'Google' Is The Most Searched Word On Bing

BBC: 'Google' is most searched word on Bing, Google says 

The top entry on Microsoft's Bing search engine is for its rival Google, Google has said. 

The claim was made in court, as Google made its case to appeal against a €4.3bn ($5bn) fine from the European Union for abusing its market power. 

The EU accused Google of using Android's success in the smartphone market to make Google the default search engine. But Google says its service is simply the most popular. 

"We have submitted evidence showing that the most common search query on Bing is, by far, 'Google'," lawyer Alfonso Lamadrid told the EU General Court, as first reported by Bloomberg. 

"People use Google because they choose to, not because they are forced to.  

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CSN Editor: I am willing to bet that Bing is not the most searched word on Google.

Google Drops Bid For $10 Billion Military Cloud Computing Contract Amid Employee Objections

An illuminated Google logo is seen inside an office building in Zurich September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Arnd WIegmann/File Photo

Fortune: Google Passes on a $10 Billion Pentagon Cloud Contract, Citing Its New AI Principles

Google is pulling its bid for a $10 billion Pentagon contract.

The company was among several bidding to house government data under a project called the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud, or JEDI. But on Monday the company said it would not submit a proposal, citing displeasure with the terms (Google and other bidders wanted the Pentagon to split the contract among multiple bidders rather than award the whole thing to one) and uncertainty that the contract would align with Google’s A.I. Principles.

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More News On Google Dropping Its Bid For $10 Billion Military Cloud Computing Contract Amid Employee Objections

Google drops out of Pentagon’s US$10 billion cloud competition -- SCMP/Bloomberg
Google drops $10bn battle for Pentagon data contract -- BBC
Google drops out of bidding for controversial $10bn Pentagon cloud contract claiming it would be 'inconsistent with its principles' -- Daily Mail
Google drops $10 billion bid for Pentagon contract -- CNN
Google drops out of Pentagon cloud computing competition -- The Hill
Google pulls out of race for billion dollar Pentagon defense contract -- FOX News
Google Drops Bid for Massive Military Cloud Computing Contract Amid Employee Pressure -- Gizmodo
Google drops out of $10-billion DoD contract competition -- We Are The Mighty

Google Unveils New Products

Google's new range: The firm unveiled the Home Hub, Pixel Slate and Pixel 3 at a New York event. It boasted AI technology is the core of each device, and hopes to gain ground in the hardware market on rivals like Apple, Samsung, Amazon and others

Daily Mail: Google reveals the Pixel 3: Firm unveils new $799 'superselfie' handset that uses AI to answer calls itself alongside $599 Pixel Slate tablet and $149 Home Hub smart speaker

* The firm released new Pixel phones, a smart display, a new tablet and more
* Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL to include big upgrades from the Pixel 2, including super-size displays, improved cameras and wireless charging, among other things
* New 'superselfie' group selfie cam adds a second camera on the front that captures 184% more of the scene than the iPhone XS
* Call Screen feature will answer incoming calls for you to weed out robocalls
* Smart display is equipped with Google Assistant, a small screen - but no camera

Google has unveiled a slew of new hardware including its $799 (£739) Pixel 3 phones, a new $599 (£549) tablet called Pixel Slate and a $149 (£139) smart speaker with a screen called Home Hub.

The firm has pledged to build AI into its entire range at a New York event where Google's Rick Osterloh unveiled the new products, designed to take aim at Apple, Samsung and Amazon.

Its new Pixel 3 handset includes AI features that allow it to answer calls itself, weeding out robocalls and transcribing messages if a user is busy, alongside a wide angle 'superselfie' lens.

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WNU Editor: It does not have the Apple price.

What Is Google Really Up To?

Sky News

Popular Mechanics: What Is Google Really Up To?

The search giant's crusade against "annoying" ads isn't altruism.

Google's been busy this week. First came the new push to make email interactive. Then the flashy "Google Stories"—a Snapchat-esque package that can live in Google's search results. Most importantly, we're about to get Google's newest version of Chrome, which will block "annoying" ads by default.

At first glance these projects might not seem unrelated. If anything, they look like a public good. Google is flexing its muscle to make the core experiences of the open web—email, searching, and reading web pages—a cleaner, better, more user-friendly affair.

That may be true, but make no mistake about the other side of this coin. These projects are different facets of a push that will tighten Google's stranglehold on the web.

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WNU Editor: We know that they do not want to be involved in this .... Google Drops Out of Pentagon's $10 Billion Cloud Competition (Bloomberg).

Google Employees Are Outraged That The Company Is Working With The Pentagon To Equip Military Drones With AI

Daily Mail: Google is working with the Pentagon to equip military drones with people-tracking AI in secretive 'Project Maven' deal, report claims

* Google is working with the Department of Defense on secretive 'Project Maven'
* Project Maven is tasked with equipping drones with artificial intelligence.
* This would allow unmanned vehicles to detect and identify objects in war zones
* Some Google employees are 'outraged' that the firm is working with the military to develop surveillance technologies, others say it raises ethical questions

The Pentagon may have gained a new, high-profile partner for its sophisticated AI system used to hunt for militants in Iraq and Syria.

Silicon Valley giant Google is working with the Department of Defense to develop advanced artificial intelligence for analyzing drone footage, Gizmodo reported, citing sources close to the situation.

The partnership centers around Project Maven, which is the codename for a system that analyzes aerial surveillance video to look for patterns that can military intelligence analysts.

And it seems some Google employees aren't happy with the move.

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More News On Working With The Pentagon To Equip Military Drones With AI

Google Is Helping the Pentagon Build AI for Drones -- Gizmodo
Google helps Pentagon analyze military drone footage—employees “outraged” -- Ars Technica
The Defense Department is taking on ISIS with Google's open-source AI software -- MIT Technology Review
Pentagon Drone Program Is Using Google AI -- Bloomberg
Google Is Quietly Providing AI Technology for Drone Strike Targeting Project -- The Intercept
Google is using its AI skills to help the Pentagon learn to analyze drone footage -- The Verge

Google Street View May Give An Indication On How People Vote

Timnit Gebru led the research effort at Stanford University that analyzed 50 million images and location data from Google Street View, the street-scene feature of the online giant’s mapping service. Credit Cody O'Loughlin for The New York Times

New York Times: How Do You Vote? 50 Million Google Images Give a Clue

What vehicle is most strongly associated with Republican voting districts? Extended-cab pickup trucks. For Democratic districts? Sedans.

Those conclusions may not be particularly surprising. After all, market researchers and political analysts have studied such things for decades.

But what is surprising is how researchers working on an ambitious project based at Stanford University reached those conclusions: by analyzing 50 million images and location data from Google Street View, the street-scene feature of the online giant’s mapping service.

For the first time, helped by recent advances in artificial intelligence, researchers are able to analyze large quantities of images, pulling out data that can be sorted and mined to predict things like income, political leanings and buying habits. In the Stanford study, computers collected details about cars in the millions of images it processed, including makes and models.

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CSN Editor:  The politicians and their campaign managers are going to love this.

Google Chairman: Artificial Intelligence Can Help Solve World's ‘Hard Problems’

Eric Schmidt, chairman of Alphabet Inc. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

Bloomberg: Google Chairman Thinks AI Can Help Solve World's ‘Hard Problems’

* AI could help with population growth, education, Schmidt says
* Field getting crowded with Facebook, Microsoft also investing

Google’s chairman thinks artificial intelligence will let scientists solve some of the world’s "hard problems," like population growth, climate change, human development, and education.

Rapid development in the field of AI means the technology can help scientists understand the links between cause and effect by sifting through vast quantities of information, said Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet Inc., the holding company that owns Google.

“AI will play this role to navigate through this and help us.”

It can also aid companies in designing new, personalized systems. In the future, Schmidt would like to see “Eric and Not-Eric,” he said at a conference in New York, where “Eric” is the flesh-and-blood Schmidt and“not-Eric is this digital thing that helps me.”

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CSN Editor: We are far away from what he is envisioning.

No Pentagon Money For Google's Robot Program

Google Rejects Military Funding In Robotics -- Defense Tech

Google doesn’t want the U.S. military’s money.

Even though the Internet search giant owns two companies that have contracts with the Pentagon, Google is choosing to forego military funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in at least one robotic competition.

Google bought the robotics firm Schaft that had developed a bipedal robot that won DARPA’s Robotics Challenge. The competition asked companies to develop a robot that could perform disaster response tasks to include navigating debris, climbing ladders and turning off a valve.

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My Comment: Too bad .... without this cooperation U.S. troops will probably not be able to benefit from this cooperation.

Governments Want Access To Google's User Data

Data of government requests of Google data on the company's users. (Image: Screengrab/Google)

US Government Leads Global Increase In Requests For Google User Data -- Wired

According to data released by Google, it is receiving by far the most requests for users' personal data from the US government, but global demand is steadily rising each year. The search engine published the figures 23 January as part of its efforts for total transparency.

The report reveals that the US leads the trend, with 8,438 requests for information about 14,791 users in the second half of 2012 -- India is a distant second, with 2,431 requests for information, followed by France, Germany, the UK and Brazil.  

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More News On Government's Wanting Access To Google's User Data

Google Complies With Government Requests for User Data 88% of the Time -- Weekly Standard Google report shows governments trying to extract more info about users of company’s services -- Washington Post
Google report reveals continued rise in US government requests for data -- The Guardian
Google Says Requests for User Data Rose in Second Half of 2012 -- Bloomberg Businessweek Google Tells Cops to Get Warrants for User E-Mail, Cloud Data -- Threat Level
Google report reveals two-thirds of police requests for data lacked warrant -- The Hill
Government data requests to Google continue to rise -- Computer World
Google breaks down how governments access users’ data -- SFGate
Google Sees Growing Government Demand For User Data -- Information week
U.S. leads the world in requests for users' Google data -- CNet
Google: Feds Requesting More User Data, Mostly Via Subpoenas -- PCMag Google Reveals How U.S. Government Obtains User Information -- TPM

The EU Orders Google To Change Way It Presents It's Results

Joaquin Almunia stressed that he was more concerned with the way that Google presents its results, rather than the complex codes at their heart Photo: Bloomberg News 

Brussels Orders Google To Change Way It Presents Results -- The Telegraph  

Google will be forced to change the way it presents search results in Europe or face sanctions from Brussels for unfairly manipulating its position as the world’s biggest internet search engine.

The European Union’s competition chief, Joaquin Almunia, told a newspaper that it is his “conviction” that Google is unfairly promoting links to its own services above those of third party companies, and that he fears it is abusing its dominant position.

Google has been locked in a long-running row over whether it has changed its search results to give preferential treatment to links to its own services, at the expense of those from competitors.

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My Comment: So EU bureaucrats are telling the world's number one search engine on how to it business .... this is not going to end well.

Free Internet For 7 Years From Google

Google Is Now America’s Most Awesome ISP -- Geek Mom

Kansas City is about half an hour from my house, taunting me with fast download speeds.

After a summer of waiting, Google finally emerged with details on their new Kansas City Fiber network. The price for Google Internet starts at free. That’s right, for the $300 installation fee, Google will give you free Internet at “today’s speeds” for at least 7 years. If you’re used to thinking of these speeds as fast, take a gander at this comparison and then imagine seven years of technology innovation.

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My Comment: Where can I sign up?

Google Wants To Fight Against International Crime Groups

'I'm Feeling Lucky': Google Turns Its Search Powers To Hunting Down The World's Most Wanted -- Daily Mail

* 'Google Ideas' think tank working with international groups
* Google technology to be used to fight crime

Google's engine is the most powerful search tool ever created - and now the Californian giant aims to use its powers for good

Instead of just finding kitten videos, Google aims to use its technologies to crack through the cyber defences of international crime.

Google is working with international crime organisations to find 'back doors' into international gangs of terrorists, drug dealers and human traffickers.

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My Comment: Google is getting ambitious. Not surprising .... Google is also short on specifics on how they are going to do this.

It's The Nexus Generation

Future: Hugo Barra, director of product management of Google, unveils the Nexus 7 tablet today

It's The Nexus Generation: Google Hits The iPad Where It Hurts With Premium Tablet For Just £159 (And For Once, UK Shoppers Are Not Getting Ripped Off!) -- Daily Mail

* More than one million Android devices are purchased every single day
* No more 'dollars = pounds': Google gives 'Rip-Off Britain' a fair price compared to U.S.

Google has taken the battle to Apple in the tablet market, introducing a premium tablet for a 'bargain bucket' rate.

The seven-inch Google Nexus tablet, which goes on sale in three weeks, will cost $199 in the U.S. and just £159 in the UK.

It is a rare example of UK shoppers not being burnt by the usual tactic of companies - which usually simply switch the dollar sign for a pound sign.

The extremely competitive pricing may well lure Apple fans away from the iPad, which starts at $399 in the U.S. and £399 in the UK.

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My Comment: I like Apple's large screen ... so i guess I am still an Apple customer.

Google Expected To Announce An In-House 'Nexus' Tablet

Tomorrow Google is expected to announce an in-house 'Nexus' tablet: To date, the best Android tablets have been models like the Samsung Galaxy Tab (pictured)

Google I/O Conference 2012 Predictions: Tech Giant To Present Its Vision For The Future Of Android And Search Tomorrow -- Daily Mail

Enthusiasts look forward to...

* Google Goggles: A pair of glasses with a built-in 'heads-up' display
* Google Nexus tablet: Google's first attempt at an in-house Android tablet
* Google Assistant: Google's take on Siri voice-controls
* Android@Home: Controlling your house appliances via Android
* Jellybean: The next version of Android's operating system

Google kicks off its annual developer's conference tomorrow - and we will get a glimpse of what Google sees in our future.

The three-day 'Input/Output Conference' is Google's way of keeping developers abreast of what is happening within the company, but it is a good chance for the public to find out what products and services to expect in the year or two ahead.

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My Comment: I wish them luck.

The Google - China Conflict Escalates

A Chinese national flag flies in front of Google China's headquarters in Beijing on Thursday. Jason Lee/Reuters

Google Fights Back in China -- L. Gordon Crowitz, Wall Street Journal

The company is telling users when 'state-sponsored attackers' are compromising their accounts.

Two giants on the world stage are battling over the future of information. One is an authoritarian regime suppressing access to modern technology. The other is an information company fighting back without support from its home country. The conflict between China and Google is shaping up as the first war of the digital era.

Google recently launched a pair of counterattacks, last week informing Gmail account holders when "state-sponsored attackers" compromise their emails. Gmail users get this pop-up message: "Warning: We believe state-sponsored attackers may be attempting to compromise your account or computer. Protect yourself now." Users are told how to do so, including with a new login process.

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My Comment: Chen Guangcheng, the blind legal activist who took refuge in the U.S. Embassy and was eventually allowed to come to the U.S., sums it up best ....

.... "I think even over the last few years as the Information Age has developed so quickly, China's society has gotten to the era where if you don't want something known, you better not do it."

Instead Of Honoring D-Day, Google Honors The Drive-In Theater

D-Day vs The First Drive-In Theater? Google Picks Theater -- Search Engine Roundtable

68 years ago today was one of the most significant days in America's history - D-Day. But 79 years ago today, the first drive in movie theatre opened. Google picked, as it always does, the fun and light hearted even to celebrate with a special Google logo, aka Doodle.

So get past the fact Google doesn't have a logo for D-Day. There is still the concern for some that Google does logos at all on days like today. That is not for me to decide, just to report based on complaints in the forums.

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My Comment: I cannot be too critical of Google .... they do focus on the "fun and light hearted". But it would be nice to honor the vets from World War II at least once.

Google To Warn Users Of State Sponsored Attacks

UPDATE: A senior Senate aide confirmed that this evening he received a warning on his Gmail account that Google suspected he had been the target of a state-sponsored cyber attack. Cable/Foreign Policy

Google Warns Users Who May Be Hack Targets -- Bloomberg Businessweek

Google Inc. (GOOG) (GOOG) said it has started sending warnings to users of its e-mail service who may have been targeted by state-sponsored cyber-attacks.

Gmail users whose accounts are suspected of being the target of such a hacking effort will receive a message stating, “We believe state-sponsored attackers may be attempting to compromise your account or computer,” Mountain View, California-based Google said on a company blog.

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More News On Google Warning Users Of State Sponsored Attacks

Google to warn users of 'state-sponsored attacks' -- The Hill
Google to warn users targeted by state-sponsored attacks -- The Cable/Foreign Policy
Google To Begin Notifying Gmail Users Of ‘State-Sponsored Attacks’ -- TPM
Google Now Warns You About State-Sponsored Attacks -- Gizmodo
Google begins alerting Gmail users to 'state-sponsored' attacks -- ZDNet

Facebook vs. Google

Has Google Gone To 'War' Against The Chinese Government?

Sly Google Wields The Knife In Chinese Internet Censorship Tussle -- Christian Science Monitor

Google has introduced a new feature for Chinese users that will pull back the curtain on Chinese Internet government censorship.

This week the search engine giant Google kept a polite smile on its face as it stuck its shiv in up to the hilt, introducing a feature to its Chinese site that tells users exactly when the censors have blocked a search word for being too “sensitive.”

The Chinese government keeps its list of banned search terms secret; Google is now revealing them. But not once did Google Vice President Alan Eustace mention the word “censorship” in his blog introducing the new feature.

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My Comment: This is effective .... by revealing what Chinese authorities are censoring, Google is .... essentially .... embarrassing the authorities. My prediction .... the Chinese government is going to react quickly .... they are losing face, and for them this is unacceptable.

Google Offers Virtual Tours Of 132 Famous Sites

Google's 'World Wonders' Project Offers Virtual Tours Of 132 Famous Sites -- CBS News/AP

(CBS/AP) - Ever wanted to visit another country from the comfort of your own home? Google's has you covered and all you need is an Internet connection!

With Google's new World Wonders project, you can now take a virtual stroll among the ruins of Pompeii or into the temples of Kyoto.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company is offering virtual tours of 132 famous sites in 18 countries as part of an expansion of its Google Art initiative.

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My Comment: I would prefer to go there in person than looking at the sites virtually.