Google boots far-right site from ad platform

Google on Tuesday confirmed that it booted one far-right website from its ad platform and put another on notice for hosting "dangerous and derogatory" comments about civil rights protests.

The internet giant said that it stopped channeling money-making ads to ZeroHedge and warned The Federalist that it too could be blocked from Google Ads for violating policy about content.

“To be clear, The Federalist is not currently demonetized," a Google spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.

"We do have strict publisher policies that govern the content ads can run on, which includes comments on the site. This is a longstanding policy."

The action against ZeroHedge and warning sent to The Federalist related to content in comments sections that consistently violated Google's policy about dangerous and derogatory content, according to the internet company.

The offending content was related to false information about recent Black Lives Matter protets, US media reported.

ZeroHedge said in a post at the website that it is appealing Google's decision and expects to "remedy" the situation.

The policy at issue was put in place by Google three years ago as part of an effort to avoid advertisers from having their marketing messages appear next to vile or hateful content on websites.

Agence France-Presse

Smartphone tool helps users keep social distance

SAN FRANCISCO — Smartphone users have a new way to keep their distance  – a tool that lets them know when people are getting closer than pandemic guidelines recommend.

The Google-developed Sodar tool available this week taps into Android smartphone cameras to put users in the center of a white circle with a radius of about two meters, or 6.5 feet.


The perimeter, determined based on pandemic social distancing guidelines, is made using the same kind of augmented reality technology in smartphone games such as Pokemon Go.

Circles superimposed on surroundings move with users, keeping smartphones in the center. Users get a visual warning when they are within the potentially hazardous radius.




Sodar works through Google-made Chrome browsers on Android smartphones that support augmented reality, according to the California-based internet firm.

“This experiment uses (the application program interface) WebXR to visualize 2-meter social-distancing guidelines in your environment,” a message at the website said.


The tool came out of an “Experiments With Google” project on technology hacks to help people cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Agence France-Presse

France looks past Google, Apple for virus contact tracing

France, which has long been sceptical of the growing power of US tech titans, is seeking to bypass Apple and Google for a smartphone app to help trace people infected with the novel coronavirus.

The move, which leaves France relatively isolated in Europe alongside Britain and Norway, reflects differences on how such apps should be structured, who has access to sensitive data and their effectiveness.

A number of countries have already deployed "contact tracing" apps on smartphones that track a person's contacts and alert them if need be, generating vital information to help contain outbreaks and slow the spread of the virus as nations ease lockdowns and get back to work.

These apps can be based either on a decentralised or centralised architecture.

A decentralised architecture keeps the information about whom a person has been in contact with on the smartphone.

If the person declares themselves to have been infected by the coronavirus, then those people deemed to have been in close contact for an extended period receive a notification to isolate themselves and get tested.

In a centralised system the data is managed by an authority, say a national health service, that would have access to the data to ensure those who are exposed are indeed following the proper health and isolation recommendations.

Apple and Google banded together last month to develop coronavirus contact tracing technology that would work across their operating systems.

The technology, set to be released later this month, embraces a decentralised architecture that would enable smartphone users to control their own data, and choose whether to notify the authorities if they have been exposed.

- Titans setting the terms -

Numerous tech experts and privacy advocates prefer a decentralised option because of data privacy concerns, worried about governments establishing databases that could be used for surveillance, even after the pandemic.

But France, along with London, contest that argument and prefer a centralised architecture that will provide them with the information needed to ensure the spread of the disease is effectively contained.

Norway also opted for a centralised system for its "Smittestop" or "stop infection" app launched last month.


Being dependent on Apple and Google means "staying in an extremely restrictive framework for usage" of the data, said a source close to France's contract tracing effort.

"It is Google and Apple who are defining the debate" in what is essentially a public health issue, the source added.

To become an effective tool for public health authorities, a contact tracing app has to be widely used -- experts say by at least 60 percent of the population -- but also provide them with needed information about who is getting sick as well as where, which can be important for taking quick measures to close hotspots.

Decentralised apps that make use of the Bluetooth radios on smartphones can be built so they do not even record the location of where people are in contact.

Nations cannot easily go around Apple and Google and develop their own apps as Apple in particular makes it difficult to keep Bluetooth enabled in its operating system.

People would need to keep the app open at all times, an inconvenience that would likely lead to many people not having it running on their phones.

- Systems rolled out -

So far Apple has resisted pleas from France and other countries for help to get around that technical issue.

While the European Commission has not yet taken a formal position on the options, it acknowledges a decentralised system is better on data privacy grounds.

"If both approaches can be in conformity with data protection laws, from a point of view of minimising the collection of data, the decentralised approach is preferable as less data would be stored" on a centralised server, a Commission spokesman told AFP.

Several European countries are expected to roll out contact tracing apps in June, which should provide some indication as to the best strategies.

France hopes to have its app in operation on June 2, and the official leading its development has said it will work very well on an iPhone despite Apple's lack of cooperation.

The technology arm of Britain's National Health Service has been testing its centralised system on the Isle of Wight since May 5 and plans to unroll it nationwide in the coming weeks.

Germany has opted for a decentralised system compatible with the Apple/Google initiative that it hopes will be ready in several weeks.

Italy, which has also gone for a decentralised system, should have its app ready by the end of May, Innovation Minister Paola Pisano told the Corriere della Sera daily on Monday.

In Austria, the Red Cross has launched an app based on a centralised model that has 600,000 users, but it is expected to evolve into a decentralised application.

Switzerland is currently testing its decentralised app.

Agence France-Presse

Google offers $800 million to pandemic-impacted businesses, health agencies

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Google on Friday pledged $800 million worth of support for health organizations, researchers and businesses impacted by the crisis.

The aid will come in the form of cash, ad credits, and cloud services from the California-based internet colossus, according to chief executive Sundar Pichai.


Google will provide $250 million in ad grants to the World Health Organization and more than 100 other public agencies around the world providing information to stem the spread of the coronavirus, according to Pichai.

Some $340 million worth of free advertising will be made available to small- or medium-sized businesses in Google’s network that are taking financial hits as people stay home due to virus risk.

“We hope it will help to alleviate some of the cost of staying in touch with their customers,” Pichai said in a blog post.

A pool of $20 million world of credits for services hosted in the Google “cloud” will be available to researchers and academic institutions exploring ways to combat the deadly pandemic or that are tracking critical data about its spread.

Google will also match as much as $10,000 in donations its employees make to organizations in their communities this year, increasing the amount from $7,500.

“Together, we’ll continue to help our communities—including our businesses, educators, researchers and nonprofits—to navigate the challenges ahead,” Pichai said.

Google has been working with partners to ramp up production of protective gear such as face masks for healthcare providers.

Employees from Alphabet divisions including Google, Verily and X are also working with equipment makers to increase the production of ventilators needed to keep some COVID-19 sufferers alive, according to Pichai.

Agence France-Presse

Google working on call-recording feature for native smartphone app

After first spotting preliminary code for a call-recording tool in version 43 of Google’s Phone app, XDA Developers reported that the feature’s code in Version 44 has been completed enough for the media to fully enable the tool and test it out.

If the feature actually does roll out to the public build of the application, users will be able to tap a “Record” button that is added to the app’s interface when a call is ongoing. This button can be used to both start and end call recording; the audio clip can then be listened to from the call log and exported as a .wav file. Though XDA Developers were unable to activate this element of the feature, users will also be able to view a transcript of the call.


To accommodate the legal conditions of call recording, a message will pop up when the Record button is tapped, reading, “When using the call recording feature, you are responsible for complying with applicable laws related to the recording of calls. Please be aware that many jurisdictions require the consent of both parties for such recording.” Everyone else in the call will automatically be told that “this call is now being recorded” and that “call recording has now ended” when a user begins and stops recording.

As of right now, there is no indication in the code that the feature will be restricted to certain phone models or regions when and if it does roll out the public. RGA

source: technology.inquirer.net

Google digs into deeper meanings of searches

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — Google is paying more attention to the small words in your searches. Want to figure out how to park on a hill with no curb? Google now takes that “no” into account, and shows top results that include parking instructions without curbs.

The company is rolling out the change to English language searches in the U.S. starting this week. Google said it expects the shift will give better results for every one in 10 searches.


Tweaking its massive search engine is nothing new for Google. The company makes regular changes to be more accurate and show more useful results. But this one is the biggest the company has released in at least five years, said Pandu Nayak, Google’s vice president of Search.

“It looks at the whole context of words to try to understand what’s going on,” he said.

The change is rooted in Google’s natural language processing research, which studies how to teach computers to understand the nuance of speech and communication. This newest update is based on a training technique called Bidirectional Encoder Representation from Transformers, or BERT.


The technique involves teaching the systems to better understand the order and context in which a word appears. Google trains the system by using a “fill-in-the-blank” practice, having the machines guess which word is missing in a sentence until it gets better at finding the right answer all the time.

Google has long focused on the keywords in your search term, but this method helps it take into account every word in the sentence in order to better understand meaning and, hopefully, show more relevant results first.

BERT brings more, better results, Nayak said the company has found through testing this year. But it’s not perfect, and the change means some results will miss the mark more than they do now.


“We’re really playing a statistical game here,” Nayak said.

So will you notice that Google understands your questions better? Well, maybe. Search has gotten much more nuanced since it first launched more than 20 years ago. But changes by themselves are subtle.

“I think most ranking changes the average person does not notice other than hopefully feeling their searches are better,” Nayak said.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Google launches detailed voice guidance in Maps for visually impaired

Google has begun rolling out its new detailed voice guidance feature on Maps during World Sight Day last Thursday, Oct. 10. The new feature makes navigating new places easier and safer for people with visual impairments.

For the more than 250 million people worldwide that are either blind or have moderate-to-severe vision impairments, navigation directions consisting of simple commands like “turn left at the intersection” are insufficient.

Wakana Sugiyama, a legally blind business analyst living in Tokyo, Japan describes her day-to-day struggle of traveling to new places with nothing but meager directions to guide her: “In some cases, I’ll have a friend to join me on a trip, but in others I may decide not to take the journey at all.”

The new Maps feature was developed by people like Sugiyama, who have similar visual impairments.

Maps can now proactively inform users if they are on the correct path, the distance until the next turn and the direction in which they are walking. If they stray from the initial route, Google will verbally notify them that their route is being recalculated. To improve user safety and comfort, Maps will also let a user know if they are nearing a large intersection and encourage them to cross with caution.

Consistent and automatic updates help reassure the user that they are on their way to their intended destination.

Detailed voice guidance is now available on Android and iOS in English for United States users, and Japanese for Japan users. Google has plans to make the feature available in more languages for more countries in the future. The option can be turned on within the Google Maps settings. RGA/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Facebook Can Be Forced to Remove Content Worldwide

The European Union’s highest court ruled Thursday that individual member countries can force Facebook to remove what they regard as unlawful material from the social network all over the world _ decision experts say could hinder free speech online and put a heavy burden on tech companies.

The European Court of Justice ruling, which cannot be appealed, is seen as a defeat for Facebook and other online platforms and widens the divide over how heavily Europe and the U.S. seek to regulate technology giants.

It would increase the onus on them to monitor what appears online.


“It really unleashes a whole new gamut of risk and worries to force Facebook in the EU,” said Wedbush Securities managing director Daniel Ives.

Ruling in the case of an Austrian politician who objected to what she regarded as a libelous news story, the European court said Internet companies can be forced to take action worldwide to remove objectionable material when ordered to do so by a court in an EU country.

Facebook already removes or otherwise restricts photos and other posts in any given country if the material violates that nation’s laws, such as anti-government comments in countries where that is illegal.

But the new ruling means Facebook would have to make such material inaccessible globally.

Facebook charged that the decision “undermines the longstanding principle that one country does not have the right to impose its laws on speech on another country.”

While lawmakers in the U.S. are considering tighter regulation of Facebook and other tech giants, lawmakers in Europe have gone much further on a variety of fronts, including passing stricter data privacy laws in 2018.

“This shows a sharpening divide between the way the E.U. is handling privacy and data content versus the U.S.,” Wedbush’ Ives said.

“It poses broader risks for the likes of Google and other big tech companies as the ‘Brussels versus tech’ battle continues to take hold.”

Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek, former chairwoman of Austria’s Green Party, had sued Facebook in her home nation to remove a news story that she considered libelous and insulting and could be viewed globally.

An Austrian court ruled in her favor.

The country’s top court then asked the EU to weigh in.

The same EU court ruled last month that the European Union’s “right to be forgotten” rules _ which allow people to ask search engines to remove outdated or embossing links about themselves, even if they are true _ do not apply outside the 28-nation bloc.

Thursday’s ruling is likely to encourage internet platforms more widely to step up their efforts to monitor user content.

Activists at the European Digital Rights organization said that instead of hiring more “content moderators,” companies force Facebook might have to rely on automatic filters.

And those, they warned, might be unable to distinguish between legal and illegal content.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association, a lobbying group that includes Amazon, Facebook, and Google, said the ruling could infringe on the right to free speech.

“The ruling essentially allows one country or region to decide what Internet users around the world can say and what information they can access,” said CCIA Europe senior manager Victoria de Posson.

“What might be considered defamatory comments about someone in one country will likely be considered constitutional free speech in another.

Few hosting platforms, especially startups, will have the resources to implement elaborate monitoring systems.”

source: usa.inquirer.net

Google Pixel 4: What we know so far

With the Pixel 4 series launch likely taking place next month, rumors and leaks about the flagship series are arriving at record pace.

It’s been nearly a year since Google launched the Pixel 3 flagship smartphone series, which means that the next generation’s reveal is imminent. Not only have rumors been circulating about the anticipated devices, but leaked images and videos allegedly of the official handsets have also emerged. The following is a collection of the most recent speculations about Google’s upcoming Pixel 4 series.

On Wednesday, the YouTube channels AnhEm TV and Rabbit TV offered us the most comprehensive looks of what is alleged to be the Pixel 4 lineup yet by posting videos 6.5 and 14 minutes long, respectively, of the largest model in the series, the Pixel 4 XL.

Late last week, 9to5Google and XDA Developers revealed information about the series’ purported camera capabilities. The former spoke with sources that claimed a new Motion Mode will help owners take clearer action shots and an improved Night Mode will improve on the already impressive shots taken in low lighting. XDA Developers, on the other hand, reported that the Pixel 4 camera with be able to zoom 8x.


Also last week, 9to5Google separately reported that the “Google Assistant on Pixel 4 will be able to step in for you while you’re on hold during a phone call.” Though the precise functioning was not outlined by the source, they did state that Google will let you know when a human being is back on the line.

A few days earlier, MySmartPrice spotted an FCC listing revealing that four Pixel 4 devices are in the works; while three are expected to be follow-up models of the 3, 3XL, and budget-friendly 3a, the fourth one is unknown. The media suspects that it is a second successor to the Pixel 3a.


If the rumors and leaks continue to flourish like they did ahead of the Pixel 3 series launch, the entire lineup and its respective model specs could be completely revealed in no time. JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Google Duo eight-person group calling rolls out globally

After only being available in select regions for a few weeks, Google Duo’s group calling feature started rolling out Thursday, May 23, to all iOS and Android users across the globe.

After Microsoft rolled out support for 50-person Skype group calls in April 2019 and Apple’s Facetime gained group call support up to 32 members in October 2018, Google has finally entered the race, albeit only offering eight-person support, thanks to Duo’s new group calling feature that officially rolled out this week for both Android and iOS users.

This update was accompanied by two additional features, a new data saving mode and the ability to personalize video messages.

The former update allows users in designated regions like Indonesia, India and Brazil, where using data is spendy to limit data usage on mobile networks and wi-fi on Android.

Already on Android and coming soon to iOS, users can personalize video messages with text, emojis and drawings. Data saving mode will roll out in the upcoming months. HM/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Huawei’s own OS system may be ready this year, says report

Chinese telecom giant Huawei said it could roll out its own operating system for smartphones and laptops in China by autumn after the company was blacklisted by the United States, as per a report on Thursday, May 23.

According to Richard Yu, head of Huawei’s consumer business, the international version of the system could be ready in the first or second quarter of 2020.


The company dealt a blow this week with Google’s decision to partially cut off Huawei devices from its Android OS, following a U.S. order banning the transfer of American technology to the firm.

“In Huawei, we are still committed to Microsoft Windows and Google Android,” Yu told CNBC. “But if we cannot use that, Huawei will prepare the plan B to use our own OS.”

The platform, known as “HongMeng,” is undergoing trials and will gradually replace the Android system, reported the Global Times on Monday, May 20.

“We don’t want to do this but we will [be] forced to do that because of the U.S. government. I think the US, this kind of thing, will also not only be bad news for us but also bad news for the U.S. companies because we support U.S. businesses,” Yu said. “We don’t want to do this but we have no other solution, no other choice.”

The U.S. Commerce Department, which added Huawei and its 68 affiliates to an “entity list” last week, announced a 90-day reprieve which allowed some services to continue on Monday, May 20. HM/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Google’s AI Assistant aims to transcend the smart speaker

SAN FRANCISCO  — When Google launched its now distinctive digital assistant in 2016, it was already in danger of being an also-ran.

At the time, Amazon had been selling its Echo smart speaker, powered by its Alexa voice assistant, for more than a year. Apple’s Siri was already five years old and familiar to most iPhone users. Google’s main entry in the field up to that point was Google Now, a phone-bound app that took voice commands but didn’t answer back.

Now the Google Assistant — known primarily as the voice of the Google Home smart speaker — is increasingly central to Google’s new products. And even though it remains commercially overshadowed by Alexa, it keeps pushing the boundaries of what artificial intelligence can accomplish in everyday settings.

For instance, Google last year announced an Assistant service called Duplex, which it said can actually call up restaurants and make reservations for you. Duplex isn’t yet widely available yet outside of Google’s own Pixel phones in the U.S. Alexa and Siri so far offer nothing similar.

Google is expected to announce updates and expansions to its AI Assistant at its annual developer conference Tuesday.

Although voice assistants have spread across smartphones and into cars and offices, they’re currently most commonly found in the home, where people tend to use them with smart speakers for simple activities such as playing music, setting timers and checking the weather. Amazon’s Echo devices maintain a strong lead in the market, according to eMarketer ; the firm estimates that 63% of all U.S. smart speaker users will talk to an Amazon device this year, compared to 31% that will use Google. Apple’s HomePod is a mere afterthought, lumped in the “other” category which has a combined 12%.

More broadly, though, the competition is much more difficult to assess. Google claims the Assistant is now available across more than a billion devices, although many of those are smartphones whose owners may never have uttered the Assistant’s wake-up phrase, “OK Google.”

Google Assistant doesn’t record users commands by default — differing from Alexa — but recording must be turned on to access some of Assistant’s features, including a popular one that allows it to recognize different users by voice.

Amazon and Google may one-up each other on different metrics, but the real measurement is how well they’ve achieved those own goal, said Gartner analyst Werner Goertz.

Amazon’s deep ties in shopping make Alexa the go-to assistant for adding items to your grocery list or putting in a quick re-order of dish soap. Google’s decades of deep search technology make it the leader in looking up or answering questions you might have and personalizing its responses based on what else Google knows about you from your previous searches, your movements or your web browsing.

All that, of course, reinforces Google’s key advertising business, which is based on showing you ads targeted to your interests.


At first, the Assistant on Home mostly just acted as a vocal search engine; it could also carry out a few additional tasks like starting your Spotify playlists. Over time, however, it has added dozens of languages, partnered with more than 1,500 smart home companies to control lights, locks and TVs and learned to identify members of any given household by voice.

It’s also expanded the number of apps and other companies it works with and moved into Google Maps as a way to send text messages while driving.

Both Google and Amazon plan further expansions. Last year, Amazon unveiled a number of home gadgets with Alexa built in, including a “smart” microwave. At the CES gadget show this year, it showed off a phone-connected device that brings Alexa to cars.

Google countered with updates to its expanding Android Auto system, which got Assistant capability last year.

As Assistant and Alexa get smarter, faster and more personalized, analysts expect their reach to become broader and more ubiquitous. The speakers, said eMarketer analyst Victoria Petrock, are “getting people used to talking to their devices.” Eventually, she says, if you can speak to your microwave and TV and lights directly, you won’t need the speakers — except maybe to play music.

In these emerging areas Google is hoping to outflank rivals with its strong inroads with Android smartphones and cars. But it faces competition in many of these areas not just from Amazon, but also Apple and Microsoft.

Google I/O kicks off at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Mountain View, California. The company is expected to announce a less expensive Pixel phone and updates to its smart home devices.


source: technology.inquirer.net

Android system updates might soon be found right in the Play Store

An upcoming modification to the Android operating system could make the system software updates native to the Play Store, according to the site 9to5Google. This would make system updates as easy to manage as those of the applications installed on a smartphone or tablet.

9to5Google discovered that system updates could be made available via this method by digging into the source code of the next version (14.5.52) of the Play Store APK file. The idea is to make things easier for end users, since they are used to going into the Play Store to download new apps and update others, rather than poking around the system setting. Google has not confirmed this information.

The Play Store could also get an interface overhaul, including a more streamlined design and new fonts.

The current method requires users to go into “Settings,” then hit “System” and “System Update” to scan for and download Android’s latest system software updates. CE/NVG

source: technology.inquirer.net

Google outlines steps to tackle workplace harassment

Google on Thursday outlined changes to its handling of sexual misconduct complaints, hoping to calm outrage that triggered a worldwide walkout of workers last week.

“We recognize that we have not always gotten everything right in the past and we are sincerely sorry for that,” chief executive Sundar Pichai said in a message to employees, a copy of which was shared with AFP.


“It’s clear we need to make some changes.”

Arbitration of harassment claims will be optional instead of obligatory, according to Pichai, a move that could end anonymous settlements that fail to identify those accused of harassment.

“Google has never required confidentiality in the arbitration process and it still may be the best path for a number of reasons (e.g. personal privacy, predictability of process), but, we recognize that the choice should be up to you,” he said in the memo.


Pichai promised that Google will be more transparent with how concerns are handled, and provide better support and care to those who raise such issues with the company.

Google will provide “more granularity,” regarding sexual harassment investigations and their outcomes, according to Pichai.

A section of an internal “Investigations Report” will focus on sexual harassment to show numbers of substantiated concerns as well as trends and disciplinary actions, according to the California-based company.

He also said Google is consolidating the complaint system and that the process for handling concerns will include providing support people and counselors.



Google CEO Sundar Pichai promised more transparency in dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct. Image: Getty/Justin Sullivan via AFP

Google on Thursday outlined changes to its handling of sexual misconduct complaints, hoping to calm outrage that triggered a worldwide walkout of workers last week.

“We recognize that we have not always gotten everything right in the past and we are sincerely sorry for that,” chief executive Sundar Pichai said in a message to employees, a copy of which was shared with AFP.


“It’s clear we need to make some changes.”

Arbitration of harassment claims will be optional instead of obligatory, according to Pichai, a move that could end anonymous settlements that fail to identify those accused of harassment.

“Google has never required confidentiality in the arbitration process and it still may be the best path for a number of reasons (e.g. personal privacy, predictability of process), but, we recognize that the choice should be up to you,” he said in the memo.



Pichai promised that Google will be more transparent with how concerns are handled, and provide better support and care to those who raise such issues with the company.

Google will provide “more granularity,” regarding sexual harassment investigations and their outcomes, according to Pichai.

A section of an internal “Investigations Report” will focus on sexual harassment to show numbers of substantiated concerns as well as trends and disciplinary actions, according to the California-based company.

He also said Google is consolidating the complaint system and that the process for handling concerns will include providing support people and counselors.



Google will update its mandatory sexual harassment training, and require it annually instead of every two years as had been the case.

Less booze

Google is also putting the onus on team leaders to tighten the tap on booze at company events, on or off campus, to curtail the potential for drunken misbehavior.

“Harassment is never acceptable and alcohol is never an excuse,” Google said in a released action statement.



“But, one of the most common factors among the harassment complaints made today at Google is that the perpetrator had been drinking.”

Google policy already bans excessive consumption of alcohol on the job; while on company business, or at work-related events.

Some teams at the company have already instituted two-drink limits at events or use ticket systems, Google said.

Google executives overseeing events will be expected to strongly discourage excessive drinking, according to the company, which vowed “onerous actions” if problems persisted.

The company also promised to “recommit” to improving workplace diversity through hiring, retention, and career advancement.’

“Googleplex” walkout

Thousands of Google employees joined a coordinated worldwide walkout a week ago to protest the US tech giant’s handling of sexual harassment.

A massive turnout at the “Googleplex” in Silicon Valley was the final stage of a global walkout that began in Asia and spread to Google offices in Europe.

Some 20,000 Google employees and contractors participated in the protest in 50 cities around the world, according to organizers.



Demma Rodriguez, head of equity engineering and a seven-year Google employee, said during the walkout that it was an important part of bringing fairness to the technology colossus.

“We have an aspiration to be the best company in the world,” Rodriguez said.

“But we also have goals as a company and we can’t decide we are going to miss those.”

The protest took shape after Google said it had fired 48 employees in the past two years — including 13 senior executives — as a result of allegations of sexual misconduct.

Demands posted by organizers included an end to forced arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination for all current and future employees, along with a right for every Google worker to bring a co-worker, representative, or supporter when filing a harassment claim.

In a statement organizers commended Google for the response, but said more changes are needed.

“We demand a truly equitable culture, and Google leadership can achieve this by putting employee representation on the board and giving full rights and protections to contract workers,” organizer Stephanie Parker said in the statement.



Along with sexual harassment, Google needs to address racism and discrimination that includes inequity in pay and promotions, organizers said.

“They all have the same root cause, which is a concentration of power and a lack of accountability at the top,” Parker said. CC

source: business.inquirer.net

LOOK: Google throwback on its first office in Palo Alto

September 2018 sees Google celebrate its 20th anniversary.

To mark the milestone, we’ll be looking back at the early days of one of tech’s biggest success stories with a selection of pictures from the firm’s beginnings.


In 1999, Google, which had fewer than 10 employees, left Susan Wojcicki’s garage for its first office, located nearby at 165 University Avenue in Palo Alto, California.

A few months later, the firm — a victim of its success — had outgrown the office and moved once again, this time to Mountain View, a few miles away.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Google rules out using artificial intelligence for weapons

SAN FRANCISCO – Google announced on Thursday it would not use artificial intelligence for weapons or to “cause or directly facilitate injury to people,” as it unveiled a set of principles for the technologies.

Chief executive Sundar Pichai, in a blog post outlining the company’s artificial intelligence policies, noted that even though Google would not use AI for weapons, “we will continue our work with governments and the military in many other areas” such as cybersecurity, training, or search and rescue.

The news comes with Google facing an uproar from employees and others over a contract with the United States military, which the California tech giant said last week would not be renewed.

Pichai set out seven principles for Google’s application of artificial intelligence, or advanced computing that can simulate intelligent human behavior.

He said Google is using AI “to help people tackle urgent problems” such as prediction of wildfires, helping farmers, diagnosing disease or preventing blindness.

“We recognize that such powerful technology raises equally powerful questions about its use,” Pichai said in the blog.

“How AI is developed and used will have a significant impact on society for many years to come. As a leader in AI, we feel a deep responsibility to get this right,” Pichai also wrote.

The chief executive said Google’s AI programs would be designed for applications that are “socially beneficial” and “avoid creating or reinforcing unfair bias.”

He said the principles also called for AI applications to be “built and tested for safety,” to be “accountable to people” and to “incorporate privacy design principles.”

Google will avoid the use of any technologies “that cause or are likely to cause overall harm,” Pichai wrote.

That means steering clear of “weapons or other technologies whose principal purpose or implementation is to cause or directly facilitate injury to people” and systems “that gather or use information for surveillance violating internationally accepted norms.”


Google also will ban the use of any technologies “whose purpose contravenes widely accepted principles of international law and human rights,” Pichai said.

‘A good start’

Some initial reaction to the announcement was positive.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which had led opposition to Google’s Project Maven contract with the Pentagon, called the news “a big win for ethical AI principles.”

“Congratulations to the Googlers and others who have worked hard to persuade the company to cancel its work on Project Maven,” EFF said on Twitter.

Ryan Calo, a University of Washington law professor and fellow at the Stanford Center for Internet & Society, tweeted: “Google’s AI ethics principles owe more to (English philosopher Jeremy) Bentham and the positivists than (German philosopher) Kant. Nevertheless, a good start.”

Calo added, “The clear statement that they won’t facilitate violence or totalitarian surveillance is meaningful.”

The move comes amid growing concerns that automated or robotic systems could be misused and spin out of control, leading to chaos. At the same time, Google has faced criticism that it has drifted away from its original founders’ motto of “don’t be evil.”

Several technology firms have already agreed to the general principles of using artificial intelligence for good but Google appeared to offer a more precise set of standards.

The company, which is already a member of the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence including dozens of tech firms committed to AI principles, had faced criticism for the contract with the Pentagon on Project Maven, which uses machine learning and engineering talent to distinguish people and objects in drone videos.

Faced with a petition signed by thousands of employees and criticism outside the company, Google indicated the $10 million contract would not be renewed, according to media reports.

But Google is believed to be competing against other tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft for lucrative “cloud computing” contracts with the US government, including for military and intelligence agencies.                   /kga

source: technology.inquirer.net

How Google aims to simplify your life with AI

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — Google put the spotlight on its artificial intelligence smarts at its annual developers conference Tuesday, announcing new consumer features aimed at simplifying your life.

Many of the updates have a practical bent, designed to ease tasks such as composing emails, making lists, navigating city streets and lessening the digital distractions that have increasingly addled people’s lives as a result of previous tech industry innovations.

One of the biggest crowd-pleasers for the thousands of software developers who gathered at the outdoor conference was an augmented reality feature on Google Maps that helps people get walking directions. Users will be able to follow arrows — or possibly a cartoon-like creature — that appear on a camera view showing the actual street in front of them.

Some new features for Android phones also aim to improve people’s digital well-being, including a new “shush” mode that automatically puts a phone in “do not disturb” mode if you flip it face down on a table. And a “wind down” mode will fade the screen to grey at a designated time to help you disconnect before bed.

The company’s digital concierge, known only as the Google Assistant, is getting new voices — including one based on that of musician John Legend — later this year. It will also encourage kids to be polite by thanking them when they say please, similar to a feature Amazon is bringing to its Alexa voice assistant.

The assistant may also soon be talking with ordinary people at businesses for tasks such as restaurant reservations, although the feature is still in development.

“Hi, I’m calling to book a hair appointment for a client,” said a realistic-sounding automated voice in a demo from the conference stage. The AI assistant deployed pauses and “ums” and “mmm-hmms” to sound more human in conversation with real people.

Google said it will roll out the technology, called Duplex, as an experiment in coming weeks. “We really want to work hard to get this right,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who kicked off the conference, known as Google I/O.

Other changes are more immediate. Gmail is getting an autocomplete feature that uses machine learning to offer suggestions for finishing half-completed sentences. For example, “I haven’t seen you” might be autocompleted to “I haven’t seen you in a while and I hope you’re doing well.” You can accept the completion by hitting the tab key.

The Google Photos app aims to get smarter about suggesting who you might want to share photos with. Whenever it recognizes a photo of one of your Google contacts, it can suggest sharing the photo with that person. It will also convert photos to PDFs and automatically add color to black-and-white photos or make part of a color photo black and white. The changes are coming in the next two months.

The search giant aims to make its assistant and other services so useful that people can’t live without them — or the search results that drive its advertising business. But it also wants to play up the social benefits of AI and how it’s being used to improve health care, preserve the environment and make scientific discoveries.

Pichai didn’t emphasize the privacy and data security concerns that have put companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google in the crosshairs of regulators. But he did say the company “can’t just be wide eyed about the innovations technology creates.”

“We know the path ahead needs to be navigated carefully and deliberately,” he said. “Our core mission is to make information more useful, accessible and beneficial to all of society.”

Google’s latest version of its Android phone software, for now known as Android P, will offer other smart features. It will teach the battery to adapt to how you use apps in order to conserve energy. Phones using Android P will also learn how to set your screen brightness by studying your manual adjustments, a change from automatic adjustments based on ambient light levels.

But not everyone will see the new Android features soon — if at all. Android P won’t be released until later this year, and even then, phone manufacturers and carriers frequently limit Android updates to their newest phones. Owners of Google’s own Pixel phones will get the updates most quickly.

Samsung is getting snubbed on some of these new features, at least for now. It has been challenging Google more frequently by launching that services duplicate what Google already offers on Android.

For instance, Samsung users won’t have access to an early “beta” version of Android P. Samsung’s camera app also won’t get a built-in Lens feature that lets Google offer information after taking a photo of a building or sign. Samsung has been developing its own similar feature called Bixby Vision.

It wasn’t immediately clear which company made the call to withhold the features announced Tuesday.

source: technology.inquirer.net

‘Pokémon Go’ Easter egg event activates

Egg-hatching event Eggstravaganza is returning to “Pokémon Go” just in time for Easter: it has started last March 22 and will run until April 2, 2018.

For players interested in hatching virtual eggs inside of Pokémon Go, the second annual Eggstravaganza is here.

An even greater variety of Pokémon will be waiting inside the game’s 2-kilometer Eggs, which can be found at Pokéstop locations during the event, according to the Pokémon Go team at Niantic Labs.

What it means is that Pokémon usually found in 5 kilometers or 10 kilometers Egg types will now be made available through the more common 2 kilometer Eggs as well, while some Pokémon will hatch more frequently.

The virtual currencies of Candy and Stardust are also being boosted with hatched Eggs including bonus Candy, and Stardust doubled for the duration of the event, the team said in an official blog post.

The effect is intended to send players back into “Pokémon Go” and, from there, to the in-game Shop, where there just so happen to be a selection of virtual boxes containing things like Super Incubators and Star Pieces.

Map-based augmented reality game “Pokémon Go” launched midway through 2016 and became a sensation thanks to its remarkable uptake, achieving 500 million downloads by the end of the year.

App developer Niantic, spun off from Google, had previously made “Ingress”, which used several similar concepts albeit in a sci-fi setting, and tracked player movements in order to deduce optimal travel patterns.

Niantic has since announced another licensed, location-based AR tie-in, “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite”, which is expected to arrive at some point in 2018. JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Google removes ‘View Image’ option to avoid stealing of photos

Have you had the habit of taking photos from Google? It looks like it will be a little harder to grab them from the search engine as it has removed the “View Image” option.

The change came into effect on Thursday to “help connect users and useful websites,” according to a series of tweets by Google’s Search Liaison.

Today we’re launching some changes on Google Images to help connect users and useful websites. This will include removing the View Image button. The Visit button remains, so users can see images in the context of the webpages they’re on. pic.twitter.com/n76KUj4ioD




— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 15, 2018


Another change made by the search engine is the removal of the “Search by Image” button, but a reverse image search can still be done by dragging it to the search bar, as reported by The Verge.

“Ultimately, Google Images is a way for people to discover information in cases where browsing images is a better experience than text,” the search liaison tweeted. “Having a single button that takes people to actionable information about the image is good for users, web publishers and copyright holders.”

This comes after Google sealed a deal with Getty Images to improve on copyright disclaimers and on the attribution of someone’s work.  Katrina Hallare /ra

source: technology.inquirer.net

Amazon opts for truce, prepares sales of Apple TV, Chromecast

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Amazon is angling for a truce in its two-year battle with Apple and Google over streaming gadgets: It says it is preparing to put Apple TV and Chromecast back on sale.

A spokeswoman for Amazon confirmed Friday it is preparing to sell the devices. However, fresh links for the products that went live on Thursday indicate they are still unavailable.

Amazon stopped selling Apple TV streaming devices in late 2015 in retaliation for Apple not making Amazon’s Prime Video app available on Apple TVs. It said at the time the move was to reduce possible confusion caused by items sold on its store not playing videos bundled with its Prime shipping plan. It also stopped selling Google’s popular Chromecast streaming device that year.

In a major sign of the coming armistice, Apple made the Prime Video app available on Apple TV last week.

Amazon’s decision to start reselling Google’s Chromecast comes after the search giant had stepped up the pressure by threatening to pull its subsidiary YouTube from Amazon’s Fire TV on Jan. 1.

Google had said last week that it would also disable YouTube on Amazon’s new voice-activated speaker that comes with a screen attached — the Echo Show. Shortly after, Amazon also stopped selling Nest’s Thermostat E, which had once been “Amazon’s Choice” in home programmable thermostats. Nest, like Google, is part of Alphabet Inc.

Google argued that Amazon’s version of YouTube was unauthorized and a violation of its terms of service because it initially failed to support features like the ability to log in, comment and see one’s subscribed channels. Google had also pulled YouTube from Windows Phone platforms in 2013 when the app failed to live up to its standards.

Mountain View, California-based Google hailed Amazon’s move, saying it is in “productive discussions with Amazon to reach an agreement for the benefit of our mutual customers.” Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

source: technology.inquirer.net