If Google shares less data, rivals shout antitrust; if it opens up, privacy advocates cry foul
Google LLC is limiting access to key tools that track ad spending, disrupting hundreds of marketers and underscoring the powerful role the search giant plays in the digital advertising industry. One recent change affects ad measurement companies — independent firms that monitor the performance of ...
Alphabet CEO backs temporary ban on facial recognition but Microsoft boss disagrees
The European Union's proposal for a temporary ban on facial recognition technology won backing from Alphabet Inc. Chief Executive Sundar Pichai on Monday but got a cool response from Microsoft Corp. President Brad Smith. While Pichai cited the possibility that the technology could be used ...
Study finds Google system could improve breast cancer detection
A Google artificial intelligence system has proved as good as expert radiologists at predicting which women would develop breast cancer based on screening mammograms and also showed promise at reducing errors, researchers in the United States and Britain reported. The study, which was published in ...
Cobalt fallout: Tesla and Apple among firms accused of aiding child labor in Congo
Five of the world's largest tech companies have been accused of being complicit in the death of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo forced to mine cobalt, a metal used to make telephones and computers, in a landmark lawsuit. The legal complaint on behalf ...
Google owner Alphabet Inc. has made an offer to acquire U.S. wearable device maker Fitbit Inc., as it eyes a slice of the crowded market for fitness trackers and smartwatches, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. While Google has joined other major technology ...
Study shows cute kids are YouTube clickbait; child advocates concerned
YouTube videos featuring young children draw nearly triple the average viewership of other content, according to research released on Thursday. The report provided ammunition for child advocates who want Alphabet Inc. to take more aggressive steps to make its streaming service safer for kids. Pew Research ...
Five Japanese automakers to join Toyota-SoftBank self-driving venture
Five Japanese automakers will join a self-driving technology joint venture formed last year by Toyota Motor Corp. and SoftBank Corp., sources close to the matter said Wednesday. Mazda Motor Corp., Suzuki Motor Corp., Subaru Corp., Isuzu Motor Ltd., and Toyota's minivehicle-making unit Daihatsu Motor Corp. ...
Renault and Nissan agree to explore driverless services partnership with Waymo in France and Japan
If the partnership is realized, it will have ramifications for other alliances and other self-driving projects, most of which have yet to hit the road.
Activists urge Google to break up before regulators force it to
Shareholder activists on Wednesday urged Google parent Alphabet Inc. to break itself up before regulators force the world's biggest internet ad seller to split into different pieces. SumOfUs, a U.S.-based group that aims to curb the growing power of corporations, presented the proposal at Alphabet's ...
Silicon valley battered as Washington turns up antitrust heat
Technology giants are bracing for sweeping investigations into their business practices as top U.S. antitrust officials and lawmakers carved out a battle plan targeting Silicon Valley's best-known names — sending shares tumbling and raising the prospect of a drawn-out fight with the government. The House ...
SoftBank and Google parent tie up on flying 5G stations for phone services using balloons and drones
Mobile phone carrier SoftBank Corp. and Google LLC parent Alphabet Inc. said Thursday they will jointly set up airborne mobile phone base stations, using balloons and aircraft in the stratosphere, to cover wider areas for next-generation 5G wireless services. SoftBank's year-old HAPSMobile and Alphabet's Loon, ...
Google launches global council to advise on AI and tech ethics
Alphabet Inc.'s Google said on Tuesday it was launching a global advisory council to consider ethical issues around artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. The council, which is slated to publish a report at the end of 2019, includes technology experts, digital ethicists, and people ...
