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Feds: Ex-Google Engineer Stole AI Trade Secrets for China

38-year-old accused of secretly working with 2 Chinese companies

(Newser) - A former software engineer at Google has been charged with stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets from the company while secretly working with two companies based in China, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Linwei Ding, a Chinese national, was arrested in Newark, California, on four counts of federal trade secret theft,...

Google Says Bye-Bye to Bard, Hello to Gemini

Company retires its chatbot, releases an AI-driven upgrade that doubles as a digital assistant

(Newser) - There's a new chatbot/digital assistant in town, and it comes all in one package. In a "Siri meets ChatGPT" move, Google has retired its Bard chatbot and launched in its place the Gemini smartphone app, an artificial intelligence-driven tool announced Thursday that's now available to English speakers...

This AI-Driven Search Engine Should Make Google Nervous

Kevin Roose makes case in 'NYT' for Perplexity, whose artificial intelligence both excites, scares him

(Newser) - Google has long been the search engine powerhouse that people turn to when they want information on everything from flyby asteroids to the cost of Super Bowl tickets . Challengers have arisen, but the Alphabet-owned company always seems to beat them back—though one newish upstart has tech columnist Kevin Roose...

Apple, Google Pull App Linked to Sextortion Scams

Wizz, a Tinder-style app aimed at teens, says it's trying to remedy the 'technical hiccup'

(Newser) - A Tinder-style app geared toward teens has been yanked from both Apple and Google's app portals after warnings about sextortion. NBC News reports that, according to emails it viewed, Wizz was pulled on Tuesday from the Apple App Store following pushback from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation on...

Alphabet, Microsoft Release Closely Watched Results

Investors were apparently unimpressed by revenue growth at Google's parent company

(Newser) - Google's corporate parent returned to double-digit revenue growth during last year's final quarter, signaling the internet powerhouse has regained its footing even as it grapples with regulatory and competitive threats to its digital empire. The results announced Tuesday by Alphabet Inc. marked the third consecutive quarter of escalating...

You May Get a Specific Google Pop-Up Starting Thursday
Google Launches Plan
to Kill (Non-Edible) Cookies
the rundown

Google Launches Plan to Kill (Non-Edible) Cookies

Initiative to eliminate third-party trackers online begins with test of 1% of Chrome users

(Newser) - If you're a Chrome user who gets a pop-up from Google on Thursday, it's likely a sign that you're part of the first phase of the company's plan to eliminate cookies—the much-reviled tech gizmos that track your online activity and direct targeted ads your way....

Google to Settle Lawsuit Over Claims It Tracks People in 'Incognito' Mode

Plaintiffs argued Google continued to track users who thought they were browsing privately

(Newser) - Google will settle the class-action lawsuit, filed in 2020, accusing the tech giant of tracking users even when they were using "incognito" mode on their Chrome web browsers, the AP reports. Plaintiffs argued Google had amassed an "unaccountable trove of information" on users who were misled into believing...

Millions Are About to Receive Some Cash From Google

Company agrees to $700M settlement with consumers, states on high fees for app developers

(Newser) - More than 100 million consumers are eligible to receive funds from Google as part of an antitrust payout worth $700 million over fees Google charged in its app store. Per settlement terms released Monday , the tech giant will deposit $630 million into a fund that will dole out compensation to...

This Is What People Looked Up Online in 2023

Our collective Google search history is here

(Newser) - Your Google search history for 2023 has arrived. Well, actually, the world's. On Monday, the California-based tech giant released its "Year in Search," a roundup of 2023's top global queries, ranging from unforgettable pop culture moments (hello, Barbenheimer) to the loss of beloved figures and tragic...

Jury Quickly Decides Against Google in Play Store Lawsuit

Federal judge will decide how to untangle illegal actions

(Newser) - A federal court jury decided Monday that Google's Android app store has been protected by anticompetitive barriers that have damaged smartphone consumers and software developers, dealing a blow to a major pillar of a technology empire. The unanimous verdict came after just three hours of deliberation following a four-week...

Google Rolls Out Its Answer to ChatGPT
Google Unveils
a Powerful Rival
to ChatGPT
THE RUNDOWN

Google Unveils a Powerful Rival to ChatGPT

'I am in awe of what it's capable of,' Google DeepMind exec says of Gemini

(Newser) - A decade ago, researchers at DeepMind were working on getting artificial intelligence to beat games like Pong. After years of advances, the lab has now produced what Google calls its "largest and most capable AI model yet"—Gemini, the company's answer to ChatGPT. Google says the most...

After Long Fight, Google Workers Due $20 Apiece

Settlement is the culmination of a 2016 lawsuit filed over 'evil' workplace policies

(Newser) - Google will pay $27 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it silenced employees through "evil" and illegal policies. It's "the largest agreement of its kind," per Semafor . But it's "a drop in the bucket" for Google, whose parent company "turned almost $20 billion...

Trudeau Slams Meta After News Deal With Google

Google will pay $74M a year to Canadian news industry

(Newser) - Canada's government said Wednesday it reached a deal with Google for the company to contribute $100 million Canadian dollars annually to the country's news industry to comply with a new Canadian law requiring tech companies to pay publishers for their content. The agreement removes a threat by Google...

Google Is Days Away From Deleting Inactive Accounts

Here's what you need to know to keep your account from disappearing

(Newser) - Have a Google account you haven't used in a while? If you want to keep it from disappearing, you should sign in before the end of the week. Under Google's updated inactive account policy, which the tech giant announced back in May , accounts that haven't been used...

Largest Antitrust Trial in US in 25 Years Is About to Kick Off

Justice Department takes on Google over its search engine dominance

(Newser) - Google will confront a threat to its dominant search engine beginning Tuesday when federal regulators launch an attempt to dismantle its internet empire in the biggest US antitrust trial in a quarter century. Over the next 10 weeks, federal lawyers and state attorneys general will try to prove Google rigged...

2 Tech Giants Deliver Strong Earning Reports
2 Tech Giants
Beat Expectations

2 Tech Giants Beat Expectations

Alphabet, Microsoft deliver strong earnings reports

(Newser) - Two major tech companies delivered earnings reports after trading ended Tuesday—and both Microsoft and Alphabet, Google's parent company, beat analysts' expectations. Before the closely watched results were released, analysts said the companies would need to show strong numbers to justify the steep rise in stock prices this year....

It's a '5-Alarm Fire' for Tax-Prep Firms
It's a '5-Alarm Fire'
for Tax-Prep Firms
NEW REPORT

It's a '5-Alarm Fire' for Tax-Prep Firms

H&R Block, others allegedly shared millions of taxpayers' private info with tech firms

(Newser) - Members of Congress are calling for criminal charges against some of America's largest tax-prep companies for allegedly sharing tens of millions of taxpayers' legally protected data with Google and Meta. As far back as 2011, H&R Block, TaxSlayer, and TaxAct allegedly shared private information entered into its website...

New Twitter CEO Starts Paying the Bills: Report

Linda Yaccarino is clearing up social media's unpaid bills to Google for cloud services, per 'WSJ'

(Newser) - The "Velvet Hammer" is already getting it done at Twitter. Linda Yaccarino, the "hard-charging executive" enticed by Elon Musk from overseeing ads at NBCUniversal to become Twitter's new CEO , is paying the social media company's bills again—specifically, to Google, reports the Wall Street Journal . Platformer...

Google Got $10M for 'Deceptive' Abortion Ads

Ads directed searchers to centers that 'shame those seeking abortions,' per report

(Newser) - People who use Google to search for "abortion pill" and "abortion clinic near me" are instead shown advertisements for crisis pregnancy centers whose goal is to dissuade individuals from accessing abortion. Over two years, Google accepted $10.2 million from anti-abortion groups to post such advertisements alongside legitimate...

Google to Employees: Get Your Butts Into the Office

The 'tug of war' between companies, staffers on remote/hybrid work continues

(Newser) - A new report cited by Fortune details a "happy middle ground" reached by many companies and their workers on coming back to the office now that the worst of the pandemic has passed. That "truce" of sorts entails hybrid arrangements, in which staffers come in a few days...

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