TheNewsGuru

Tag: Google

  • We’re all clear now – Google

    We’re all clear now – Google

    Internet search giant, Google has said the coast is now clear for all its users to start enjoying it’s services at 100% again.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports millions of users who rely on Google for efficiency suffered apprehension on Monday as a number of Google’s apps suffered a rare outage.

    The apps were knocked offline worldwide and the reason for the outage was yet to be ascertained but Google has said the coast is now clear.

    “We’re all clear folks! Thanks for staying with us,” @GoogleWorkspace tweeted some hours after the outage.

    The brief outage had a significant impact on Google’s millions of users, many of whom rely on Google services for efficiency.

    Gmail, YouTube, Play Store, Analytics, and Google Docs were all affected. Other Google’s products such as Drive, Google Ads, Google Search Console, merchant ads were also affected, according to users’ experience across the globe.

    Google users who rely on Google services to have control over their homes were not spared as some were either locked out of their homes or had problems with lighting their homes.

    https://twitter.com/joemfbrown/status/1338452107419148290?s=19

    At the time of filing this report, TNG can confirm Google apps affected are showing signs of response, indicating they are gradually coming back online.

    Outages like this are very rare with Google. Although, a similar issue occurred in June 2019 but affected only Google users in the United States.

    In that instance, the reason for the outage was a change to server settings that was supposed to be applied to a few machines in a specific region – but was accidentally applied to many more.

  • BREAKING: Google suffers major outage

    BREAKING: Google suffers major outage

    Millions of users who rely on Google for efficiency suffered apprehension on Monday as a number of Google’s apps suffered a rare outage.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the apps were knocked offline worldwide and the reason for the outage was yet to be ascertained as Google officials were yet to address the occurrence.

    The brief outage had a significant impact on Google’s millions of users, many of whom rely on Google services for efficiency.

    Gmail, YouTube, Play Store, Analytics, and Google Docs were all affected. Other Google’s products such as Drive, Google Ads, Google Search Console, merchant ads were also affected, according to users’ experience across the globe.

    Google users who rely on Google services to have control over their homes were not spared as some were either locked out of their homes or had problems with lighting their homes.

    https://twitter.com/joemfbrown/status/1338452107419148290?s=19

    However, at the time of filing this report, the apps are showing signs of response, indicating they are gradually coming back online.

    Outages like this are very rare with Google. Although, a similar issue occurred in June 2019 but affected only Google users in the United States.

    In that instance, the reason for the outage was a change to server settings that was supposed to be applied to a few machines in a specific region – but was accidentally applied to many more.

    Google was yet to address the issue at hand.

  • Coronavirus, ASUU, Davido, others top Google search

    Coronavirus, ASUU, Davido, others top Google search

    Internet search engine, Google, on Wednesday said that Coronavirus, Joe Biden, Davido, Kobe Bryant and Martinis topped the results of its 2020 Year-in-Search.

    Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communication Officer, WEST Africa, Google, said in a statement that Google’s 2020 Year-in-Search compiled the moments, people, topics, events, and places that captured the world’s attention in the year.

    Kola-Ogunlade said that just as Search helps people to explore and discover a world of information, there were many ways to explore the year through the lens of Google Search.

    He said that from overall global stories to hundreds of top 10 lists of trending topics across pop culture and lifestyle, sports, music, news, and more from across almost 70 countries.

    According to him, Coronavirus was top on everyone’s minds in 2020 and the pandemic’s impact was reflected also in the Search lists.

    ‘’Pandemic notwithstanding, Nigerians’ interest in celebrities, music, movies and TV shows showed strongly again in 2020 Year-in-Search lists.

    ‘’From ‘how to make hand sanitiser’ to ‘Rema’, ‘Betty – Butter’ and ‘Mulan’, Nigerians use Search to explore their world.

    ‘’Other top trending global search included election results, zoom, India Vs News Zealand, Google classroom, ASUU, Naira Marley, among others,’’ he said.

    Kola-Ogunlade listed other trending searches as recipes, trending questions, trending people, trending songs, and others.

  • Google, Facebook to pay for news content in Australia

    Google, Facebook to pay for news content in Australia

    Facebook and Google could be obligated to pay news outlets for their content in “world first” legislation set to be introduced to Australia’s parliament on Wednesday.

    In one of the most aggressive moves to check the power of the US digital giants, Canberra plans to compel the companies to pay media organisations when their platforms host their content or face millions of dollars in fines.

    Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the new rules, first mooted in July, will be introduced to parliament Wednesday and are expected to come into effect next year.

    “This is a huge reform. This is a world first. And the world is watching what happens here in Australia,” he said.

    The new media law will apply to Facebook’s “News Feed” and Google searches.

    The firms will be mandated to compensate Australian media outlets, including public broadcasters ABC and SBS, who were initially excluded from plans.

    The government has decided to exempt other popular platforms such as YouTube and Instagram from the rules.

    Measures to force transparency around the closely guarded algorithms that tech firms use to rank content were also watered down.

    Frydenberg said the tech giants will now be required to notify media companies only when “conscious changes” to algorithms would have a “significant impact” on search rankings, with 14 days’ notice rather than the 28 days first suggested.

    Australia initially proposed a voluntary code of conduct, but toughened its stance after deciding the “unequal bargaining position” between traditional news media businesses and digital platforms would prevent fair deals being struck.

    Frydenberg said the two sides would still be encouraged to reach commercial agreements but if that failed they would be sent to binding arbitration.

    The initiative has been closely watched around the globe, as news media worldwide have suffered in an increasingly digital economy where advertising revenue is overwhelmingly captured by big tech firms.

    Facebook has warned it could block users and media organisations in Australia from sharing news stories if the law comes into effect.

    In a blog post in August, the company’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand said the legislation “misunderstands the dynamics of the internet.”

    Google in turn has warned that “the way Aussies use Google is at risk”.

    An Australian review that led to the proposed changes found that for every $100 spent on online advertising, Google captures $53 while Facebook takes $28 and the rest is shared out among others.

    The crisis has been exacerbated by the economic collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with dozens of Australian newspapers closed and hundreds of journalists sacked in recent months.

     

  • Google introduces discovery feature for people on Search

    Google introduces discovery feature for people on Search

    Google on Tuesday introduced a new mobile-only feature that makes people more discoverable on Google Search.

    Olumide Balogun, Head of Consumer Apps, Sub Saharan Africa, Google said that People Cards allow people to create their presence on Search in the form of a card.

    He said in a statement that it was similar to a Google Search Knowledge Panel that includes all the details they want other people to have about them.

    Balogun said that for many people, whether they are content creators, business professionals, or just wanting to stand out from the crowd — having an online presence is important.

    According to him, for those without a formal website, or for people who share a name with many others, this is an easy way to create or distinguish their presence on Search.

    He said that Google’s mission had always been to organise information and make it useful and accessible.

    ‘’We are now providing a new way – for people who want to be found – to organise information about themselves, right on Search, on their mobile phones.”

    ‘’Anyone with a Google account can create a People Card by simply searching for their name and tapping the “add me to Search” prompt.

    ‘’This will lead them through a simple process to add a photo, description, links to social profiles and other information that they would like others to know about them,’’ he said.

    According to him, for the initial card creation, a unique phone number is required and one profile card is allowed per Google account and phone number.

    He said that additionally, people could report abusive content and impersonation claims through a feedback link directly from the product.

    Balogun said that in the last few years, Google had been working with people across the region to better understand how Africans see Search and how it could make it more relevant and work better for the people on the continent.

    He said that Google built this feature for the millions of influencers, content creators, entrepreneurs, self-employed individuals, freelancers, or anyone else who wants to be discovered.

    According to him, Google has recently introduced several locally relevant features within Search such as Job Search Experience which helps people find jobs through Search, and Health Symptom Search that helps users to explore health conditions related to symptoms.

    Google has also introduced other features that make it easy to find information on everyday interests like Sports, Recipe, Movies, and Lyrics.

    “A critical part of creating for Africa means building in line with the insights we are seeing from the region.

    ”We see that people in Africa want a search tool that reflects their real environment and also supports them to succeed as they go about their everyday hustle,” he said.

    This, according to him, is why the People Card creator is in full control of their information at all times, as they choose what they would like to make public and if they would like to remove it.

  • YouTube hosts first virtual YouTube Black Africa Creators Week

    YouTube hosts first virtual YouTube Black Africa Creators Week

    YouTube on Tuesday said it was holding its first virtual YouTube Black Africa Creators Week, dedicated to engaging, educating and inspiring African creators to grow on the platform.

    Alex Okosi, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA, said in a statement that the region wide virtual initiative demonstrated YouTube’s commitment to creators and artists in the region.

    Okosi said over the years Youtube had built and nurtured strong relationships with Africa’s storytellers, and provided them with a platform to share their stories with the world.

    “Top African creators and channels like Mark Angel Comedy, DJ Arch Jnr, Churchill Show and many others have grown from a handful of followers to having millions of fans globally.

    “We remain committed to amplifying Black voices and providing a platform where Black African creators can thrive,” he said.

    According to him, highlights of the one week programme would include expert-led masterclasses covering topics like assessing channel performance and engaging a community, and understanding YouTube’s monetisation policies, among others.

    He said that the programme also included a creator spotlight talk with Mark Angel, Africa’s most subscribed endemic creator.

    Also YouTube training courses, and peer-driven open conversations aimed at improving creator collaboration and knowledge sharing would be on offer.

    Okosi said that YouTube would also celebrate creators through the presentation of Play Button awards to Dodos Uvieghara, Eric Okafor, and Kay Ngonyama whose channels have crossed the 100,000 subscriber milestone.

    ‘Creators can register for the YouTube Black Africa Creators Week programme here: http://goo.gle/youtubeblackafricacreatorweek

    The Managing director said that YouTube Black Africa Creators Week would conclude with a 2-hour livestream closing event to celebrate African creativity.

    He said that the event would feature music performances by Fireboy, Niniola, Reekado Banks, Sauti Sol, Sho Madjozi, and dance showcases from Dream Catchers, Ikorodu Bois, Triplet Ghetto Kids.

    According to him, it will be hosted by YouTube creator, Akah Nnani. The livestream event will be held on Friday, November 27 at 5pm GMT and can be viewed here: https://goo.gle/africacreatorweeklivestream.

    The event which began on Nov. 23 would end on Nov. 27.

  • Turkey fines Google $25m for online advertising abuse

    Turkey fines Google $25m for online advertising abuse

    State news agency Anadolu on Friday said Turkey’s competition authority fined Google 196.7 million lira (25.54 million dollars) for abusing its dominant position in the online search market.

    Google “intensively” uses tactics on its search engine to block rivals in the online advertising business, an investigation by Turkish competition authority found, the report said.

    The competition investigation included Google’s Turkey branch as well as Google International, Google Ireland Limited and Alphabet Inc.

    In February, Turkey slapped 98.3 million lira (12.7 million dollars) fine on Google over similar anti-trust charges.

  • U.S. Govt files antitrust lawsuit against Google

    U.S. Govt files antitrust lawsuit against Google

    The U.S. Justice Department and 11 states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc’s Google on Tuesday for allegedly breaking the law in using its market power to fend off rivals.

    Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Google, whose search engine is so ubiquitous that its name has become a verb, had revenue of 162 billion dollars in 2019, more than the nation of Hungary.

    Coming just days before the U.S. presidential election, the filing’s timing could be seen as a political gesture since it fulfills a promise made by President Donald Trump to his supporters to hold certain companies to account for allegedly stifling conservative voices.

    Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, a vociferous Google critic, accused the company of keeping power through “illegal means” and called the lawsuit “the most important antitrust case in a generation.”

    The federal lawsuit marks a rare moment of agreement between the Trump administration and progressive Democrats.

    U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted on Sept. 10, using the hash tag #BreakUpBigTech, that she wanted “swift, aggressive action.”

    The 11 states which joined the lawsuit all have Republican attorneys general.

    More lawsuits could be in the offing since probes by state attorneys-general into Google’s broader businesses are under way, as well as an investigation of its broader digital advertising businesses.

    A group of attorneys general led by Texas is expected to file a separate lawsuit focused on digital advertising as soon as November, while a group led by Colorado is contemplating a more expansive lawsuit against Google.

    The lawsuit comes more than a year after the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission began antitrust investigations into four big tech companies: Amazon.com Inc , Apple Inc, Facebook Inc and Google.

    Seven years ago, the FTC settled an antitrust probe into Google over alleged bias in its search function to favour its products, among other issues.

    The settlement came over the objections of some FTC staff attorneys.

    Google has faced similar legal challenges overseas.

    The EU fined Google 1.7 billion dollars in 2019 for stopping websites from using Google’s rivals to find advertisers.

    Also fined 2.6 billion dollars in 2017 for favouring its own shopping business in search, and 4.9 billion dollars in 2018 for blocking rivals on its wireless Android operating system.

  • Why you must delete these apps from your phone right now

    Why you must delete these apps from your phone right now

    Google between July and September removed a number of apps that were infected with dangerous malware from the Play Store.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the dangerous malware is known as the Joker malware that has been infecting apps on the Play Store for the past several months.

    The malware is not a new one, but recently many app developers have also given information about it, and Google removed information about these apps from the Play Store.

    The Joker malware is a malicious bot that has been categorized as fleeceware. The main function of this malware is to make the user click and subscribe to paid premium services via SMS.

    Without any knowledge, users subscribe to this service and fall prey to fraud. The Joker does its job with very little coding and leaves very few marks behind, which makes it difficult to identify.

    Joker-infected 11 apps were first removed from the Play Store in July. After this, 6 more apps were removed in early September. Recently 17 more apps were infected with this malware and now they have been removed from the App Store.

    The apps infected by the malware on Google Play Store are:

    • All Good PDF Scanner
    • Mint Leaf Message-Your Private Message
    • Private SMS
    • Tangram App Lock
    • Direct Messenger
    • Unique Keyboard – Fancy Fonts & Free Emoticons
    • One Sentence Translator – Multifunctional Translator
    • Style Photo Collage
    • Meticulous Scanner
    • Desire Translate
    • Talent Photo Editor – Blur focus
    • Care Message
    • Part Message
    • Paper Doc Scanner
    • Blue Scanner
    • Hummingbird PDF Converter – Photo to PDF
    • All Good PDF Scanner
    • com.imagecompress.android
    • com.relax.relaxation.androidsms
    • com.file.recovefiles
    • com.training.memorygame
    • Push Message- Texting & SMS
    • Fingertip GameBox
    • com.contact.withme.texts
    • com.cheery.message.sendsms (two different instances)
    • com.LPlocker.lockapps
    • Safety AppLock
    • Emoji Wallpaper
    • com.hmvoice.friendsms
    • com.peason.lovinglovemessage
    • com.remindme.alram
    • Convenient Scanner 2
    • Separate Doc Scanner
  • Facebook, Twitter, Google CEOs avoid subpoena, agree to testify before U.S. Senate committee

    Facebook, Twitter, Google CEOs avoid subpoena, agree to testify before U.S. Senate committee

    The chief executives of Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet-owned Google have agreed to voluntarily testify at a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee on October 28 about a key law protecting internet companies.

    Facebook and Twitter confirmed on Friday that their CEOs, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey, respectively, will appear, while a source said that Google’s Sundar Pichai will appear.

    That came a day after the committee unanimously voted to approve a plan to subpoena the three CEOs to appear before the panel.

    Twitter’s Dorsey tweeted on Friday that the hearing “must be constructive & focused on what matters most to the American people: how we work together to protect elections.”

    The CEOs are to appear virtually.

    In addition to discussions on reforming the law called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet companies from liability over content posted by users, the hearing will bring up issues about consumer privacy and media consolidation.

    Republican President Donald Trump has made holding tech companies accountable for allegedly stifling conservative voices a theme of his administration.

    As a result, calls for a reform of Section 230 have been intensifying ahead of the Nov. 3 elections, but there is little chance of approval by Congress this year.

    Last week Trump met with nine Republican state attorneys general to discuss the fate of Section 230 after the Justice Department unveiled a legislative proposal aimed at reforming the law.

    The chief executives of Google, Facebook, Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc recently testified before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel.

    The panel, which is investigating how the companies’ practices hurt rivals, is expected to release its report as early as next Monday.