (function X, Y, or Z) is supported in the near future. Gackel says hes confident that all the functions will be supported on Matter over time.

Eve says its switchover from Bluetooth to Thread has already been a spectacular success for the company, helping improve its sensors speed, range, reliability, and battery life. Weve had roughly more than 5,000 emails from happy customers telling us how good it is now, says Gackel.

And while Thread devices require a border router (such as a HomePod Mini) to communicate with each other, Gackel is confident these will quickly become ubiquitous. We believe more and more Wi-Fi routers will embed Thread directly, as with Eero today, he says.

To date, Eve has been an Apple HomeKit-only option due to the companys commitment to not using a cloud-based system. This has meant no Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or Samsung SmartThings integrations. Also, no Android support. With Matter, Eve can branch out without giving up its core privacy-first, no-cloud principles, as the new smart home standard is an entirely local protocol.

With Matter, the connection to Alexa and Google will be local and wont require cloud-to-cloud communication. So, we will keep this uniqueness of privacy, says Gackel. Matter is clearly a game-changer in the smart home. In 2022 when a product is Matter-certified, you have the guarantee that it works seamlessly with all the four major platforms Google, Apple, Amazon, and Samsung and with whatever smartphone is in the hand of the consumer.

Eve is already working toward compatibility with Samsung, SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home, and Gackel says its been selected by each company for its early adopter program. Currently, Eves app only works on iPhones. Gackel says the company is still determining whether to develop an Android app or whether integration with Matter will be enough to make its products accessible to all smart home users, not just those with Apple iPhones.

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Eve announces timeline for Thread and Matter updates to its product line - The Verge

Weve all been there. Its a Sunday night, were feeling a bit adventurous and run to a local grocer to try something new. You find something that looks delicious, but the only problem is all the directions and ingredients are in another language.

You head home, try your best to work it all out and prepare it to eat. But it looks and tastes nothing like you thought it would. Worst Sunday night dinner ever.

If we had a Google Pixel 6 and its suite of translation features in our pockets though, this problem could have been avoided completely. We would have known to flash fry those noodles, not boil them.

Googles translation suite has been an incredible feature on Googles Pixel devices for a couple of years now, but with the introduction of Googles first Tensor chip, the Pixel 6 takes it up a notch with Live Translate*. Translations happen in almost real-time and its more accurate than ever plus you dont need an internet connection to use it. You can translate text, speech and listen to podcasts with translated captions.

You can even use your camera in Lens mode with a Pixel 6 to read and translate signs, labels and documents mighty handy for food labels**.

Playing around with Live Translate got us thinking. There are loads of movies and TV shows that have whole plot points built around people being in lost in translation so we pulled together a list of TV shows, movies and pop culture moments that could have been completely different if someone had a Google Pixel 6.

School girls being awful to each other. Thats basically the plot of the movie. Its funny, at times kinda deep and has been one of the key coming of age movies for a generation. The whole story could have ended up very different though if head mean girl Regina George, played by Rachel McAdams, had a Pixel 6 with Google Lens. In an attempt from Lindsey Lohans Cady to sabotage Regina ahead of the Spring Fling formal, she gives her Swedish weight gain bars, but claims they help burn calories instead. The wrapper could have revealed the truth, but it was all written in Swedish. Regina ends up getting hooked to them and by the end cant fit into her Spring Fling dress anymore.

In everyones favourite Christmas Movie and romantic comedy, we have Jamie, played by Colin Firth whos escaping home to write a novel after catching his girlfriend sleeping with his brother in a French cottage. Here he meets Portugese housekeeper Aurelia, played by Lucia Moniz. They dont understand a word each other says, but the mystery fumbling builds the attraction between them, eventually leading them to declare their love in broken English and Portugese. With Google Assistants Interpreter Mode on-board, Jamie might have had his draft saved from flying into the pond, but that mystery between them would be gone. Maybe they dont even end up together?

I mean, this whole movie would be much harder to make today with the Pixel 6 in existence. Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, a fading American movie star who is having a midlife crisis when he travels to Tokyo to promote a Japanese whisky. There, he befriends another estranged American named Charlotte, a young woman and recent college graduate played by Scarlett Johansson. The film explores disconnection through a backdrop of being isolated in a place you dont know, around people you cant communicate with.

A romantic drama and comedy that centres around a mother and daughter migrating to America in search for a better life who move into the home of an American couple. Many of the plot points are based around a clash of culture and communication, including fights that are done through other characters as an interpreter. The families are ultimately looking to live in harmony but miscommunication gets in the way throughout.

Dory and Marlin find themselves swimming for their lives after asking for help reading a scuba mask from a Great White Shark named Bruce that just got a sniff of blood, sending him lusting for fish tonight. Stuck in a submarine wreck, trying to get out, they come across a hatch which Dory has a hard time reading, with whale being her strongest language, while Bruce is ramming at them. Perhaps a fish-friendly Pixel 6 could have not only helped them find the escape hatch, but read the address on the scuba mask to avoid the whole incident to begin with.

Well, this one is more just a scene that has turned into an incredible meme template. DW wouldnt need to read if her Pixel just translated that text out loud.

*Not available in all languages or countries. Not available on all media or apps. See g.co/pixel/livetranslate for more information.**Camera-based translation using Lens is available in 55 languages. Language availability may be more limited for other Pixel translation features. See g.co/pixel/livetranslate for more information.

Specialist Writer - Telstra

Harry is a technology writer and editor at Telstra Exchange. Harry joined Telstra at the end of 2020 after a slog in the trenches of the tech and startup space. Previously, he was the Technology Editor at Business Insider, Australian launch editor of telco comparison site Reviews.org and a reporter at News.com.au. He loves breaking down really technical topics and making them digestible and fun to read for everyone. Outside of work, he has an uncanny ability to turn every conversation into something about Formula 1 or the NBA.

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6 times the Google Pixel 6's Live Translate would have come in handy - Telstra Exchange

Apple and Google have been fined 10 million apiece by Italys competition and market authority (AGCM) which has found they did not provide their users with clear enough information on commercial uses of their data in violation of the countrys consumer code.

The regulator also accuses the pair of deploying aggressive practices to push users to accept the commercial processing.

Apple and Google were both contacted for a response to the ACGMs sanction. Both said they will appeal.

Google is accused of omitting relevant information at the account creation phase and as consumers are using its services information the regulator says should be providing in order for people to decide whether or not to consent to its use of their data for commercial ends.

The AGCM has also accused Apple of failing to immediately provide users with clear information on how it uses their information commercially when they create an Apple ID or access its digital stores, such as the App Store.

Its the rather more surprising sanction given Apples carefully cultivated image as a champion of consumer privacy (not to mention the premium its devices and services tend to command vs cheaper, ad-supported alternatives, such as stuff made by Google).

The Italian regulator lumps both companies practices together in a press release announcing the sanctions accusing each one of being especially aggressive in pushing self-serving commercial terms on their respective users, especially at the account creation phase.

For Google, the ACGM notes that it pre-sets user acceptance of commercial processing and also notes that the adtech giant fails to provide a clear way for users to revoke consent for these data transfers later or otherwise change their choice after the account step has been completed.

It also takes the view that Apples approach denies users the ability to properly exercise choice over its commercial use of their data, with the regulator arguing the iPhone makers data acquisition practices and architecture essentially condition the consumer to accept its commercial terms.

Its an awkward accusation for a company that splashes major marketing cash on suggesting its devices and software are superior to alternatives (such as tech made by Google) exactly because it claims to put user privacy at the core of what it does.

In a statement, Apple rejected the ACGMs finding writing:

We believe the Authoritys view is wrong and will be appealing the decision. Apple has a long-standing commitment to the privacy of our users and we work incredibly hard to design products andfeatures that protect customer data. We provide industry-leading transparency and control to all users so they can choose what information to share or not, and how it is used.

A Google spokeswoman also disagreed with the findings, sending this statement:

We have transparent and fair practices in order to provide our users with helpful tools and clear information about their usage. We give people simple controls to manage their information and limit the use of personal data, and we work hard to be fully compliant with the consumer protection rules. We disagree with the Authoritys decision and we will appeal.

The full text of the ACGMs decisions can be found here: For Apple and Google.

The Italian regulator has had a busy few days slapping big tech: Earlier this week it issued a $230M fine (total) for Apple and Amazon over alleged collusion around the sale of Apple kit on Amazons Italian marketplace.

It has also been stepping up investigations of tech giants over a period of years earlier this year it fined Facebook over similar issues with its commercial use of peoples data, while this summer it hit Google with a $123M fine related to Android Auto. It also has an open probe into Googles displaying advertising business.

Other fines from the ACGM in recent years include one for Apple related to misleading iPhone users about the devices water resistance and another for Apple and Samsung for slowing devices.

More here:

Italy fines Apple and Google for aggressive data practices - TechCrunch

As part of an ongoing antitrust investigation into Googles Privacy Sandbox by the UKs competition regulator, the adtech giant has agreed to an expanded set of commitments related to oversight of its planned migration away from tracking cookies, the regulator announced today.

Google has also put out its own blog post on the revisions which it says are intended to underline our commitment to ensuring that the changes we make in Chrome will apply in the same way to Googles ad tech products as to any third party, and that the Privacy Sandbox APIs will be designed, developed and implemented with regulatory oversight and input from the CMA [Competition and Markets Authority] and the ICO [Information Commissioners Office].

Google announced its intention to deprecate support for the third party tracking cookies that are used for targeting ads at individuals in its Chrome browser all the way back in 2019 and has been working on a stack of what it claims are less intrusive alternative ad-targeting technologies (aka, the Privacy Sandbox) since then.

The basic idea is to shift away from ads being targeted at individuals (which is horrible for Internet users privacy) to targeting methods that put Internet users in interest-based buckets and serve ads to so-called cohorts of users (aka, FloCs) which may be less individually intrusive however its important to note that Googles proposed alternative still has plenty of critics (the EFF, for example, has suggested it could even amplify problems like discrimination and predatory ad targeting).

And many privacy advocates would argue that pure-play contextual targeting poses the least risk to Internet users rights while still offering advertisers the ability to reach relevant audiences and publishers to monetize their content.

Googles Sandbox plan has attracted the loudest blow-back from advertisers and publishers, who will be directly affected by the changes. Some of whom have raised concerns that the shift away from tracking cookies will simply increase Googles market power hence the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opening an antitrust investigation into the plan in January.

As part of that probe, the CMA had already secured one set of commitments from Google around how it would go about the switch, including that it would agree to halt any move to deprecate cookies if the regulator was not satisfied the transition could take place in a way that respects both competition and privacy; and agreements on self-preferencing, among others.

A market consultation on the early set of commitments drew responses from more than 40 third parties including, TechCrunch understands, input from international regulators (some of who are also investigating Googles Sandbox, such as the European Commission, which opened its own probe of Googles adtech in June) .

Following that, the first set of proposed commitments has been expanded and beefed up with additional requirements (see below for a summary; and here for fuller detail from the CMAs Notice of intent to accept the modified commitments).

The CMA will now consult on the expanded set with a deadline of 5pm on December 17, 2021, to take fresh feedback.

It will then make a call on whether the beefed up bundle bakes in enough checks-and-balances to ensure that Google carries out the move away from tracking cookies with the least impact on competition and the least harm to user privacy (although it will be the UKs ICO thats ultimately responsible for oversight of the latter piece).

If the CMA is happy with responses to the revised commitments, it would then close the investigation and move to a new phase of active oversight, as set out in the detail of what its proposing to agree with Google.

A potential timeline for this to happen is early 2022 but nothing is confirmed as yet.

Commenting in a statement, CMA CEO Andrea Coscelli said:

We have always been clear that Googles efforts to protect users privacy cannot come at the cost of reduced competition.

Thats why we have worked with the Information Commissioners Office, the CMAs international counterparts and parties across this sector throughout this process to secure an outcome that works for everyone.

We welcome Googles co-operation and are grateful to all the interested parties who engaged with us during the consultation.

If accepted, the commitments we have obtained from Google become legally binding, promoting competition in digital markets, helping to protect the ability of online publishers to raise money through advertising and safeguarding users privacy.

In general, the expanded commitments look intended to offer a greater level of reassurance to the market that Google will not be able to exploit loopholes in regulatory oversight of the Sandbox to undo the intended effect of addressing competition risks and privacy concerns.

Notably, Google has agreed to appoint a CMA approved monitoring trustee as one of the additional measures its suggesting to improve the provisions around reporting and compliance.

It will also dial up reporting requirements, agreeing to ensure that the CMAs role and the regulators ongoing process which the CMA now suggests should continue for a period of six years are mentioned in its key public announcements; and to regular (quarterly) reporting to the CMA on how it is taking account of third party views as it continues building out the tech bundle.

Transparency around testing is also being beefed up.

On that, there have been instances, in recent months, where Google staffers have not been exactly fulsome in articulating the details of feedback related to the Origin Trial of its FloCs technology to the market, for example. So its notable that another highlighted change requires Google to instruct its staff not to make claims to customers which contradict the commitments.

Another concern reflected in the revisions is the worry of market participants of Google removing functionality or information before the full Privacy Sandbox changes are implemented hence it has offered to delay enforcement of its Privacy Budget proposal andoffered commitments around the introduction of measures to reduce access to IP addresses.

We understand that concerns from market participants also covered Google removing other functionality such as the user agent string and that strengthened commitments are intended to address those wider worries too.

Self-preferencing requirements have also been dialled up. And the revised commitments include clarifications on the internal limits on the data that Google can use and monitoring those elements will be a key focus for the trustee.

The period of active oversight by the CMA has also been extended vs the earlier plan to six years from the date of any decision to accept Googles modified commitments (up from around five).

This means that if the CMA agrees to the commitments next year they could be in place until 2028. And by then the UK expects to have reformed competition rules wrapping tech giant as

In its own blog post, Google condenses the revised commitments thus:

As with the earlier set of pledges, it has agreed to apply the additional commitments globally assuming the package gets accepted by the UK regulator.

So the UK regulator continues playing a key role in shaping how key web infrastructure evolves.

Googles blog most also makes reference to an opinion published yesterday by the UKs information commission which urged the adtech industry of the need to move away from current tracking and profiling methods of ad targeting.

We also support the objectives set out yesterday in the ICOsOpinion on Data protection and privacy expectations for online advertising proposals, including the importance of supporting and developing privacy-safe advertising tools that protect peoples privacy and prevent covert tracking, Google noted.

This summer Google announced a delay to its earlier timeline for the deprecation of tracking cookies saying support wouldnt start being phased out in Chrome until the second half of 2023.

There is no suggestion from the tech giant as this point of any additional delay to that timeline assuming it gets the regulatory greenlight to go ahead.

Read the original post:

Google agrees with UKs CMA to deeper oversight of Privacy Sandbox - TechCrunch

Googles Irish subsidiary has agreed to pay 218m (183m) in back taxes to the Irish government, according to company filings.

The US tech company, which had been accused of avoiding hundreds of millions in tax across Europe through loopholes known as the double Irish, Dutch sandwich, said it had agreed to the resolution of certain tax matters relating to prior years.

Google Ireland said it would pay corporation tax of 622m for 2020, including the 218m backdated settlement and interest charges. The previous year Google Ireland paid taxes of 263m.

In line with a 2015 law, the company, which is part of the parent company Alphabet, promised last year that it would ditch the loopholes strategy, which allowed it to effectively shuffle revenues made across Europe offshore to places like Bermuda, where the tax rate was zero. A Bloomberg investigation showed the scheme allowed Google to cut its overseas tax rate to just 2.4%.

Google did not explain the reason for the back tax payment in its accounts and did not respond to request for comment. In the filing it said only: Subsequent to year-end, the company agreed to the resolution of certain tax matters relating to prior years. This tax liability and associated interest are recognised in the current financial year.

Paul Monaghan, the chief executive of the Fair Tax Foundation, said: There really is a disgraceful lack of transparency around Alphabets tax conduct, especially at the level of the Irish subsidiaries. Stakeholders have a right to know what this Irish corporation tax settlement relates to.

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Investors in particular should be concerned given Alphabets US filings show that it has billions more in dispute with tax authorities around the globe in circumstances where, by its own definition, it has less than 50% chance of winning.

Ireland, which has provided low-tax European headquarters for many of the worlds largest multinationals, initially declined to sign up to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development agreement for a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% by 2023, but dropped its resistance to the plan after a change to the text.

The agreement, which has been joined by most of 140 countries taking part in negotiations, is designed to end decades of countries undercutting their neighbours by offering companies lower taxes.

The accounts show Google Ireland Limited made a pre-tax profit of 2.85bn in 2020, up from 1.94bn in 2019. Turnover rose by 2.7bn to 48.4bn.

Read more:

Google to pay 183m in back taxes to Irish government - The Guardian