Category Archives: Google

BRUSSELS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Alphabet (GOOGL.O) unit Google is seeking to settle an EU antitrust investigation into its digital advertising business, a person familiar with the matter said, a move that could help it stave off a disruptive, lengthy probe and a possible hefty fine.

EU antitrust cases have cost Google more than 8 billion euros ($9.4 billion) in fines in three different cases in the last decade and it has also been ordered to change its business practices to allow rivals to compete.

The European Commission opened an investigation in June into whether Google favours its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of rivals, advertisers and online publishers.

Google has made a proposal to the Commission, the person said, declining to provide details because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The Commission,which acts as the competition enforcer for the 27-country bloc, declined to comment.

Google, which will face off with the enforcer at a 5-day court hearing next week over its record 4.34-billion-euro fine related to its Android mobile operating system, did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

It remains to be seen whether European antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager is open to settlement talks which typically take months or even years before any agreement can be reached or they could stall mid-way.

She has in her last three Google cases preferred sanctions instead of negotiating a solution. A settlement decision would include no fine and no finding of wrongdoing.

Google could face a fine up to 10% of its global turnover amounting to $18.2 billion based on last year's revenue if found guilty of breaching EU antitrust rules.

Regulators will examine whether Google restricts third party access to user data for advertising purposes on websites and apps, while keeping such data for its own use.

The company's plan to remove browser cookies and also to stop tracking Android users via a tool known as an advertising identifier will also come under scrutiny.

Last year, Google made $147 billion in revenue from online ads, more than any other company in the world, with ads including search, YouTube and Gmail accounting for the bulk of its overall sales and profits.

About 16% of its revenue came from the company's display or network business, in which other media companies use Google technology to sell ads on their website and apps. read more

Research company eMarketer estimated Google will capture 30% of the global internet advertising market this year while increasing sales by 18% to $117 billion.

Trials in U.S. advertising cases brought against Google by state and federal governments as well as several private companies are not expected to begin for at least two more years.

Google has also sought to settle another advertising probe recently. In June, it pledged to work closely with the UK Competition and Markets Authority on the company's plan to remove tracking cookies from the Chrome browser because the move raised antitrust concerns from the advertising industry.

The regulator is currently weighing whether to accept Google's concessions. read more

The United States and the EU are looking to work more closely in regulating Big Tech at a summit next week. read more

($1 = 0.8531 euros)

Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Paresh Dave in San Francisco; editing by Philip Blenkinsop, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Jane Merriman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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EXCLUSIVE Google offers to settle EU antitrust probe into digital advertising - source - Reuters

Ben Gwin works for Google Shopping in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Though he is technically a temporary worker at the tech giant, Gwin and 65 of his colleagues are now represented by the United Steelworkers union.

The group of workers ratified their first union contract in July after two years at the bargaining table with their contractor, HCL America Inc. The contract victory was historic in an industry that has aggressively opposed union drives, especially among temp and contracted employees.

Workers have characterized temp positions in the tech industry as a shadow, second-tier workforce who are drastically underpaid compared with direct employees doing the same or similar work and are often lured into the positions with the implication they could eventually be offered a permanent position directly with the company.

By seeking to unionize these positions, many of these workers are hoping to improve their circumstances.

Its a race to the bottom, said Gwin. That was one of the union-busting talking points. They claimed, if you negotiate for better pay, someone else is going to come in and take this contract and pay less fees.

Gwin said he and his co-workers all work in various capacities for Google Shopping, alongside workers directly employed by Google in the companys Pittsburgh office. Gwin describes a drawn-out unionizing campaign that included unfair labor practices filed by the union against the contractor, and retaliation by the contractor, which outsourced some of their jobs to Poland. But Gwin believes it was worth it. He co-authored a report published by the National Employment Law Project in August on how the biggest technology companies in the world have exploited workforces of temporary, vendor and contracted employees through a lack of job stability, lower pay and poor working conditions.

This kind of system was created by tech companies so they essentially could have two workforces, divide workforces from each other, make worker solidarity harder to happen and extract as much labor as possible from the second-tier, temporary, contracted-out workforce while avoiding responsibility as an employer and pleading ignorance to the degraded work conditions their contracted workers face, said Laura Padin, a co-author of the report and senior staff attorney with NELP.

Google has knowingly and illegally underpaid thousands of temporary workers in Europe and Asia for years. Hundreds of Google workers have signed a petition started by the Alphabet Workers Union in response to reports that the company illegally underpaid temporary workers. The petition demands that Google provides back pay to all temps and creates a path to permanent employment for these workers, ending the two-tiered temp system.

While the US does not have pay parity laws similar to those in Europe and Asia for contracted employees, legislation has been introduced in Congress to grant more rights to workers classified as independent contractors, employees with subcontractors, temporary agencies or franchises, and expand and extend labor organizing rights to more workers through the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (Pro Act).

Kevin Kiprovski worked as a contracted employee in the New York City area through 2018 and 2019, selling Google products to schools.

I was doing a job where people who were sitting next to me were getting paid three to four times as much as me, said Kiprovski. The only reason I stayed there was because multiple Googlers came to me and said, Oh, we just cant wait to make you full-time.

He said contracted employees had different color badges and were often treated poorly by colleagues who were directly employed by Google, and that he was often mistaken by customers for a Google employee as he worked to bring in sales for Google, build the Google brand and sell Google products.

Kiprovski also cited an incident when he had to use his own car to travel for work to Vermont and accidentally hit a deer. Neither Google nor his contractor would cover the roughly $1,000 in repairs to his vehicle.

I busted my ass for them, Kiprovski said. You have no protections. People treat you like garbage every day, no one cares about you, and then youre just told that youre worthless constantly.

More than half of Googles workforce around the world consists of temporary, vendor or contracted workers, a proportion that has steadily climbed since the company was founded. OnContracting, a staffing website, has estimated a technology company can save up to $100,000 annually by using a contractor rather than directly employing a worker. A 2016 study conducted by Silicon Valley Rising found the average annual wage for directly employed workers in the tech industry was $113,000, compared with $19,900 for contracted blue-collar tech industry workers and $53,200 for contracted white-collar tech workers.

Google has long promoted the working conditions of their employees as among the best in the world. For years, they were consistently ranked by Fortune as the number one employer to work for, citing perks such as free meals, free haircuts, gym membership discounts and generous paid leave policies.

But as Google and other tech companies have dropped in those rankings in recent years, the reality of these workplaces has been increasingly exposed by current, former and contracted employees.

We have this illusion, and this is part of their business, these tech companies are so big and rich because of the advances in the products theyve made, thats where so much of that revenue comes from, but their profitability is still this old, rough approach to dividing the workforce and paying people as little as possible, said Dave Desario, a co-author of the NELP report and the director of Temp Worker Justice. Temp is really a misnomer. Its not about temporary length of time, temp is an acronym: third-party employee with minimal pay. Thats what its about outsourcing the job to someone that can make a lot less money.

A spokesperson for Google referred to a blogpost and website from the company on their extended workforce.

In a statement in response to reports of illegally underpaid temporary workers, Spyro Karetsos, chief compliance officer at Google said: Were doing a thorough review and were committed to identifying and addressing any pat discrepancies that the team has not already addressed. And well be conducting a review of our compliance practises in this area. In short, were going to figure out what went wrong here, why it happened, and were going to make it right.

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A race to the bottom: Google temps are fighting a two-tier labor system - The Guardian

Wearables company Jawbone is long-dead it went out of business in 2017 but its patents live on, and someone is using them to sue Apple and Google.

As first reported by Bloomberg News, an entity named Jawbone Innovations LLC filed lawsuits against the two tech giants this week in federal court in Waco, Texas. The suits allege that Apple and Google infringed eight patents previously belonging to Jawbone and focused around noise-isolation algorithms originally developed for DARPA.

The suit against Apple names the infringing devices as all versions and variants of Apple iPhone, iPad, AirPods Pro, and HomePod products, while the suit against Google is similarly broad, naming all versions and variants of Google smartphones [...] tablets and/or notebooks [...], earbuds [...] smart home devices [...] and other Android Devices.

Both suits demand a preliminary injunction against the companies to stop them from selling the allegedly infringing products, and future royalties for the use of these patents.

If all this seems like a little bit of legal skulduggery, well, who are we to disagree. As Bloomberg notes, exactly who or what is behind the lawsuits is unclear, but its not the first time Jawbone Innovations LLC has made such claims. The same entity which does not appear to be contiguous in any meaningful way with the original Jawbone, apart from owning the latters intellectual property sued Samsung in June for similar infringements.

And, as Protocol noted in its reporting of that case, the manager of Jawbone Innovations LLC, one York Eggleston, also seems to have prior form, with an individual of that name also managing other LLCs that were assigned old IBM patents before suing Lyft and Uber.

As Bloomberg notes, filing such lawsuits in Waco, Texas makes sense, as its a district thats the most popular in the nation for its patent-friendly judge and juries. Though even the patent-friendly might reject these particular claims. A spokesperson for Google told Bloomberg: We dispute the claims, and will defend ourselves vigorously. Weve reached out to Apple for comment.

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Someone is using old Jawbone patents to sue Apple and Google - The Verge

In recent years, major internet ad companies have been providing more information about how their ad targeting works and what data informs that targeting, and also the creative behind those ads. Google and Facebook have been particularly focused on sharing more information around political ads, and both companies provide in-depth disclosures about political and issues-based ads through online libraries. Facebooks ads library, launched in 2019, is a searchable archive that shows all current ad campaigns, including non-political ones. The non-political entries provide less information than the political ones, but they still give a glimpse into the types of marketing being done across its apps.

Googles new advertiser pages will appear only when a user is served an ad from a particular brand, so it will not be a searchable archive. But if a user sees an ad from, say, a restaurant or apparel maker, the ad will link to that brands 30-day advertising history. These types of tools are cropping up as the platforms hear from critics who are worried about the darker side of internet advertising. There are concerns about fraudulent actors who sell counterfeit goods or harmful medical products, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the transparency can give consumers more information about the entities doing the advertising.

A byproduct of the increased transparency, though, is that major brands are also subject to the same rules, and they are opened to more scrutiny of their own marketing materials.

Googles update is a continuation of changes the company implemented earlier this year under an advertiser identification verification program. All advertisers had to confirm their identities and business origins in order to advertise on Google properties.

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Google's new advertiser pages will show all the ads running from a brand - AdAge.com

As a result, large employers like Cond Nast and JPMorgan Chase have relinquished chunks of office space, contributing to nearly 19 percent of Manhattan offices being available for rent, according to Newmark, a real estate services firm, nearly double the average rate over the last decade.

About 28 percent of office workers in the New York City region, which includes parts of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, had returned to the office as of last week, more than double the rate from a few months ago, according to Kastle Systems, a security company that tracks employee card swipes in office buildings. The nationwide average was 33.6 percent, Kastle said.

Kate Lister, the president of Global Workplace Analytics, a consulting firm advising companies on their return-to-office policies, said that hybrid work would remain a permanent feature of work culture after the pandemic.

Office space is not going to disappear, but, Ms. Lister added, The total space will come down.

Still, elected officials in New York sought to cast Googles announcement as a sign of the citys rebound.

This announcement from Google is yet another proof point that New Yorks economy is recovering and rebuilding, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement. We are creating jobs, investing in emerging industries, lifting up New Yorkers, and together, we are writing our comeback story.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the deal a historic investment in New York City. The transaction was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

When the St. Johns building opens after construction is finished in mid-2023, Google will have more than 3.1 million square feet of office space in New York, making it one of the largest leaseholders in the city.

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Google to Spend $2.1 Billion on Manhattan Office Building - The New York Times

The Russian government had been increasingly blunt in recent days about its willingness to use threats of arrest to prevent the use of the app.

With the participation of Apple and Google, specific crimes are being committed, the scale of which may only increase in the coming days, Vladimir Dzhabarov, a member of Russias upper house of Parliament, said on Thursday. Individuals contributing to their parent companies evasion of responsibility on the territory of the Russian Federation will be punished.

It remains to be seen whether Fridays concession by Apple and Google turns into a watershed moment in how forcefully American tech giants are willing to resist Kremlin pressure. Amid Russias crackdown on dissent this year, the most popular Silicon Valley platforms have remained freely accessible, allowing journalists and activists to continue to get their message out. On YouTube, for instance, the Navalny teams investigations of corruption in the Russian elite regularly get millions of views.

But Fridays move could embolden the Kremlin as well as governments elsewhere in the world to use the threat of prosecuting employees to gain leverage against the companies. It presents a test of Silicon Valley ideals around free expression and an open internet, balanced not only against profit but against the safety of their workers.

Removals of Facebook and Twitter posts, YouTube videos and other internet content occur fairly regularly as companies seek to comply with local laws around the world. In China, Apple has removed apps that run afoul of government censors, including software that would give Chinese users access to the open global internet. A 2016 court decision in Russia led Apple and Google to remove LinkedIn from their app stores after LinkedIn did not comply with a law requiring data about Russian users be stored within the countrys borders.

But the removals on Friday by Google and Apple have little precedent given the electoral stakes and Mr. Navalnys high-profile campaign against the Kremlin, said Natalia Krapiva, legal counsel for Access Now, a civil society group tracking internet censorship. This is really a new phenomenon to go after the app stores, Ms. Krapiva said.

While the companies would prefer to be seen as impartial platforms, Ms. Krapiva said industry leaders should speak out more forcefully in defense of free speech and an open internet, especially if company employees were being threatened with criminal prosecution.

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Apple and Google Remove Navalny Voting App in Russia - The New York Times

Google is expanding Spanish language support for its Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max devices in the US. Perhaps the biggest change is that the entire UI for the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max has been translated into Spanish. That means things like visual answers to your queries and control panels now appear in Spanish, Google tells The Verge.

Google has added a handful of new commands that might be useful around the house. One lets you add items to a shopping list Google gives the example command, Hey Google, agrega huevos a mi lista de compras (which translates to Hey Google, add eggs to my shopping list). Another lets you call friends and family on Google Duo by saying something like Hey Google, llama a mam (Hey Google, call mom).

Two new features make it easier to enjoy music and video from streaming services. You can ask Google to play music from several free and subscription music services on their Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max, while people with a YouTube TV subscription can stream Univision.

You can also try out the Mexican Bingo game Lotera right on your Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max, and you can play in English or Spanish. In Spanish, you can start playing it by saying, Hey Google, habla con Loteria Don Clemente.

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Googles Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max can now show visual responses and the UI in Spanish - The Verge

After 25 televised regular season games to honor the 25th season of the WNBA, ESPN continues as the exclusive home of the WNBA postseason with the WNBA Playoffs Presented by Google beginning Thursday, September 23. The first round, single elimination games will feature No. 7 Dallas at No. 6 Chicago and No. 8 New York at No. 5 Phoenix, airing at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET, respectively, on ESPN2. The single elimination second round will take place Sunday, September 26 at 3 p.m., on ABC and 5 p.m. on ESPN2.

The semifinals will run Sept. 28-Oct.8 leading into the WNBA Finals Presented by YouTube TV, with Game 1 on Sunday, Oct. 10, at 3 p.m. on ABC. The WNBA Finals will move up to start on October 6 or 8 if both semifinals end in three or four games, respectively. Every game of the postseason a potential 19 total games will be available across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, with all games available to stream in the ESPN App.

Two commentating teams will be on the call for all the action through the WNBA Playoffs semifinals:

Monica McNutt and Carolyn Peck will also provide studio coverage from ESPNs Bristol, Conn. studios through the semifinals. In addition, McNutt and Peck will host two WNBA editions of Hoop Streams Presented by Google on Thursday, Sept. 23 and Tuesday, Sept. 28, both at 7 p.m., on the @ESPN Twitter handle, on the ESPN Facebook page and in the ESPN App.

Throughout the playoffs, guest analysts in the form of current WNBA players will be on hand to provide unique insight to game coverage.

ESPN.com, which recently released its ranking of the 25 greatest players in WNBA history, will continue tracking all the action throughout the playoffs. Highlights include:

WNBA Playoffs Presented by Google Television Schedule

*If Necessary

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ESPN is Again the Exclusive Home to the WNBA Playoffs Presented by Google, Coverage Tips Off Thursday, Sept. 23 - ESPN Press Room

Google appears to be internally testing a second foldable Pixel smartphone, according to 9to5Googles sources. The device is said to be under development with the codename Jumbojack, thats referenced in a future version of Android 12 which 9to5Google identifies as Android 12.1. This is the latest foldable codename weve heard about at Google, following reports of another device called Passport.

Not much is known about what form Jumbojack could take, but 9to5Google has a couple of key details. It seems to have two screens, with one that deactivates when the device is folded. That suggests were looking at a similar design to Samsungs foldables, which combine a small external screen with a larger internal folding display. Theres no word on screen sizes or internal specs, however.

Interestingly, theres speculation that the Jumbojack codename could be a reference to Jack in the Boxs Jumbo Jack cheeseburger, an implication that the phone will fold hamburger style like a Z Flip as opposed to hotdog style like a Z Fold. But, much like the foodstuffs, that speculation is best taken with a good pinch of salt.

Unlike Passport, which reliable leaker Evan Blass reported this morning is still scheduled to launch before the end of the year, theres no indication about when or even if Jumbojack will see a commercial release. Theres a possibility it might just be an internal prototype, designed to help build foldable functionality like improved multitasking into Android itself. Regardless, its existence suggests Google is more serious about foldables that it initially appeared as the company gears up to produce its first true flagship competitor with the Pixel 6.

Update September 20th, 7:30AM ET: Added corroboration from Blass that Googles Passport foldable is still expected to launch before the end of the year.

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Google reportedly has a second foldable in the works - The Verge

Google has abused the dominant position of Android in India to illegally hurt competitors in the worlds second largest internet market, a two-year antitrust probe by the nations watchdog has found.

The Android-maker reduced device manufacturing firms ability and incentive to develop and sell devices running alternative versions of Android (more popularly known as forks), the probe found, according to two people have have been briefed on the findings.

Additionally, the report found Googles requirement to make it mandatory for device manufacturers to pre-install its apps to be in violation of Indias competition law.

More than five dozen firms including Amazon and Apple responded to queries from the Indian watchdog the Competition Commission of India during the course of the investigation, the report said.

The Indian watchdog also found issues with the way Google has enforced policies on Play Store, saying those are one-sided, ambiguous, vague, biased and arbitrary.

Google said it looks forward to engage with the CCI to demonstrate how Android has led to more competition and innovation, not less. Indian newspaper Times of India first wrote about the report.

The reports findings which are yet to be formally published by the CCI is the latest setback for Google in India, where it is facingseveral other antitrust probesand daggers from a growing number of domestic startups, founders, and investors.

The Alliance of Digital India Foundation, a group of 350 startups, founders and investors, lauded the CCI reports findings and said the watchdogs step is in line with the Indian digital ecosystems needs.

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Google abused dominant position of Android in India, antitrust probe finds - TechCrunch