A federal judge has ruled that Alphabet’s Google created an illegal monopoly by controlling almost all online searches. With around 90% market share, this decision could be a game-changer for Big Tech.
Hackers want Google accounts. Give yours this security check now!
Here’s a nightmare scenario: You’re enjoying your hard-earned vacation when you realize your phone or laptop is missing.
Beyond the cost of replacing it, you may have lost years of photos and other files — and opened yourself up to some pretty scary consequences. Tap or click for steps to wipe your tech remotely in case this ever happens.
One place you don’t want someone snooping is your inbox. Don’t create folders with names like “Medical documents” or “Tax info.” Tap or click for 10 hidden email features you should be using.
Your Google account is one of the most critical things on your devices, especially if you’re a Gmail user. Here’s a simple way to ensure yours doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.
Just how detailed is data tracking?
Google’s tracking is mainly for its benefit or for companies that pay big money to target you with ads based on your data.
Speaking of, have you ever searched for your name online and seen how many data broker sites your details are floating around on? I get so many requests for steps to remove this info that I started a series on my website called Opt-Out Tuesday. Each week, we give directions to erase your profile from these sites.
You might not realize how granular that information gets. An advertiser doesn’t only know you’re a mom of three from Florida or a marketing exec who lives in Austin. A dossier on you includes your financial bracket, interests, political leanings, shopping preferences, and much more.
I wanted to know more about this, so I sat with an advertising CTO and recorded a podcast. Tap or click here to see just how far this data tracking goes.
Data tracking is big business, after all. How big? Alphabet, Google’s parent company, makes about $420,000 every minute. Crazy, right? Not all that money comes from advertising, but it’s the most significant slice of the pie.
Luckily, some of Google’s tracking can help you.
Facebook is changing its name - You have to see these suggestions for a new one
Social media giant Facebook has decided it’s time for change — by changing its name. But before you think that you’ll have to log in to some different website, it’s only the name of the company that’s changing, not the name of the social media site.
🛑 Big Tech, big trouble: President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Brendan Carr to lead the Federal Communications Commission. His first order of business? Cracking down on tech companies like Google and Meta for censorship and content moderation. What’s standing in his way? The FCC needs Congress’ permission to make changes.
New rankings: Top 25 companies to work for in the US
The pandemic has changed the way we work. While people have been going back to the office, some jobs have become permanently remote. Offices have moved into smaller spaces and most meetings are still taking place virtually.
Use Roku? You may lose access to a popular streaming service
Video and music streaming services have skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years. The onset of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns further increased the user bases of many platforms.
Netflix, the most popular paid-for streaming service by a long shot, added 4 million new subscribers so far in 2021, bringing its total viewers to 208 million. For the same period last year, the platform added 16 million new subscribers. Tap or click here for YouTube tricks and tips you’ll wish you knew sooner.
⛑️ Big Tech is fighting the Kids Online Safety Act: It passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support in July but has stalled in the House. The bill holds tech companies (gifted paywall link, WSJ) accountable for algorithms and designs contributing to mental health issues, addiction, bullying and exploitation. Tech giants Meta and Alphabet have poured nearly $90 million into lobbying efforts. Funny, Zuck won’t let his kids have social media accounts.
🗿 I love this story, but I don’t know Y: A team who discovered a lost civilization’s alphabet on a fifth-century B.C. slate slab posted a pic on X. The rock caught the eye of a part-time researcher, who recognized a symbol as the Paleohispanic letter “i.” He’s been invited to join the official research team. Maybe X isn’t all that bad? Wait, yeah, it is.
Is Google's new AI, Gemini, the ChatGPT killer?
Last week, the Alphabet company released a new large language model. Here’s what that means for OpenAI.
Amazon shares your private info unless you do these steps
Amazon’s stock is soaring as it joins the trillion-dollar club alongside Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube. The buy-anything-you-need site is even moving into our lexicon. Rather than risking a trip to the store amid the pandemic, we say, “I’ll Prime it.”