Location data is being released by Google in 131 countries so officials can see if people are obeying self-isolating rules
News Alphabet
Coronavirus: Google Pledges $800 Million For Covid-19 Crisis
Search engine giant pledges $800 million to fight against Coronavirus, mostly with the provision of free advertising for organisations
Coronavirus: Google Orders All North American Staff To Work From Home
Alphabet’s Google division has ordered all of its Northern American staff to work from home, if possible, until at least 10 April
UK Google Accounts To Be Placed Under US Jurisdiction
Change of terms of service will see British Google accounts moved out from Irish (European Union) control and placed within US jurisdiction
Google Acquisition Of Looker Data Sciences Approved
Alphabet unit completes $2.6bn acquisition of Looker Data Sciences after approval from British competition watchdog
Google Begins Appeal Against EU Shopping Penalty
Alphabet unit begin fightback against European antitrust regulators in three day hearing at EU General Court in Luxembourg
Google Fiber Drops TV Offering
Decision made to focus solely on providing high-speed Internet services, as customer need for ‘traditional TV’ wanes
Google Disappoints After Revealing YouTube’s $15 Billion Revenue
Strong financials from Google’s parent, as it reveals for the first time the turnover of YouTube and Google Cloud business
Amazon Surges Past $1tn Mark Once Again On Strong Earnings
But Amazon Web Services faces increased cloud competition from Microsoft, whose Azure grew 62 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter
Alphabet Hits $1 Trillion Market Valuation
Exclusive trillion dollar club. Google’s parent Alphabet becomes the fourth US tech giant to reach a market value of $1 trillion
Google Staffer Claims She Was Fired Over Worker Rights
Security engineer claims she was fired for Chrome popup about the protection of worker rights at the search engine giant
Google Founders Larry Page, Sergey Brin Step Down
End of an era as Google co-founders step down from leadership roles, with Sundar Pichai taking over the Alphabet CEO position
Is Google About To Acquire Fitbit?
Shares in Fitbit have been suspended amid reports that Google had made an offer to acquire the firm
Google Allegedly Developing ‘Spy Tool’ To Use On Staff – Report
Relationship between Google staff and management sinks to new low after worker surveillance allegation
Waymo CEO Eyes Self-Driving Lorries
Watch out truckers. Google’s Waymo is exploring the use of its tech for self-driving lorries and trucks
48 US States Open Google Anti-trust Probe
Google is facing an unprecedented anti-trust investigation from nearly all US states and territories that make up the United States
Google Facing Data Collection And Privacy Probe – Report
Attorney generals from more than 30 US states are readying anti-trust investigation of Alphabet’s Google unit
Former Uber Head Charged With Trade Secret Theft
Anthony Levandowski, former head of Uber’s self-driving program, has been charged with theft of trade secrets
Deepmind Co-founder Takes Leave Of Absence
Co-founder of Google’s AI division takes extended leave of absence, by mutual agreement
Alphabet Results Ease Advertising Slowdown Worries
Advertising sales drive profit and sales growth at Google parent, beating Wall Street expectations
Alphabet Board Dismisses Sexual Harassment, Diversity Proposals
Board of directors rejects all shareholder proposals to tackle a range of issues for Google’s workforce
Google Updates Glass Headset With Industrial, Professional Focus
The redesigned device competes with Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 and other enterprise-focused augmented reality displays
Google Faces Italian Antitrust Probe Over Smart Devices
Alleged smart device domination by Google is under investigation by Italy’s competition watchdog
Google To Auto-Delete Web Search History
Google to offer users the option to auto-delete location history and web search data that it harvests
Google Wing Drones Gain FAA Approval For US Home Deliveries
FAA grants permission for Wing drones to deliver to homes in Virginia in the coming months
Google Disbands AI Advisory Council
That lasted long. Google pulls the plug on AI council over concern of a couple of its female members
Google Paid Executive $45m After Sexual Assault Allegation – Report
Court documents show Google executive paid tens of millions of dollars after he was forced to resign
Alphabet Profits Surge, But Spending Worries Investors
Shares in Google parent slide after heavy Q4 spending, but healthy advertising revenues bolsters financials
Google Wing Drones To Begin European Testing in 2019
The drones are coming. Google to test drone delivery service in Finland, after Aussie trials
Google ‘Thoughtfully Considering’ How To Offer China Services
Alphabet boss tells US senators that firm is considering China re-entry, but declines to address censorship concerns