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 ...
Google fined $1.7 billion for blocking rival online search advertisers, in third EU sanction
Google was fined €1.49 billion ($1.7 billion) on Wednesday for blocking rival online search advertisers, in the third large European Union antitrust penalty for the Alphabet business in two only years. The European Commission, which said the fine accounted for 1.29 percent of Google's turnover ...
Facebook tightens EU political ad rules, adds 'paid for by' disclaimers
Facebook says it's tightening requirements for political ads in the European Union ahead of bloc-wide elections scheduled for the spring, its latest effort to fight misinformation and increase transparency on its platforms. The social media giant said Monday that starting in late March, political ad ...
Google shifted $23 billion to tax haven Bermuda via shell firm in 2017, filing shows
Google moved €19.9 billion ($22.7 billion) through a Dutch shell company to Bermuda in 2017, as part of an arrangement that allows it to reduce its foreign tax bill, according to documents filed at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. The amount channelled through Google Netherlands ...
Another exec out, minus golden parachute, amid sex harassment tension at Google
Google parent Alphabet on Wednesday confirmed that an executive accused of sexual harassment left the company without an exit package as tension over its handling of such matters heightened. Word that Rich DeVaul, a director at X lab devoted to "moonshots" such as internet service ...
Stocks lost further ground on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Friday, as selling traced to concerns over corporate earnings outpaced buying in anticipation of a rebound after sharp falls. The 225-issue Nikkei average lost 84.13 points, or 0.40 percent, to end at 21,184.60. On Thursday, ...
