Google

It appears the European Union feels Google's suggestions for settling complaints it engaged in anti-competitive behavior don't go far enough. The search giant had promised to change the way it orders search results, but this wasn't enough for the ... groups that brought up the complaints. The EU recently carried out a lengthy investigation into complaints that Google exploited its dominance of the search market to increase advertising revenue. It's a claim Google denies. Google was accused of deliberately favoring sites it owned when determining search rankings. In the United States, Google was ... (view more)

Google is yet again under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This time the probe, which is still at a very early stage, involves the firm's advertising practices. The investigation hasn't been officially announced, but sources have ... told both Reuters and Bloomberg that it is under way. (Source: reuters.com ) This investigation centers on Google's advertising network. Specifically, the focus is on the way it accepts advertisements and then places ads on websites that sell space. Google offers its index of web content to find the site where the ad is most likely to generate ... (view more)

Eight members of the United States Congress have written to Google demanding the company address privacy issues involving its Google Glass project. The device, which essentially blends a smartphone with a pair of spectacles, has raised questions ... about data handling. The letter comes from the Bipartisan Congressional Privacy Caucus, which doesn't have any formal powers but offers elected officials a way to discuss topics they consider important. (Source: house.gov ) It's clear from the letter that members of Congress are suspicious of Google. The letter points to the controversy surrounding ... (view more)

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt recently said his company's Google Glass technology is still a year away . However, a new report indicates that many consumers wouldn't use the device even if it was available right now. A recent survey of ... 1,000 Americans found that only one in ten people would wear Google Glass technology on a regular basis. The survey, which was carried out by Bite Interactive, found that many Americans feel the device is "too socially awkward." SNL Skewers Google Glass Not helping the situation: a recent "Saturday Night Live" sketch that ridiculed the ... (view more)

Looking for more storage space in the cloud? Then look to Google Drive, which now offers 15 gigabytes (GB) for free. Until now, Google has been offering users of its Google Drive cloud storage service 5GB for free. However, the company now says it ... will combine its Google Drive service with Gmail and Google+ Photos and give users access to 15GB free storage. Google Drive director of product management Clay Bavor says that consumers will no longer have to stress about freeing up space for more files. "Use Your Storage The Way You Want" "With this new combined storage space, you won't ... (view more)

Google has failed to overturn a Russian ban on a YouTube video that allegedly offers tips on how to commit suicide. Google insists the clip actually offers advice on how to properly apply make up. The clip was taken down by Google last November ... after receiving an order from Russia's Federal Consumer Protection Service (FCPS). It was among the first takedowns under a new law that gives the government the right to block any websites deemed harmful to children. Blacklisted pages can include any sites that promote drug use or suicide. Officials said those guidelines certainly applied to the ... (view more)

Google Glass blends advanced smartphone technology with your average set of spectacles. But people who've used the first batch of Google Glass devices say the technology suffers from a number of problems. Google Glass is described as a wearable ... computer. It has most of the components of a smartphone, including an earpiece and voice-recognition microphone. The display is a tiny transparent screen that fits over one eye. Google Glass allows users to carry out a range of functions, including taking photographs, carrying out voice-activated Internet searches, and acquiring navigation data. The ... (view more)

Google has agreed to make significant changes to the way it displays search results. The move is designed to ward off sanctions from European officials. For some time the European Commission has been carrying out an investigation of Google's ... operations. The goal of that investigation has been to determine whether or not Google's dominance of the search market harms competition. The commission says it identified four main ways in which Google's behavior might breach regulations. The most important involves claims that Google intentionally lists sites and services that it owns higher up in the ... (view more)

The high-tech glasses that allow wearers to view navigation data and record video won't be available to the wider public for another year. According to Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, Google Glass won't reach the market until sometime in ... 2014. "We've just started distributing it to the first developers," Schmidt recently noted in an interview with the BBC. "It's fair to say there will be thousands in use over the months and there will be changes made based on feedback. But it's fair to say it's a year-ish away." (Source: computerworld.com ) That's disappointing news given the ... (view more)

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has warned that privately-owned drone aircraft could pose a threat to civil liberties. It's a somewhat ironic comment given Google's controversial Street View operations. Schmidt discussed the dangers posed by ... drones in a recent interview with The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom. Schmidt says such drones have a long operating range and can transmit data wirelessly to the person controlling them, even passing on live video footage from an on-board camera. At the moment, federal rules allow only approved law enforcement agencies to operate ... (view more)