From Grumpy Cat and falling oil prices to Google blackouts and the weather bomb: Here are 10 things we learned this week December 12, 2014 It's been another busy week… here's our pick of the things we learned. 1. Grumpy Cat may not look too impressed but for once she certainly had something to smile about. Turns out the feline internet celebrity earned £32m last year. That's more than a host of business bosses, including Sir Martin Sorrell, Jamie [...]
Google News shutdown: Google confirms it will turn off its Spanish news service December 11, 2014 Google has confirmed plans to turn off its Google News service in Spain, in anticipation of draconian new copyright rules charging websites which aggregate content. The rules, due to be introduced next year, means news aggregators will be forced to pay publishers an annual fee to link to their content. If they don't pay up, [...]
Google Tax to prompt tech giants to kill Irish tax deals as government cracks down on avoidance tactics December 10, 2014 Rules, detailed by the government yesterday, aimed at clamping down on tax avoidance by tech giants including Google and Apple, could force US multinationals to start winding down “artificial arrangements” used to divert profits abroad. “What they’re trying to do is say ‘if you have a UK presence and if you are making UK sales, [...]
Google’s Eric Schmidt says artificial intelligence concerns are normal but misguided after Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk warnings December 10, 2014 Google boss Eric Schmidt is the latest to weigh in on the artificial intelligence debate after Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk both offered a dim view of intelligent machines in the future. Schmidt is tabling a much more positive view of the rise of the machines. Nothing to do with Google’s massive investment in AI, [...]
Treasury will reveal tax structures targeted by Google Tax this week December 7, 2014 THE TREASURY will this week unveil details of how it will implement the so-called Google tax, targeting firms that shift profits to overseas tax havens, as well as a list of the “artificial arrangements” used by businesses to dodge UK tax. The draft 2015 Finance Act will be published on Wednesday along with guidance on [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: Google Tax set to raise £1bn from companies shifting profits overseas December 3, 2014 Starbucks, Apple and Google will pay higher UK taxes under a new tax that looks to stem the tide of multinational companies shifting profits to overseas tax havens. The Diverted Profits Tax, already dubbed the Google Tax, is set to raise over £1bn over the next five years by applying a 25 per cent tax [...]
Next Google glass has something new inside December 1, 2014 Google is expected to turn to chipmaker Intel to power the second generation of its Glass computer headset expected to launch next year. Glass originally launched in 2012, but has as yet failed to gain sales traction with its £1,000 price tag and nerdy appearance. Intel plans to promote Glass to a business audience, according [...]
As the European Parliament votes to break up Google, is it politicising competition law? November 27, 2014 Philip Booth, professor of insurance and risk management at Cass, and editorial and programme director at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says Yes. Taking competition action against innovative industries is bad policy – unless the EU wants a stagnant economy. Google is operating in a sector where change happens very quickly, and dominant firms that [...]
EU votes to break up Google (but it won’t happen) November 27, 2014 As hypothetical votes go, this is a big 'un. The European parliament has passed a resolution calling for Google to spin off its search engine business, in a pointed show of disapproval at the US search giant's practices. Although the resolution doesn't mention Google by name, the catchily-titled "resolution on supporting consumer rights in the [...]
Ex-banker reaches settlement with Google over removal of ‘vile and abusive’ internet posts November 24, 2014 An ex-banker has reached a settlement with Google over "vile and abusive" internet posts, having previously argued that the firm should do more to remove them. Daniel Hegglin, a British businessman who used to for work Morgan Stanley, had been targeted by an anonymous internet troll and wrongly called a paedophile and a Ku Klux [...]