Google faces protests over censored China search engine 'Project Dragonfly'

Several Google employees citing a lack of corporate transparency in the wake of the censored search engine project.

 

International News: Google's offices in the US, UK, Canada, India, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Sweden, Switzerland, and Denmark witnessed renewed protests by human rights groups over its plan to re-enter China through a censored search application code-named "Project Dragonfly".
The demonstrations were organised by a coalition of Chinese, Tibetan, Uighur, and human rights groups outside the tech giant's offices. The Tibetan advocacy groups that were protesting included Free Tibet and the International Tibet Network.
"They fear that a censored search engine would lead to further oppression of the Tibetans, as filtered searches would erase terms such as 'Tibet' and 'Tiananmen Square' in line with the official narrative of the Chinese Communist Party," the Business Insider reported late on Friday.
The same concerns apply to the Chinese citizens, including other oppressed minorities such as Uighur Muslims and Southern Mongolian people, the report added.
The Internet giant designed a censored version for China search engine to blacklist information about human rights, democracy, peaceful protest, and religion in accordance with strict rules on censorship in the country that are enforced by its Communist Party government.

↓ Read the full news here ↓

Google shuts down Project Dragonfly

Google Pay India sharing payments data with group companies and third parties: Paytm

This is not the first time Paytm has called out an international firm over data and payments issues.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma-owned fintech major Paytm has alleged that payments platform Google Pay is violating guidelines by sharing data with its group companies and third parties, and also using it for advertising purposes.

Google Pay’s privacy policy states it collects, stores, uses, and discloses users’ personal data for advertising and promotional purposes, Paytm claims in its letter to National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

Google Pay India

“We would like to highlight a very important fact that Google Pay, which is an un-regulated payments platform, has the scope of using their customers’ data for their monetary gains with complete disregard of the user’s need for privacy. The critical payments data collected by them is being processed and stored outside of India, which can have severe security implications in case of a data breach as their policy states that this data is also being disclosed with advertisers and third-parties,” reads the company’s letter.

One97 Communications, the company that owns Paytm, said on several occasions it stored as well as processes user data onshore. “India is in the process of drafting its personal data protection bill. Against this backdrop, it is of utmost concern that global companies are sharing Indian users’ personal data among group companies,” the company wrote in the email.

↓↓↓  Read the Full News here  ↓↓↓

Google Pay Payment Data

Google admits it tracks users, but says it's 'to improve experience'

The Associated Press ran a story saying an many Google services on Android devices and iPhones store users' location data even if the users explicitly used a privacy setting forbidding that.

Technology News: After facing criticism over reports that certain Google apps track users' whereabouts even when they turn off location data, the tech giant has revised its Help Page, clarifying that it does track location data in order to "improve Google experience".

Previously, the Help Page stated: "You can turn off Location History at any time. With Location History off, the places you go are no longer stored."

The page now says: "This setting does not affect other location services on your device, like Google Location Services and Find My Device.

"Some location data may be saved as part of your activity on other services, like Search and Maps".

Google Tracks your Movements

The new language confirms that location data is, indeed, being tracked by some Google apps.

"We have been updating the explanatory language about Location History to make it more consistent and clear across our platforms and help centres," CNET reported on Friday, quoting a Google spokesperson.

The Associated Press earlier this week ran a story saying an investigation found that many Google services on Android devices and iPhones store users' location data even if the users explicitly used a privacy setting forbidding that...continue reading

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News Source: BS

 

Want to change Google Assistant’s voice? You have six choices now

At its annual developer conference Google I/O, the company said these six options, which feature both male and female voices, would be rolled out later this year.

Technology News : Making the competition in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered assistants space tougher, Google on Tuesday announced that people will soon have a choice of choosing from six voices, including one of musician John Legend, to talk to “Google Assistant”. At its annual developer conference Google I/O, the company said these six options, which feature both male and female voices, would be rolled out later this year.

Company CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google has been working on newer and more life-like version of its spoken AI that features a natural voice that is “closer to how humans speak.” The improvements include more natural pauses “that have meaning” and other subtleties to help create a “more natural dialogue” with Assistant. This new version of the Assistant is built on a tech machine learning technology called Wavenet, which the company started building out some 18 months ago.

Now instead of having to say “Hey Google” or “OK Google” every time to give a command, users only have to do this one time and then have a conversation with the Assistant. Google calls this feature “continued conversation” and it’ll roll out in the coming week. The new powerful Assistant can now distinguish between two sentences that are joined by “and” and can reply with two different query-specific answers in one go.

Also Read : Google Gmail now gets smarter with security, productivity and AI features

The tech giant wants to bundle its voice assistant into every device and app and is bringing Google Assistant in Google Maps. It’ll be available on iOS and Android this summer. Users can now share estimated time of arrival with their contacts without touching the device.

Further, the Assistant would soon be able to make calls for you to make reservations at restaurants or salons.

It would also teach children to use polite language when interacting with the Google Assistant’s “Pretty Please feature. When kids say “Please” during a command, they would receive thanks from the virtual assistant in response. Google says that “Pretty Please” feature would launch later this year.

The company also brought Assistant-powered Smart Displays. These devices would be launched in July.

Read more → Change Google Assistant Voice

Google Gmail now gets smarter with security, productivity and AI features

The updated email client is currently rolling out in batches. But you can try the new look by going in the settings (click on clog icon on top right) and selecting ‘Try the new Gmail’ option.

Technology News : Search engine and technology giant Google on April 25 started pushing out a new Gmail web client with redesigned features and new upgrades centred on productivity, security and ease of use. The updated email client is currently rolling out in batches. But, you can try the new look by going to the settings (click on clog icon on top right) and selecting ‘Try the new Gmail’ option. You can also move back to the old client, if you find the new look confusing, by going to the setting again and selecting ‘Go back to classic Gmail’.

Here are the new features in the updated Gmail web client:

Gmail Security Features

• In the new email client, Google has introduced a new confidential mode, which enables creating expiration dates or revoking previously sent messages, thereby helping protect sensitive content in emails. Additionally, the new email client could also require additional authentication via text message to view an email, it is now possible to protect data even if a recipient’s email account has been hacked.
• Google has also designed the new Gmail web client with built-in information rights management (IRM) controls. These controls allow you to remove the option to forward, copy, download or print messages. This helps reduce the risk of confidential information being accidentally shared with the wrong people. However, the feature is still in a testing phase and the rollout will begin to consumer Gmail users and a limited number of G-Suite customers in the coming weeks, followed by a broader rollout to all users later.
• The new Gmail web client also features redesigned security warnings with a bigger and bolder outlook to keep you informed when it comes to potentially risky email.

Artificial Intelligence for quick replies and easy follow-ups

• Google has integrated some AI-powered features in Gmail, such as nudging, smart reply and high-priority notifications. Targeted to improve productivity, these features proactively remind you to follow up on or respond to messages, without making any distractions.

Productivity features

• The redesigned Gmail web client now makes it easier to view, download or share attachments without opening the email threads. The attachments are now visible on the front-end and you can see and click attachments in your inbox before ever opening a thread. You can also do things like RSVP to a meeting invite, archive an email thread, delete an email, mark email as read and snooze an email without opening them. The new tools are enabled to show as soon as you hover over messages and, therefore, require no clicks.

G Suite integration

• The redesigned Gmail web client now features other G Suite apps such as calendar, keep, tasks, etc, on the right side in the action bar. These apps enable you to make quick reference, create or edit calendar invites, capture ideas or manage to-dos without leaving your inbox.

Want to learn coding? Google Grasshopper app can teach you on your mobile

Google launched Grasshopper app, created by a team of coders known an 'Area 120', to help beginners learn programming languages on their smartphones. Here is all you need to know about Grasshopper app.

Technology News : Global search engine and technology giant, Google has launched Grasshopper app, a platform to help budding coders learn programming languages on the go using their smartphones. The app, created by a team of coders known by the name ‘Area 120’ from Google's workshop for experimental products, is available for free on Android and iOS devices and can be downloaded from Google PlayStore and Apple App Store, respectively.

Here is everything you need to know about the importance of coding and how you can use the Grasshopper app from the comfort of your home to ace the art of coding:

What is coding?

Coding, also known as programming, is the way to communicate with computers. It tells a computer what actions to take; writing a code is like creating a set of instructions for the computer to follow. By learning how to write a code, you can tell a computer what it has to do and how it has to behave in a much faster way. If you know coding languages, you can make websites and apps, process data, and do many other things.

Why Grasshopper?

The 'about' section of the Grasshopper app states: “Coding is becoming an essential skill, and we want to make it possible for everyone to learn even when life gets busy. We made Grasshopper to help folks like you get into coding in a fun and easy way. And, we put Grasshopper on a phone so you can turn your commute or waiting in line into a learning moment. We hope you like it and that it helps you embark on or continue your journey in learning to code.”

Setting up

Setting up the Grasshopper app is fairly easy. It requires your Google account to set up the app before taking you through basic coding definitions and a quiz at the end, which sets the tone for easy use of the app for learning coding. The app also asks for a reminder setting, which can be set either to daily or a couple of times in a week, based on your preference. The app is designed in a way that it does not require extended hours to learn anything. Instead, it has several lessons, each divided into small-sized introductions, practice sessions and quizzes that can be taken on the go.
By the end of using Grasshopper’s current curriculum, you should be familiar with core programming concepts and feel confident playing around within this playground to build interactive animations.

How to Use → Google Grasshopper App

Chipko movement turns 45, Google ’embraces’ it with a doodle

The word Chipko means ‘to stick’ or ‘to hug’ and the name of the movement has been derived from these words.

Latest News : To mark the 45th anniversary of the famous Chipko Movement, search engine giant Google on Monday dedicated its doodle to the movement.

The doodle portrays a colorful design where a group of women are standing around a tree, representing their fight against deforestation which was the main objective of Chipko Movement.

The word Chipko means ‘to stick’ or ‘to hug’ and the name of the movement has been derived from these words.

Though the Chipko Movement dates back to 1730 AD when in khejarli village of Rajasthan, 363 people sacrificed their lives to save khejri trees. In modern India, the movement began in 1973.

Sunderlal Bahuguna, a renowned environmentalist took the initiative to protect the beautiful regional forests in Uttar Pradesh. Chipko Andolan was to preserve the nature from being mercilessly destroyed on accounts of setting up of factories or roads and constructing dams. Sundarlal Bahuguna was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2009.

One of Chipko’s most salient features was the mass participation of female villagers.

How Google plans to cash in on your product searches: Details here

Under a new program, retailers can list their products on Google Search, and in exchange for Google listings and linking to retailer loyalty programs, the retailers pay Google a piece of each purchase.

International News :  Alphabet Inc’s Google routinely fields product queries from millions of shoppers. Now, it wants to take a cut of their purchases, too.

The US technology company is teaming up with retailers including Target Corp, Walmart Inc, Home Depot Inc, Costco Wholesale Corp and Ulta Beauty Inc.

Under a new program, retailers can list their products on Google Search, as well as on the Google Express shopping service, and Google Assistant on mobile phones and voice devices.

In exchange for Google listings and linking to retailer loyalty programs, the retailers pay Google a piece of each purchase, which is different from payments that retailers make to place ads on Google platforms.

The listings will appear under sponsored shopping results and will not affect regular search results on Google, the company said.

Google’s pitch to retailers is a better chance to influence shoppers’ purchasing decisions, a move that is likely to help them compete with rival Amazon.com Inc. Google hopes the program helps retailers capture more purchases on desktop, cell phones and smart home devices with voice search – the next frontier for e-commerce.

The previously unreported initiative sprang from Google’s observation that tens of millions of consumers were sending image searches of products, asking “Where can I buy this?” “Where can I find it?” “How can I buy it?” “How do I transact?” Daniel Alegre, Google’s president for retail and shopping, told Reuters exclusively.

Over the past two years, mobile searches asking where to buy products soared by 85 percent, Alegre said.

But the current default choice for many consumers is a Google search that ends with an Amazon purchase, analysts said. The new Google program, Shopping Actions, will be available in the United States to retailers of all sizes and could help retail chains keep those customers.

→ Google Product Search ←

Google Android P developer preview released: Here are top 5 new features

Search engine giant and software company Google has released a preview of its upcoming ‘Android P’ operating system for developers to access and test the features before a final rollout of the product.

Technology News : Search engine and software major Google has released a preview of its upcoming ‘Android P’ operating system for developers to access and test features before the product’s final rollout.

Here are the top five new features added to Android P:

Display ‘Notch’ support

• With the Android P operating system, Google brings a native operating system support for screens with a small cut-out area on top. In the preview version, the clock now shows on the left, along with app notification icon (max 4 apps). Connectivity icons such as WiFi, Bluetooth, etc, have been moved on to the right side. The notch area is blacked out to show the operating system’s readiness for notch-based screens.

Redesigned quick setting menu

• The quick setting menu has been redesigned with rounded icons which sit inside a grey circle that takes theme color accent once the setting is enabled. For example, the small WiFi icon inside the grey circle turns blue, orange or green once WiFi is enabled. The setting button, user information icon and network name is now moved at the bottom, instead of top in the current Android Oreo release.

Dock

• The dock has been redesigned with a new translucent background that shows favourite apps and search bar with microphone icon. There is no major change here, though, and the dock in the Android P preview works in a fashion similar to the Android Oreo built – a single swipe up opens the app drawer.

Relocated volume slider

• The volume slider has moved to the right side of the screen and is now vertically aligned, instead of the horizontal slider in the current Oreo release. There is a quick ringer profile button available below the volume slider. It allows an instant toggle between different sound profiles.

Screenshot button

• The screenshot button has been added in the power menu, along with power on/off and restart button. This is something that has already been seen in customised versions of Android Nougat and Oreo releases in smartphones, such as in the LG V30+.

→ Google Android P ←

Is your phone safe? Google detects Tizi app that steals FB, WhatsApp data

Tizi steals sensitive data from social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, LinkedIn, Telegram.

Technology News : Google has detected an app ‘Tizi’, which has been stealing information from call records and also from social media apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, and also take pictures from mobile phones without even displaying them on the screen of the device.

“Tizi is a fully featured backdoor that installs spyware to steal sensitive data from popular social media applications. The Google Play Protect security team discovered this family in September 2017 when device scans found an app with rooting capabilities that exploited old vulnerabilities,” a post on Google security blog said.

The company has removed the app from Play Store, notified all known affected devices and suspended the account of the app developer, the post dated November 27 said.

The post said that earlier variant of Tizi did not have rooting capabilities but it developed later on and thereafter started stealing sensitive information from devices.

“The rooting capabilities give an app full control of the device. It can bypass all restriction posted on it by the Android security system. An app with rooting is like a user using the device. Presence of such app on Google Play Store raises concerns about secure apps on the app store,” cybersecurity expert Jiten Jain said.

The post said that after gaining rooting capability, Tizi steals sensitive data “from popular social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, LinkedIn, and Telegram.”

Click to Read → Mobile Apps that Steal Data

You can buy Google Pixel 2 in India for Rs 61,000 from November

Pixel 2 will be priced at Rs 61,000 for 64GB variant and Rs 70,000 for 128GB. Pixel 2 XL 64GB will cost Rs 73,000 and Pixel 2 XL 128GB will be available for Rs 82,000.

Betting big on the best combination of artificial intelligence (AI), software and hardware, Google on Wednesday launched Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL smartphones and refreshed Daydream View virtual reality (VR) headset for India.

 

Pixel 2 comes in just black, clearly white and kinda blue colours while Pixel 2 XL has just black and black and white variants.

Pixel 2 will be priced at Rs 61,000 for 64GB variant and Rs 70,000 for 128GB. Pixel 2 XL 64GB will cost Rs 73,000 and Pixel 2 XL 128GB will be available for Rs 82,000.

The pre-orders commence on October 26. The devices will be available in over 1,000 stores across the country and on Flipkart starting November 1 (Pixel 2) and November 15 (Pixel 2 XL).

Pixel 2 comes with a 5-inch and Google Pixel 2 XL with a 6-inch Full-HD OLED displays with Portrait Modes on both rear and selfie cameras.

Rated 98 by independent camera testers DXO, the rear camera comes with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and Electronic Video Stabilisation (EVS) technology to remove shaky photos and videos.

The camera can also click "Live Photos" by recording up to three seconds of footage.
It also has AR Stickers and Pixel users would get free unlimited storage on Google Cloud to store photos and videos in the original quality. The devices have IP67 rating making them water and dust resistant.

Both phones come with "squeeze" interaction technology called "Active Edge" that opens Google Assistant, USB-C charger and front facing stereo speakers. The company claims it has the fastest fingerprint scanner in a smartphone.

Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL – Images, Specs, Features and Price: Know more

On October 4, Google is expected to unveil the next iteration of Pixel smartphones along with a refreshed virtual reality headset, a laptop and possibly a mini connected speaker

Google is set to unveil the next iteration of Pixel smartphones on October 4. Along with smartphones, the search engine giant is also expected to unveil a refreshed virtual reality (VR) headset, a laptop and possibly a mini connected speaker.

Talking about the upcoming smartphones, the recent leaks from a famous technology tipster Evans Blass highlights the specifications and photo renders of next-generation Pixel devices.

According to a blog post written by Evan Blass, the next iteration of Pixel devices will see two models – Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL.

In terms of features, the Pixel 2 smartphone is expected to come with a 5-inch full HD display. The phone would likely come in 64 GB and 128 GB storage variants with 4 GB RAM.

While competitors have moved to dual-camera set-ups, the next generation Pixel 2 is expected to still sport a single 12-megapixel rear shooter, and a front camera of unknown pixel size.

Google Pixel 2 Features

Google takes on Apple with Pixel phone, Home assistant

Alphabet’s Google on Tuesday announced a new “Pixel” smartphone and a virtual reality headset, the company’s latest effort to sell consumers on Google-branded devices and to challenge Apple’s iPhone at the high end of the more than $400 billion global market.

The new phone starts at a price of $649, and Google is working with exclusively with Verizon Communications in the US, Google executives said at a launch event in San Francisco. The string of announcements, including a new Wi-Fi router and its voice activated digital assistant for the living room, Home, is the clearest sign yet that Google intends to compete directly with Apple, Amazon.com and even its own Android mobile operating system customers to create a system of devices and hardware that meet every digital need.

The Pixel also represents a more hands-on policy by Google. Google lets Android device makers modify software almost without limit, which has helped make Android the most-used mobile operating system in the world. But company executives boasted that the Pixel was developed in-house from start to finish.

Read Source

Google launches AI-powered Pixel smartphone; will cost Rs 57,000 in India

With an aim to lead the world of smartphones with its artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology, Google on Tuesday launched much-awaited Pixel — a new premium device completely designed by the tech giant with Google Assistant built right-in — at a special event here.

India is among the first six countries where Pixel is being launched. Starting at Rs, 57,000, it will be available for pre-order in India starting October 13 on e-tailer website Flipkart and at over 1,000 plus multi-brand retail stores, including Reliance Digital, Croma and Vijay sales, among others.

The launch also ended the Nexus branding under which the company has always released phones in partnership with other original equipment manufacturers like LG (for Google Nexus 5) and Huawei (for Google Nexus 6P).

Although HTC has manufactured the smartphones, the new device bears Google branding.

With curved sculpted edges and a unibody made up of combination of aerospace grade aluminum and glass, the device comes in two sizes — 5 and 5.5-inch with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protected super AMOLED display. Pixel is available in two — quite black and very silver colours in India.

Pixel is first smartphone with Google Assistant — a built-in AI programme that works as an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator.

Read Source

Google Photos on iOS can now turn Live Photos into GIFs

US tech giant Google has released Version 2.0 of its Photos app for iOS that now gives users the ability to edit Live Photos and turn them into shareable GIFs and video clips, a media report said.

Live Photos is an interesting feature in Apple's iPhone 6s/6s Plus and SE models camera setting that brings your photos to life by creating a moving image

A Live Photo captures 1.5 seconds of video and audio both before and after you press the shutter button to take a photo. Thus, in addition to a still JPEG image, you also get a three second Live Photo.

"Google first introduced the ability to edit Live Photos earlier this year with the Motion Stills app," technology website Techcrunch.com reported on Friday.

The Motion Stills app improves your Live Photos by helping you to do things like crop out the blurry frames, freeze the background, create cinematic pans, stabilise the images.

In addition, the upgraded app also lets you share video clips on read full story

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Aadhaar authentication on phones is for manufacturers to decide: Ajay Bhushan Pandey

India's online population to touch 500 million by 2020: Google

Google, Apple lock horns with govt over Aadhaar

Google, Apple lock horns with govt over Aadhaar

India's relationship with the global technology industry has become increasingly fraught. This year alone, the government has banned Facebook's free web service and declined to exempt Apple from local sourcing rules and open its own stores. Now, the government could force companies to use technology cooked up in a government-funded lab.

The initiative is part of Aadhaar, the national biometric identity programme.

Millions of people use fingerprint and iris-scan authentication to access a range of public and private services which includes banking, too.

Failure to join the effort could limit the tech industry's access to a vast and growing market, but companies like Apple and Google are expected to resist opening up their phones and operating systems to the country's registration, encryption and security technology.

"There will be a lot of pushing and shoving by the technology companies," says Neeraj Aggarwal, managing director, Boston Consulting Group, India. "It will be a battle of ecosystems, and companies would do their best to hold on to their own."

A few weeks ago, government officials invited executives from Apple, Microsoft, Samsung Electronics and Google to discuss embedding Aadhaar encryption into their technology. None of the companies would comment on  read more..