Internet regulation poses ‘serious threat’ to free speech and innovation June 20, 2019 Government plans to tighten regulations against internet companies pose a serious threat to free speech and will damage the economy, according to a new report. The Adam Smith Institute (ASI) warned that making platforms such as Google and Facebook accountable for material posted by their users could lead to widespread censorship. Read more: Online harms [...]
Activists call for break up of Google June 19, 2019 Protesters are calling on Google’s parent company Alphabet to break itself up before it is forced to by regulators. Sum Of Us, a US-based activist group, will ask shareholders to vote on breaking the company up at a meeting at the company’s offices in California today. Read more: Amazon overtakes Apple and Google as world’s [...]
Social media firms team up with advertisers to fight online harms June 18, 2019 Social media giants including Facebook and Google have formed a new alliance with brands and ad agencies in a bid to crack down on harmful material online. A total of 16 brands, including Unilever, Diageo and Procter & Gamble, have signed up to a new working group that will lobby publishers and platforms to remove [...]
Amazon overtakes Apple and Google as world’s most valuable brand June 11, 2019 Amazon has surged past tech rivals Apple and Google to be crowned the world’s most valuable brand. The e-commerce giant jumped in brand value by 52 per cent over the last year to reach $315.5bn (£405.9bn), according to the latest figures from WPP and Kantar. Read more: Amazon to deliver packages by drone ‘within months’ [...]
G20 vows to crack down on tech giant tax havens by 2020 June 9, 2019 Tech giants such as Facebook and Google will face a crackdown to ensure they pay their corporate taxes in full, after G20 finance ministers vowed to wrap up new laws by the end of the year. In a communique issued after a meeting in Japan, the finance ministers said they would compile new rules to [...]
Google: Huawei ban is a national security risk June 7, 2019 Google has warned the Trump administration it risks compromising US national security if it pushes ahead with planned restrictions on Huawei. Senior executives at Google are pushing US officials to exempt it from a ban on exports to the Chinese company, according to the Financial Times. The Trump administration announced the ban after trade talks [...]
Google Cloud buys analytics firm Looker for $2.6bn June 6, 2019 Google will buy analytics firm Looker for $2.6bn (£2bn) as it looks to expand its cloud offerings. Read more: Microsoft and Oracle team up to take on Amazon Web Services The deal is the first big move for the company’s new cloud chief, Oracle veteran Thomas Kurian, who replaced Diane Greene last year. The acquisition [...]
Microsoft and Oracle team up to take on Amazon Web Services June 5, 2019 Microsoft and Oracle will connect their cloud services in an effort to woo big businesses and take on market leader Amazon Web Services (AWS). The combined service will enable users to connect Oracle’s autonomous databases with Microsoft services, such as Azure analytics and artificial intelligence. The new high-speed link between the two company’s data centres [...]
Apple asks developers to put its new sign-in button above Facebook and Google’s June 5, 2019 Apple is set to ask developers to put its new “Sign in with Apple” button above those of rival services Google and Facebook on iOS apps. Apple unveiled its new login button at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday. Many users sign in to apps using their Facebook or Google accounts because it saves them [...]
Shares fall in Google parent Alphabet as Justice Department probe looms June 3, 2019 Shares in Google parent Alphabet took a beating this afternoon after reports that the company is about to be hit with a competition investigation. The company tumbled more than six per cent as markets opened in New York, its biggest drop since 30 April when it showed low revenues in its financial results. Read more: [...]