Google

Fri
23
Dec
John Lister's picture

Holocaust Denial Site Tops Google Rankings

Google has tweaked its search algorithm after discovering holocaust denial sites were topping the results for some queries. The incident may have highlighted a difference in the way Google and other search engines rank pages. The issue came to light ... when a newspaper reporter experimented with searches for the phrase "did the Holocaust happen" and discovered that the top result returned by Google was a site specifically dedicated to denying the Holocaust. Other journalists checked up potentially controversial queries and found unsettling top results, such as a search for "are ... (view more)

Thu
10
Nov
John Lister's picture

Sites Hosting Malware Get 30 Day Google Ban

Google is to take harsher actions against sites that it determines house malware or attempt to steal user data. Repeat offenders will effectively be hidden from view from many users for 30 days. The changes are to Google's Safe Browsing feature, ... which vets sites for malicious content. The feature is built into the Chrome browser and made available for other online tools. It's also built-in to all the links from Google search results, regardless of the user's browser. When Google detects a site is potentially harmful, it won't take users directly to the page when they click on ... (view more)

Tue
18
Oct
John Lister's picture

Google Predicts Flight Ticket Price Hikes

Google is to start warning users when flight ticket prices are likely to rise. It adds forecasts to a current system that works with actual price changes. The feature is coming to Google Flights, a dedicated search tool which lets users look for ... flight prices. While several travel sites offer similar tools, Google argues that its is easier to use. It's no secret that ticket prices change over time. While there's an element of last-minute drops as airlines try to avoid empty seats, there's also a broader trend of prices increasing as the weeks count down to a flight, the theory ... (view more)

Thu
06
Oct
John Lister's picture

Is a Chromebook Right for You?

With smartphones and tablets gaining extreme popularity thanks to low-cost production and ever-increasing CPU speeds, many users are looking at alternatives to Windows when it comes to being able to compute on the go. One system in particular is the ... ChromeBook (laptop) which is based on Google's Chrome operating system. Many major manufacturers produce Chromebooks, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung. As of September 2016 there were at least three dozen Chromebook models on the market. What is Chrome OS? Chrome OS is a somewhat similar, but separate operating system to Android ... (view more)

Thu
07
Jul
John Lister's picture

Google Self-Driving Cars Tweaked for Cyclist Safety

Google's self-driving cars now have the ability to recognize hand signals from cyclists. They have also been programmed to err on the side of caution when considering passing a rider. The cars, which are now being tested on public roads in four ... states, use a wide range of technologies to safely maneuver the roads. These include cameras, proximity sensors, radar and lasers to detect and recognize objects around the car. The vehicles also use Google's own map database to get information on upcoming intersections and the likely traffic they'll encounter. One of the big challenges is ... (view more)

Tue
17
May
John Lister's picture

Google Faces $3.4B Fine for Search Bias

Google will reportedly face a fine of more than $3 billion for a series of alleged breaches of European competition laws. The penalty would be one-sixth of the maximum that could be imposed, but would still dwarf previous records. The penalty would ... come from the European Commission. Among many other roles, the commission oversees competition rules which apply to firms doing business across 28 European countries. For the record, this is a separate case launched last month , which the European Commission formally accused Google of using unfair rules in the way it pressures Android device ... (view more)

Thu
12
May
John Lister's picture

Google Refuses Payday Loan Ads

Google is to refuse to carry advertising for payday loans companies. It's the biggest such ban for something other than illegal activity or matters of taste. The ban will apply to all Google's advertising systems. That includes both the ads that ... appear alongside search results and the ads that are placed by Google for clients on third party websites. The move however will not stop payday loan companies showing up in search results. Google has defined the affected ads as ones for loans where the repayment is due within 60 days of taking out the loan. While this will apply worldwide, a ... (view more)

Wed
04
May
John Lister's picture

Google Gets Hands On Patient Records

Google has been granted access to millions of patient medical records in the United Kingdom. It plans to use it to develop a way to spot patients at risk of developing serious kidney conditions. Although officials say personally identifying details ... will remain encrypted, the move has raised controversy with questions about the scope of the data involved. The records cover every patient who had dealings in the past five years with one of three specific hospitals in London overseen by the same NHS Trust. That's the local organizational body that delivers government-funded healthcare. ' ... (view more)

Wed
16
Mar
John Lister's picture

Google Email Automatic Reply Tool Expanded

Google is expanding a feature that automatically suggests quick email replies that you can send with one click. It's moving it from mobile only to the desktop, though won't yet be part of the main Gmail tool. The feature, called Smart Reply, debuted ... on the Inbox by Gmail mobile app. That's a separate tool to Gmail, though lets you access the same email accounts. The difference is that the app contains several tools designed to make it easier to deal with large numbers of messages, particularly for people who work on the move. Smart Reply works by scanning the content of an ... (view more)

Thu
29
Oct
John Lister's picture

Google to Offer Internet by Balloon

Google says it should have a network of Internet-carrying balloons circling the Earth next year. It will mean users in some parts of the world will be able to get a continuous Internet connection without access to cabling, phone lines or a cellphone ... network. The idea is to use similar technology to satellite Internet, but at a considerably lower cost. The balloons, which carry radio transmitters and receivers, run on solar power. The balloons will operate 12 miles above the ground, in the stratosphere, which isn't high enough to lock into orbit like satellites. Instead, the balloons will ... (view more)

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Google