Google Inc. has agreed to implement a comprehensive privacy policy and undergo 20 years of independent audits as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in connection with charges that it used deceptive tactics and violated promises to customers when launching its Buzz social network last year. Get the full story »
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March 30 at 12:58 p.m.
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Filed under: Consumer news, Corporate governance, Internet, Privacy issues Google to toughen privacy policy, undergo audits
Microsoft co-founder relaunches tech patent suit
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen relaunched a wide-ranging patent lawsuit against Apple, Google, Facebook and others with specific allegations that the companies are illegally using technology owned by his company. Get the full story »
Time Warner moves ahead on premium on-demand
Time Warner Inc. could offer premium video-on-demand as early as the first quarter for $20 to $30 per movie in a trial, the company’s CFO said Thursday.
Time Warner is considering making movies available for rent on pay television services shortly after their theatrical release and before their DVD release, Chief Financial Officer John Martin said at a Goldman Sachs investor conference in New York. Get the full story »
Google claims to speed searches with Instant
Google Inc. unveiled a set of enhancements to its Internet search engine Wednesday that predict search queries as users type, promising to speed up the time it takes to find information online.
Google Instant, which is being launched Wednesday in the United States, delivers search results on a Web page before a user finishes typing in a query. The search results displayed on the page refresh and change as the user continues typing additional letters of the search term. Get the full story »
Google scoops up air travel data firm ITA Software
Google Inc. is poised to shake-up the online travel market with its $700-million acquisition of ITA Software Inc., whose search engine tools are used to power leading Web-based travel agencies like Chicago-based Orbitz Worldwide.
The all-cash deal announced Thursday would make Google a vendor to — and potential competitor of — many of the most prominent online travel sites, including Kayak.com, FareCompare.com, Hotwire Group and Microsoft Corp.’s Bing Travel.
The deal is almost certain to face tough scrutiny from federal antitrust officials, given Google’s conflicted role and its clout as a sprawling Internet giant. Get the full story »
June 16, 2010 at 5:56 p.m.
Filed under: Investigations, Policy, Politics, Privacy issues, Technology Illinois attorney general is investigating Google
By Wailin Wong | Illinois has joined a list of governments in the U.S. and worldwide that are probing Google’s data collection for the search giant’s Street View service.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said Wednesday her office is investigating whether the California-based company gathered personal information from state residents. Street View is used in Google Maps and Google Earth to show photos at the street level, displaying pictures taken by special camera equipment mounted on cars and other vehicles.
The controversy over Street View arose last month, when Google admitted to inadvertently capturing and storing bits of private information sent over unencrypted WiFi networks. This “payload data,” as the information is called, can include e-mails, passwords and browsing activity.
Google jolts Internet search with rollout of Caffeine
McClatchy-Tribune News | Internet giant Google is putting some buzz into its search results, announcing on its official blog late Tuesday that it has completed its new Caffeine search index.
“Caffeine provides 50 percent fresher results for Web searches than our last index, and it’s the largest collection of Web content we’ve offered,” Carrie Grimes, a Google software engineer, said in the post.
Google: $3.2 billion impact on Illinois businesses
By Wailin Wong
| Google generated $3.2 billion for Illinois businesses in 2009, the
search engine said Tuesday as part of a nationwide announcement about
the company’s impact on state economies.
The publication of the “Google’s Economic Impact” report marks the first
time the company has released this kind of data. Google calculated its
figures by estimating the profits businesses derive from advertising though the
search engine.
Playable Google logo honors Pac-Man’s 30th
By Wailin Wong | Procrastination among cubicle workers of a certain generation is likely
to skyrocket today, thanks to a bit of nostalgic fun on Google’s home
page.
The Google doodle, which often gets small makeovers in honor of historic
events and anniversaries, has been transformed into a playable Pac-Man
game to commemorate the game’s thirtieth birthday. According to a post
on the official Google Blog, the Pac-Man tribute is the first-ever
playable Google “doodle.” To relive your childhood arcade memories,
simply wait a few seconds for the game to begin or click the “Insert
Coin” button, which appears under the search box.
Facebook bigger than Google in the U.S.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2007. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
By Wailin Wong | Social networking platform Facebook racked up the most U.S. hits on its Web site last week, edging past search giant Google to be the country’s most-visited site for that period, according to data from research firm Hitwise.
Google attack linked to sophisticated Asian hackers
The Wall Street Journal | U.S. investigators are focusing on a prominent Asian hacking group that is likely Chinese as the probable perpetrator of the recent attacks on Google. The group used sophisticated data-masking techniques to hack into the search giant’s computer systems. It is still unclear whether the hacking group has any connections to the Chinese government.
Get the full story: wsj.com.
