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Startup Rejects Google's Staggering Acquisition Offer

Cybersecurity firm Wiz turns down $23B deal, which would been Google's biggest ever

(Newser) - Thanks, but no thanks. That's the message cybersecurity startup Wiz delivered to Google as it rejected a $23 billion takeover offer, reports CNBC . It would have been Google's biggest acquisition ever. "Saying no to such humbling offers is tough," Wiz co-founder Assaf Rappaport wrote in a...

Google Changes Its Mind on Eliminating Cookies

Proposed new process would prompt users to make the choice

(Newser) - Google was supposed to eliminate cookies, the controversial technology used by advertisers to track users' online activity, from its Chrome web browser by the end of the year . In what the Wall Street Journal calls a "major reversal," however, the company has decided against the move. Axios says...

Google's Emissions Goal Now at Risk, Thanks to AI

Company's carbon emissions rose 48% in 5 years, as data centers keep up with artificial intelligence

(Newser) - Google's annual environmental report is out, and it's got some energy-guzzling stats. The Tuesday release showed that the technology giant's greenhouse gas emissions have spiked 48% since 2019, seeing a 13% rise in 2023 over the previous year alone, reports the Guardian . The company says this increase...

Google Rolls Out Huge Change to Search Engine

Top result for some searches will be AI-generated summaries, not links

(Newser) - Google rolled out a retooled search engine Tuesday that will frequently favor responses crafted by artificial intelligence over website links, a shift promising to quicken the quest for information while also potentially disrupting the flow of money-making internet traffic. The makeover announced at Google's annual developers conference will begin...

At Google, a 'Flagrant Act of Retaliation' Against Workers

On Tuesday, 9 workers were detained over protests over Israeli contract; on Wednesday, 28 were fired

(Newser) - On Tuesday, nine workers were arrested for trespassing at Google offices on both coasts while protesting their employer's contract with the Israeli government. A day later, the company fired dozens more employees, reports the New York Times . More on what's happening:
  • The contract: The workers who converged upon
...

NYT Columnist Explains Why He 'Euthanized' His Gmail

Ezra Klein killed off his Google email account due to the overwhelming amount of content

(Newser) - Ezra Klein remembers feeling "chosen" two decades ago when he scored a coveted invite to join Google's new Gmail service, which promised much more storage in users' inboxes and robust search capabilities. He now admits he's no longer a Gmail devotee, as of a few months ago:...

Google to Destroy 'Unprecedented' Amount of Data

Move is part of settlement in Incognito case

(Newser) - Google is going to destroy what a lawyer calls an "unprecedented" amount of data as part of a settlement in a class-action lawsuit over its "Incognito" mode. According to a Monday court filing, the company will "delete and/or remediate billions of data records that reflect class members'...

Report: Apple in Talks Over 'Blockbuster' Google Deal

Sources say Apple is in talks to use Google's Gemini AI in new iPhones

(Newser) - Insiders say Apple and Google are in talks over a deal that could be massive for both companies. The sources say Apple is looking into using Google's Gemini generative artificial intelligence technology in the next iPhone model. Bloomberg reports that the negotiations could lead to "a blockbuster agreement...

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
Jan 4, 2024 1:07 PM CST

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
Dec 6, 2023 12:50 PM CST

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...

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