Controversies

Company response

• Remediation — Google

  To address the concerns, Google on Friday offered a set of commitments including giving the Competition and Markets Authority an oversight role as the company designs and develops a replacement technology.

Source excerpt

• The U.K. competition watchdog has been investigating Google’s proposals to remove so-called third-party cookies over concerns they would undermine digital ad competition and entrench the company’s market power.

• If Google’s commitments are accepted, they will be applied globally, the company said in a blog post.

• To address the concerns, Google on Friday offered a set of commitments including giving the Competition and Markets Authority an oversight role as the company designs and develops a replacement technology.

Source excerpt

• 初步报告并没有说苹果或其他公司违反了竞争法。

• 在所有消费物联网领域，大量受访者指出，开发新产品和服务的主要障碍是没有能力与Google、亚马逊和苹果竞争

• 一份关于物联网的初步报告得出结论，包括苹果在内的少数公司可能存在反竞争行为。

Source excerpt

• Google Maps does not use the official data from the French tourism department. Instead, it uses its own ratings thereby violating the law.

• Google has agreed to pay 1.1 million euros to the French government for generating hotel ratings.

• After the French authorities launched an investigation, Google changed the star rating standards.

Source excerpt

• On Monday, Madeline Kiss filed a putative class-action lawsuit against Flo Health, Inc., and additional advertiser defendants including Google, LLC, Facebook, Inc., Appsflyer, Inc., and Flurry, Inc. over allegations that the companies conspired to exchange extremely private and confidential information for their own benefit.

• The plaintiff alleged that Flo Health violated their own policy by knowingly giving users’ information to third parties including the advertiser defendants.

Company response

• Remediation — Google

  Since September 2019, Google has "corrected their practices" and reverted to the official classification issued by Atout France.

Source excerpt

• Since September 2019, Google has "corrected their practices" and reverted to the official classification issued by Atout France.

• The watchdog found that Google had replaced the Atout France ranking with their own criteria, but had used an identical system of 1 to 5 "stars", which was "highly confusing" for customers.

• France has fined Google €1.1 million for allegedly "misleading" consumers with their rankings of hotels and other tourist accommodations.

Company response

• Remediation — Google

  Google says it has blocked several terms associated with hate speech from being used as ad keywords on YouTube videos.

Source excerpt

• The Markup found terms like ‘white power’ could be used to find videos for ad placement

• Google says it has blocked several terms associated with hate speech from being used as ad keywords on YouTube videos.

• Google offered advertisers hundreds of millions of choices for YouTube videos and channels related to White supremacist and other hate terms when we began our investigation, including “all lives matter”—a phrase frequently used as a dismissive rejoinder to Black Lives Matter—and “White lives matter”—which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as both a neo-Nazi group and “a racist response to the civil rights movement Black Lives Matter.”

Company response

• Denial — 谷歌

  这起诉讼并没有事实和法律依据。

Source excerpt

• The state of Ohio on Tuesday filed an unprecedented lawsuit calling on a local court to declare Google as much a public utility as an electric company.

• Google said the lawsuit had no basis in fact and that it will defend itself in court.

• Yost accused Google of favoring its own products, websites, and services in search results, putting competitors at a disadvantage.

Source excerpt

• In a statement, it said Google had favored its own price comparison for accommodations and its local search services over those of competitors.

• Turkey’s Competition Board has again fined Alphabet Inc’s Google, this time to a tune of more than 296 million Turkish ($36.65 million), for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the search engine services, reported Reuters and Daily Sabah.

• Turkey's Competition Board has fined Alphabet Inc's Google more than 296 million lira ($36.65 million) for abusing its dominant position in search engine services, the regulator said on Wednesday.

Source excerpt

• 受影響的用戶囊括 Pixel 3、Pixel 4 與 Pixel 5 系列，全部為採用非官方無線充電方案，Google 自家 Pixel Stand 無線充電座則不受影響。

• Google 至今未有提供有效的解決方案，用戶只好暫時改用有線充電。

• 最近有用戶投訴在升級早前釋出的 3 月份更新後，無線充電功能就無法正常使用。

Company response

• Remediation — Google

  Teams are already trialing a questionnaire that will assess projects for risk and help scientists navigate reviews

• Clarification — Google

  he had tasked a senior research director, Zoubin Ghahramani, with clarifying the rules

Source excerpt

• Jeff Dean, Google's senior vice president overseeing the division, said Friday that the "sensitive topics" review "is and was confusing" and that he had tasked a senior research director, Zoubin Ghahramani, with clarifying the rules, according to the recording.

• Alphabet Inc's Google will change procedures before July for reviewing its scientists' work, according to a town hall recording heard by Reuters, part of an effort to quell internal tumult over the integrity of its artificial intelligence (AI) research.

• Teams are already trialing a questionnaire that will assess projects for risk and help scientists navigate reviews, research unit Chief Operating Officer Maggie Johnson said in the meeting.

Company response

• Denial — Google

  In response to the ruling, a Google spokesperson said: “We disagree with [the] authority’s decision and we will review our options.” The representative rejected the claim that it had abused its market position to block the app, arguing its “goal is to allow even more developers to make their apps available over time” but apps must comply with “strict guidelines” and safety standards before being approved.

• Denial — Google

  A Google spokesman in Italy said that Google with all due respect does not agree with the decision of the antitrust regulator and will study the documents to decide on its next steps.

Source excerpt

• Italy’s competition authority has fined Google €100 million ($120 million) for abusing its market position to block the Enel X app from the Play Store.

• In response to the ruling, a Google spokesperson said: “We disagree with [the] authority’s decision and we will review our options.” The representative rejected the claim that it had abused its market position to block the app, arguing its “goal is to allow even more developers to make their apps available over time” but apps must comply with “strict guidelines” and safety standards before being approved.

• “By refusing Enel X Italia interoperability with Android Auto, Google has unfairly limited the possibilities for end users to avail themselves of the Enel X Italia app when driving and recharging an electric vehicle,” the antitrust regulator stated.

Company response

• Denial — Google

  Google however has denied this

Source excerpt

• On top of the fine, the regulator said it had requested Google make JuicePass available on Android Auto.

• The regulator said Google did not allow JuicePass, an electric vehicle (EV) services app from Enel X, to operate on Android Auto - which allows apps to be used while driving - unfairly limiting its use while favouring Google Maps.

• Italy’s competition watchdog said on Thursday (13 May) it had fined Google (GOOGL.O) €102 million ($123 million) for abuse of its dominant position due to its Android mobile operating system and app store Google Play.

Company response

• Denial — Google

  Google has previously denied any wrongdoing.

Source excerpt

• Google has reached a private settlement with an employee who said he was fired because of workplace activism, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

• The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) approved the private settlement between Google and Laurence Berland, a software engineer, in July, the publication reported, citing agency records obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.

• All four ex-Google employees denied violating Google's policies and filed complaints via the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in December 2019, alleging that Google terminated their contracts in an attempt to crush unionization efforts.

Source excerpt

• There have been calls for the tech giant to fire Bobb over the post, including from the Jewish human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center, which saw the Washington Free Beacon’s article.

• A suggestion by a current Google staffer named Kamau Bobb years ago in his personal blog that Jews have an "insatiable appetite for war and killing" on behalf of Israel has come under renewed scrutiny this week.

• Google was met with swift backlash on Tuesday after it announced that schools using Google’s K-12 software will not be able to use Search unless they opt in to using AI tools.

Source excerpt

• 部分 Pixel 4 / 4a / 5 手機用戶反映，在更新完手機之後，手機就無法觀看 HD 畫質的 Netflix 串流影片，而這問題的背後原因則與手機內建的 Widevine DRM 技術有關，在更新後它支援的等級從 L1 降至 L3

Company response

• Apology — Google

• Remediation — Google

Source excerpt

• As protests began to rise, Google removed the result and issued an apology.

• Twenty hours ago, though, a screenshot of the google result that went viral sparked outrage, with even the government taking note of the 'result' that showed Kannada as the ugliest language in India.

Source excerpt

• Twitter, Google, Facebook each have three cases against them, with each violation punishable by a fine of up to 4 million roubles and cases have also been filed against TikTok and Telegram, the report said.

• Russian authorities are suing five social media platforms for allegedly failing to delete posts urging children to take part in illegal protests, the Interfax news agency cited a Moscow court as saying on Tuesday.

• Russian authorities are suing five social media platforms for allegedly failing to delete posts urging children to take part in illegal protests, the Interfax news agency cited a Moscow court as saying on Tuesday, foreign media reported.

Source excerpt

• Google was fined 3.5 million rubles ($47,700) for the repeated failure of the search engine operator to perform its duties.

• TikTok and Google, which had both been fined earlier for similar offenses, received smaller fines on May 27.

• A Moscow court slapped Google with an unprecedented hefty fine on Friday for repeatedly failing to remove illegal content as Russian authorities pile pressure on foreign tech giants.

Company response

• Denial — Google

  Google told Gizmodo that it disputes the claims and will “vigorously” defend itself in court.

• Ongoing disclosure — Google

  Google, which is facing two EC investigations into its advertising practices, said it was cooperating in the probe.

• Denial — Google

  “We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda told FOX Business in a statement.

• Denial — Google

  Amid the bombardment of antitrust allegations against Google, the company has issued a couple of statements defending its practices.

Source excerpt

• Accusing the tech giant of “blatantly and knowingly” infringing on its technology patents, smart-speaker maker Sonos on Tuesday filed two lawsuits against Google after years’ of quiet talks between the pair apparently fell through.

• Google told Gizmodo that it disputes the claims and will “vigorously” defend itself in court.

• Sonos has filed complaints in the Central District of California and before the United States International Trade Commission, a quasi-judicial federal agency, over five patents after reportedly warning Google about the alleged infringements repeatedly.

Company response

• Investigation — 小米

  经过小米调查，该产品联动Google Home Hub开发的功能产生的BUG在弱网环境下会有小概率出现

• Remediation — 小米

  小米安全中心已与Google一同沟通并修复了相关Bug

Source excerpt

• 目前有1044人受到影响

• 会有一定概率出现接收其他Google用户账号下的摄像头串流画面的Bug。

• 1月3日，小米针对米家智能摄像机海外版暂时下线连接Google Home Hub功能进行说明。