TechCrunch: Google agrees not to sell facial recognition tech, citing abuse potential . “In recent months, pressure has been mounting for major tech firms to develop strong policies regarding facial recognition. Microsoft has helped lead the way on that front, promising to put in place stricter policies, calling for greater regulation and asking fellow companies to follow suit. Hidden toward the end of a blog post about using artificial intelligence to benefit health clinics in Asia, Google SVP Kent Walker affirmed the company’s commitment not to sell facial recognition APIs. The executive cites concerns over how the technology could be abused.”
New York Times: New Zealand Rebukes Google for Airing Name of Suspect in Backpacker’s Killing
New York Times: New Zealand Rebukes Google for Airing Name of Suspect in Backpacker’s Killing. “The New Zealand government admonished Google on Friday for disclosing the identity of a man charged with killing a female British backpacker, highlighting the tension that arises when local courts order the suppression of information that can be easily found online.”
Google Blog: Inside Brazil’s National Museum on Google Arts & Culture
Google Blog: Inside Brazil’s National Museum on Google Arts & Culture. “On September 2nd 2018, a fire struck the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest collections of natural history in the world. An estimated 20 million pieces were lost, including indigenous artifacts, dinosaur remains and the oldest human skeleton ever discovered in the Americas. Starting back in 2016, Google Arts & Culture had begun working with the museum to bring their collection online—so that anyone, anywhere in the world could see and learn about these ancient artifacts. Now for the first time ever, you can virtually step inside the museum and learn about its lost collection through Street View imagery and online exhibits.”
CNET: Google Maps will now show you where the nearest Lime scooter is
CNET: Google Maps will now show you where the nearest Lime scooter is. “Google said Thursday that it’s teaming up with Lime to include electric scooters in Google Maps directions. Now, when you navigate to a destination using the Maps app, Google will also show you where the nearest Lime scooter, bike or e-bike is located. The app will tell you how long it will take for you to walk to the rentable scooter, give you an estimate of the ride cost and calculate how long the overall trip will take.”
BetaNews: Google unveils 2018 top global search trends
BetaNews: Google unveils 2018 top global search trends. “2018 has been quite the wild ride, and it isn’t even over yet! Sure, there has been a lot of negativity in the news, but let us not forget — there are many positive things happening too that simply don’t get reported. The world isn’t all bad. With Google being the most popular search engine on Earth, it has the ability to offer great insight into the interests of people all over the world. Today, the search giant reveals its 2018 top global search trends.”
Reuters: Google studies steps to open representative office in Vietnam, government says
Reuters: Google studies steps to open representative office in Vietnam, government says. “Alphabet Inc’s Google is studying steps toward opening a representative office in Vietnam, the government of the Southeast Asian nation said on its website, citing Google’s Senior Vice President Kent Walker.”
The Moscow Times: Russian Official Threatens to Block Google Over Violations
The Moscow Times: Russian Official Threatens to Block Google Over Violations. “Russia’s state communications regulator Roskomnadzor has threatened to block Google if it does not filter its search results based on Russian law, a day after announcing that it had fined the search engine for non-compliance.”
