When it comes to law enforcement, the balance between the right to justice and the right to privacy will always be a grey area. But when the balance between law enforcement and the rights of privacy, conscience and free speech are breached in the name of justice, especially done in …
Read More »Google, YouTube will no longer allow ads on content pushing ‘climate change denial,’ saying it ‘contradicts scientific consensus’
The Big Tech behemoth announced the move in a Thursday blog post, updating its policies on ads and monetization in order to “ensure a brand-safe environment” for advertisers, and to “protect users” from “unreliable claims” as well as “fake medical cures or anti-vaccine advocacy.” “Our advertising and publisher partners … …
Read More »Accidentely unsealed warrant reveals Google served up data on anyone who searched sexual abuse victim’s name – media
So-called “keyword warrants” allow authorities to slurp up the Google user data and IP addresses of anyone who so much as types a suspicious term into a search engine. While a handful of such warrants surfaced in the media in the past several years, Forbes reported on Monday about what it …
Read More »Apple & Google are ‘accomplices of censorship,’ Rubio blasts, after US tech giants remove Navalny content in line with Russian law
In the appeal to Google boss Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook, made public over the weekend, Rubio attacked the decision to comply with Russian law and remove content produced by associates of jailed opposition figure Alexey Navalny. The two companies removed their ‘Smart Voting’ app from stores in …
Read More »Navalny allies say Google demanding they delete ‘Smart Voting’ list, as Moscow accuses American firm of ‘election interference’
Navalny’s team posted on its Telegram account what it said was a notice from the US-based tech giant, informing them about a complaint from the Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor (RKN). The complaint said materials hosted on Google servers were in breach of Russian law, according to the screenshot. Unless the …
Read More »Apple & Google delete Navalny’s ‘Smart Voting’ app after top Russian officials accuse US tech giants of ‘election interference’
The opposition figure’s team confirmed on Friday that the ‘Smart Voting’ platform had been taken down from both Apple’s AppStore and Google Play services after the country’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, called on the American tech firms to implement a government-ordered block. Officials had previously threatened the US firms with hefty …
Read More »Google’s Moscow office raided by bailiffs looking to collect $400k in fines… but lawyers say they must go to US to get the money
According to Telegram channel Mash, which obtained a video of the interaction, the bailiffs arrived at the office and were met by the receptionist, who was the only one there. She then called a lawyer, who told the officials that the building was the office of OOO Google – a …
Read More »South Korean regulator slaps Google with $177mn fine for antitrust violations & abusing market dominance
The fine of $176.64 million (207 billion won) was imposed by South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) on Tuesday, having launched a probe into the tech giant back in 2016 over suspicions it had prevented local affiliates from using operating systems developed by rival firms. The regulator said Google had …
Read More »‘Don’t interfere in our elections,’ Russian regulators tell US tech giants Apple & Google, in row over ‘foreign agent’ campaign
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, officials demanded that Apple and Google, as well as VPN service providers Cloudflare and Cisco, stop allowing users to access banned sites. “During the pre-election campaign, it is prohibited to enable the violation of Russian legislation, including those related to election campaigning on …
Read More »LifeLog 2.0.? Facebook summons the ghost of Google Glass with Ray-Ban ‘smart glasses’ capable of stealthily recording uninitiated
The first product of a reported multi-year device partnership with Facebook, Ray-Ban ‘Stories’ sunglasses are almost indistinguishable from normal eyewear – except they sync up with a companion app called Facebook View on the user’s phone and require a Facebook account to use, according to Alex Heath, who tested them …
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