Ars Technica: After employee revolt, Google says it is “not close” to launching search in China. “Google’s employees and Google’s management are clashing over ethical issues again. Just two months after Google’s ‘Project Maven’ military drone project was seemingly resolved, Google’s employees are now up in arms over company plans to create censored products for China. The internal protests resulted in the issue being addressed at an all-hands meeting, and we got to learn a bit more about Google’s China plans.”
CNET: Google clarifies how it tracks you even if Location History is turned off
CNET: Google clarifies how it tracks you even if Location History is turned off. “Google says it’s trying to be clearer about how it tracks users on certain apps. On Thursday, the search giant updated a help page for its location tracking tools, after the company’s data collection practices had come under fire for being what some critics called misleading.”
TechCrunch: Google One is now open to all
TechCrunch: Google One is now open to all . “A few months ago, Google announced Google One, its new subscription program for getting more Google Drive storage and other perks. Over the course of the last few weeks, Google slowly rolled existing Drive subscribers over to a Google One membership and starting today, new users (at least in the U.S., with other countries coming soon) can now sign up for a One subscription, too.”
New York Times: Google Employees Protest Secret Work on Censored Search Engine for China
New York Times: Google Employees Protest Secret Work on Censored Search Engine for China. “Hundreds of Google employees, upset at the company’s decision to secretly build a censored version of its search engine for China, have signed a letter demanding more transparency to understand the ethical consequences of their work.”
CNET: Mike Pence parody site tops Google search results for his name
CNET: Mike Pence parody site tops Google search results for his name. “If you type Mike Pence’s name into Google, you may get the impression that the US vice president is running for president. (If you actually click on one of the first links that pops up though, a website called Mike Pence Is President, you’ll realize it’s just a big joke.)”
Google Blog: Helping you find useful information fast on Search
Google Blog: Helping you find useful information fast on Search. “Imagine you’re remodeling your kitchen, and you want information about how quartz compares to granite for your new countertops. Sure, Google can tell you what quartz and granite are, but that’s perhaps not what you had in mind. Chances are you’re hoping to learn more about the differences in cost, benefits, and durability of each, and may be looking for guidance on other subtopics to explore. For these types of queries, we’re introducing a new way to get you to relevant information fast and help you get a glimpse of multiple aspects of a topic with a single search.”
Nieman Lab: Major internet companies might want to push their own point of view, but can they also take care of misinformation please and thank you
Nieman Lab: Major internet companies might want to push their own point of view, but can they also take care of misinformation please and thank you. “According to a new survey by the Knight Foundation and Gallup, American adults feel negatively about major Internet companies tailoring information to them individually, acting as content arbitrators that enhances bias, and not being transparent about their methods. (Note: Knight has provided support to Nieman Lab in the past.) Those major internet companies in this context are Google, Yahoo, Facebook, and Twitter (surprise).”
