Monthly Archives: June 2020

He started with the unglamorous search advertising team where his job was to make sure the systems remained up. Even in those days, an outage could cost Google $1,000 a second. His rise at Google mirrored a shift in how people bought ads. It was no longer the realm of art directors but something more akin to traders making automated bids on where ads would go and how much to pay.

In 2013, he became Googles senior vice president for advertising and commerce, overseeing all of the companys ad systems. His responsibilities included overseeing advertising at YouTube to take a video service replete with problematic content and turn it into something that could challenge television networks for advertising revenue.

He felt it was a no-win situation. If YouTubes automated systems held a high bar for what was suitable for advertising, the company risked angering some vocal creators upset at being ineligible for ad revenue. With a less restrictive approach, the chances of a troubling video running with ads was higher. This would anger advertisers and effectively create a financial incentive to keep making problematic content.

In 2017, when The Times of London published examples of videos that exploit young children and appeal to pedophiles carrying ads, Mr. Ramaswamy reached a breaking point.

This is an impossible conflict and we kind of muddled our way through it, he said. All of us have boundaries for what we will tolerate in our jobs. There comes a point where you say the environment I am working in has a situation that is not acceptable to me.

After he left Google, Mr. Ramaswamy appeared ready to follow the well-worn path of accomplished Silicon Valley executive to venture capitalist, joining Greylock Partners. But after a few months, he quietly started working on Neeva, recruiting former Google colleagues including his co-founder, Vivek Raghunathan, a former vice president at the company who worked with Mr. Ramaswamy on search ads and YouTube ads during his 11 years there.

Neeva, which is based in Googles hometown, Mountain View, Calif., has raised $37.5 million with equal investments from Greylock, Sequoia Capital an early investor in Google and Mr. Ramaswamy himself. It has 25 employees.

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A Former Google Executive Takes Aim at His Old Company With a Start-Up - The New York Times

You may want to wait until you've had your first cup of coffee before diving into the news report from a Google Home.

I'm not a morning person. I am, however, hooked onGoogle Home Routines. But there's one type of Routine I've just never been able to nail down: a morning Routine. The problem is I need awake-up routinethat's just barely motivating enough to rouse me out of bed, but not so grating that I just end up shouting "OK,Google, stop!" and pulling a pillow over my head. So, I decided to take on one of the greatest challenges I've ever accepted willingly as a smart home enthusiast: tocraft a morning routine that I'll actually use.

This has been especially important these last few months, as quarantine and working from home have all but obliterated my old set of morning rituals. Maybe you're in the same boat and, like me, long for more consistency. Or maybe there's just stuff you want your Google Home to do for you in the morning (play the news, report the weather forecast) but you haven't quite figured out how to get it all done with just one command.

Well, I cracked the code. I sussed out which elements of a Google Home ($30 at Best Buy) morning Routine energized me -- and which ones made me want to crawl back beneath the covers. Here's how I did it.

You can start a Routine from any compatible device, like this Nest Hub on a nightstand, but then direct other Google Home smart speakers to carry out various Actions.

In case you're unfamiliar, a Google Home Routine is a set of tasks Google Assistant will carry out in response to a single voice command. You can create your own Routines, but there are a handful of default ones you can use and customize as well -- including one you trigger by simply saying, "Hey, Google, good morning."

To see which Routines you have for your Google Home setup, open the Google Home app, tap the Routines icon near the top and then at the bottom of your screen tap Manage routines. At the top of the list you should see your Good morning routine, which you can tap to edit. (To create a Routine from scratch, tap the + sign icon in the lower right corner.)

What Routines are not, however, is automatic. You have to trigger them with a voice command, which means if they annoy you so much you just avoid them, you probably won't get any benefit from them. That's why it's important to set them up right.

The average smart speaker household now has 2.6 devices,according to an April recent survey by NPR and Edison Research. I've got three Google Home and Nest Mini speakers and two Nest Hubs ($80 at Best Buy), so practically one for every room in my house (including the owner's suite bathroom). When crafting a Routine, you don't have to limit Actions to the speaker that hears the command -- you can actually direct traffic, as it were, to any or all of your other devices.

The average smart speaker household has an average of 2.6 devices, according to a survey by NPR and Edison Research.

This was key to creating a morning Routine that worked for me. You see, there's a conflict between what I want my morning to look like and what I'll actually tolerate -- but distributing my wants across multiple devices gives my brain the space it needs to wake up on its own terms.

For example, I want to hear the news in the morning, but in the first few minutes after waking up my brain just isn't ready for it. Solution: Play the news on the kitchen speaker, so I can start listening just as my first cup of coffee starts to kick in. Same goes for music -- I know an upbeat playlist will jazz me up in the morning, but I'm not really ready to rock out while I'm still struggling to open my eyes. Solution: Play music from the bathroom speaker to coincide with my morning shower.

There are really only a couple of things I want to happen with my smart home devices when I first wake up: I want to turn up the thermostat and turn on my bedroom lights. Both my Google Nest Learning Thermostat and my Philips Hue lighting system are connected to my Google Home account, which makes this easy.

You can reorder your Google Home Routine's Actions by tapping "Change order."

The only confusing part is the Google Home app has two settings that could affect my smart bulbs: Adjust scenes and Adjust lights, plugs and more. I control my Philips Hue color bulbs by selecting Adjust scenes and choosing a scene I created called Golden White that turns my three bedroom lights on to a nice, warm white light set to 50% brightness. If you want that kind of granular control, you'll have to set up a scene in your smart bulb app ahead of time.

The other option, Adjust lights, plugs and more, only gives you the choice to turn your bulbs either off, or on to their most recent state. That means if the previous night I had been chilling in my bedroom with my Blood Moon scene (two dim dark blue lights and one dim red one) that's what would turn on -- not really a great vibe for in the morning.

Once I realized I could distribute Actions across multiple devices, I had to decide what I wanted my bedroom Nest Hub to tell me about in those first few moments of consciousness. Turns out I'm mentally competent enough to handle the weather, my calendar and reminders and not much else.

If you have a Google Nest Learning Thermostat, controlling it with a Google Home Routine is a breeze.

Here's what my morning Routine now looks like:

Now that I have a Google Home morning Routine that doesn't get on my nerves, waking up with a Google Home has definitely earned its place on mylist of the top five ways I love the Google Home ecosystem (even though I doadmit the Google Home isn't perfect). To get the most out of your own Google Home, I highly recommend you go in and change these five settings right away.

Now playing: Watch this: Google Home's best talent lets you customize responses

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Google Home Routines can get annoying. Here's how to avoid that - CNET

Google is rolling out a software update that improves network performance for Nest Wifi and Google WiFi routers on slow network connections, the company announced in a blog post. Your Wi-Fi will better support multiple video calls, gaming sessions and more simultaneously, Google Nest product manager Sanjay Noronha wrote in the post, adding that the latest software update will also improve device connection speeds on wireless networks and optimizations so your devices move to faster Wi-Fi radio channels.

The update includes improvements to general security and stability. The priority device feature, which lets users choose which device temporarily gets the strongest Wi-Fi available, is getting smarter as well, according to Google. That should be a welcome update to families working and schooling at home; theres nothing like slow Wi-Fi freezing your Zoom call with the boss because the kids are playing Fortnite.

Google launched the Nest Wifi system back in October, combining a router and smart speaker into one product. Prior to that, it released the Google WiFi mesh router system.

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Google and Nest routers now work much better with slow home internet connections - The Verge

Google is booting online far-right website The Federalist from its ad platform for publishing content about the ongoing protests against police brutality that violated the companys rules around content that promotes hate.

As NBC News reports, Google determined that both The Federalist and right-wing website ZeroHedge violated its policy against monetizing content that promotes hatred, intolerance, violence or discrimination based on race.

When a page or site violates our policies, we take action. In this case, weve removed both sites ability to monetize with Google, a Google spokesperson said in a statement to NBC.

Update:Google is either walking back its own statement or disputing the report from NBC News. In a statement to TechCrunch provided by Google spokesperson Christa Muldoon, the company said the following:

To be clear, The Federalist is not currently demonetized. We do have strict publisher policies that govern the content ads can run on, which includes comments on the site. This is a longstanding policy.

Google also said that the issues with both sites arose from content in their comments sections violating its policies against dangerous and derogatory content.

It sounds like The Federalist was issued a warning that it will face demonetization if it doesnt remove the content while ZeroHedge was warned previously, did not fix the policy violations and was demonetized.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate, a British watchdog group, recently sent a report to Google flagging racist content focused on the ongoing protests across a number of U.S. sites, including The Federalist and ZeroHedge. The report also noted that such sites stood to make millions through Googles ad platform.

As NBC News reported, ZeroHedge published stories claiming that the protests were actually fake while The Federalist pushed a narrative that the media was lying about what happened at the public demonstrations. On its site, The Federalist [keeps] tally of those fired from lack of allegiance to the new woke overlords, referencing fallout from the current movement for racial justice. Weve reached out to Google for more information on which specific articles prompted the action.

Both sites have come under scrutiny by tech giants before. In March, Twitter removed a tweet from The Federalist recommending controlled voluntary infection as a solution to COVID-19. The tweet violated the companys rules banning content that puts people at higher risk of spreading the virus.

Twitter suspended ZeroHedge from its platform in February after the account published the personal details of a Chinese scientist it claimed was linked to a coronavirus conspiracy. After a review, Twitter reinstated ZeroHedge over this past weekend, saying that it made an enforcement error in choosing to suspend the account.

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Google kicked ZeroHedge off its ad platform, put The Federalist on notice for racist protest content - TechCrunch

Google is partnering with Parallels to bring native Microsoft Office applications and other legacy enterprise Windows applications to Chromebooks. Google revealed the new partnership in a blog post looking at the future of Chrome OS for enterprises.

While Chrome OS has long supported Windows desktop apps that are streamed via the cloud through a Parallels Remote Application Server, this new partnership means the apps will run virtualized on Chromebooks instead. The new feature is set to be available this fall for Chrome Enterprise customers.

Parallels Desktop will be integrated natively into Chrome OS, improving performance and enabling offline access for these applications on Chromebooks. Its a surprising, but welcome move that will mean Chrome OS will be able to support both Android apps and Windows apps in the future.

It will also likely entice businesses to seriously consider Chromebooks as Windows laptop alternatives for certain employees, without having to invest in solutions to stream business apps to a Chromebook.

Google isnt providing many details about the Parallels partnership just yet, but the company promises more to come on this over the coming months.

Update June 16th, 4:00pm: Added additional details, including the planned fall release window.

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Google is bringing Microsoft Office and other Windows apps to Chromebooks - The Verge

Google has leased the top-floor office space at the Buffalo Heights District, a mixed-use development at 3663 Washington Ave. (Contributed photo)

Google, the California-based technology giant, is opening an office in the Heights area.

The company has signed a lease to establish an office on the top floor of the Buffalo Heights District, a mixed-use development at 3663 Washington Ave., according to a news release from the land owner and developer, BKR Memorial II, LLC. Below the One Buffalo Heights office space is the St. Andrie luxury apartment complex, while an H-E-B grocery store opened last October on the ground level.

Google is a major player, not just as a driver of innovation and economic transformation, but also as an engaged member of the community, Russell Gordy, the owner of BKR Memorial, said in a news release. We are pleased they chose Buffalo Heights when they were making a commitment to Houston.

Google will occupy a 12,000 square foot office space at the Buffalo Heights District, which also announced its plan to expand the development with additional residential units, office space and retail and restaurant offerings. The idea is to continue fostering a walkable urban streetscape that includes green space as well.

BKR Memorial said the Houston Endowment philanthropic organization plans to construct its 40,000 square foot headquarters adjacent to the Buffalo Heights development and overlooking Spotts Park.

Innovative companies such as Google understand how walkable, mixed-use environments positively impact recruiting and retaining the best talent, said CEO Jonathan Brinsden of Houston-based Midway, another developer involved with the Buffalo Heights District.

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Google leases office in Buffalo Heights development - The Leader

You dont need Googles own gamepad or dongle to try its Stadia cloud gaming service, particularly now that it works on practically any Android phone but if you want to fire up Stadia on your 4K TV with a wireless gamepad, you can do that for cheaper now.

Today, Google is offering a new Stadia Premiere Edition starter kit for $99, which comes with the companys Chromecast Ultra HDMI dongle and the Stadia Controller youll need to control it from your couch, and which also works plugged into a phone or wirelessly with a computer.

Previously, Google sold both devices in a $129 bundle that also came with a free three-month subscription to the Stadia Pro service, which offers 4K-ish streaming, surround sound, and access to free games each month. The new bundle no longer comes with three free months of Stadia Pro, so its not exactly a $30 savings but if youre planning to take advantage of Googles free version of Stadia, which comes with a one-month free trial of Pro anyhow, youre paying less than you would have before.

Currently, the Chromecast Ultra is the only officially supported way to play Stadia on a TV, and the Stadia Controller is the only controller compatible with the Chromecast Ultra experience because the Chromecast doesnt communicate directly with controllers. (The Stadia Controller can send its commands directly to Stadias servers using your home Wi-Fi, which lets it get around that limitation.)

You could theoretically plug your Android phone or tablet into your TV with an HDMI cable, however, and use any of the many other supported controllers to play.

If you already own a Chromecast Ultra, check your old emails; you might be able to take advantage of a free three-month Stadia Pro trial offer, as well.

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Google has a new Stadia starter kit, and its $30 cheaper - The Verge

Contrary to ongoing reports, the Government of India hasnt ordered Google and Apple to ban Chinese apps like TikTok and CamScanner from Play Store and App Store respectively. The Governments clarification comes in response to a viral message of an order allegedly from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) doing the rounds claiming that Google and Apple have been prohibited from making some very specific apps available on their respective stores.

The purported order mentions 15 apps, most of them based out of China (which means most of them are made by Chinese developers/companies), including LiveMe, Bigo Live, Vigo Video, BeautyPlus, CamScanner, Clash of Kings, Mobile Legends, TikTok, ClubFactory, Shein, Romwe, AppLock, Club Factory, VMate, and Game of Sultans. The Government of India, via its @PIBFactCheck handle, has confirmed that the order thats doing the rounds is fake.

This doesnt mean such a ban isnt possible in the future though. This is because intelligence agencies have reportedly raised a red-flag over the use of 52 apps, many of them with links to China, over privacy concerns, and advised the Government to either block these apps or discourage Indians from using them. TikTok is again mentioned in this list, so are a couple of apps from Xiaomi. Zoom also somehow figures in the list, though it is made by a company based out of the US.

The Government of India is said to have taken due cognizance of the issue and is reportedly in the process of examining the risks involved with using these apps on a per app basis. Only time will tell, how things will transpire for these apps in India in the days to come.

All of this comes amid the ongoing India-China standoff and therefore its self explanatory that were dealing with a very sensitive issue here. The Governments clarification is a welcome step, and also a wake up call, to not blindly believe everything we see on the internet or WhatsApp groups.

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Govt clarifies it hasnt ordered Google, Apple to ban TikTok, other Chinese apps in India - The Financial Express

A lawsuit filed this week in federal court accuses YouTube of discriminating against African American video makers and viewers by factoring in race when it comes to filtering or monetizing content.

The suit filed in a courthouse in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose on Tuesday seeks class action status and names as defendants the leading video sharing platform and its parent companies Google and Alphabet.

"Under the pretext of finding that videos violate some vague, ambiguous, and non- specific video content rule, defendants use computer driven racial, identity and viewpoint profiling and filtering tools to restrict, censor, and denigrate" blacks, the suit argued.

YouTube uses metadata and other ":signals" from videos to make decisions about filtering content or placing money-making advertising based on race, according to the suit.

"Defendants continue to knowingly, intentionally, and systematically block, demonetize, and deny plaintiffs and other persons similarly situated, their contractual and other legal rights to access YouTube based on the color of their skin or other protected racial traits, rather than the material in their videos," the suit contended.

Triggers for YouTube filtering software include tags on videos referencing white supremacy, police brutality, and "Black Lives Matter," according to the suit.

YouTube did not immediately return a request for comment.

Google on Thursday boosted to $1 billion the amount of free advertising it will give non-profits this year, taking special interest in groups combatting racism and damage done by the coronavirus pandemic.

Google has also committed $275 million to help black artists on YouTube, fund African American small businesses and other projects.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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YouTube hit with discrimination suit by black artists - Livemint

Google is facing a $5 billion class action lawsuit over tracking Chrome users even in incognito mode.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the federal court in San Jose, California on Tuesday, accuses the company of collecting information about what people view and what pages they visit online despite claiming incognito mode is private, Reuters reports.

The complaint further alleges gathering data throughGoogle Analytics, Google Ad Manager, and various mobile apps helps the company learn about users closest contacts, hobbies, dieting habits, and even the most intimate and potentially embarrassing things they search for online.

Google cannot continue to engage in the covert and unauthorized data collection from virtually every American with a computer or phone, the lawsuit argues. The complaint seeks compensation of at least $5,000for violations of federal wiretapping and California privacy laws for the millions of people whove used incognito mode since June 1, 2016.

As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity,Google spokespersonJose Castaneda told Reuters, adding the company has every intention of defending itself in court.

Skeptics have long been warning companies like Google and Facebooks pervasive tracking practices collect data about users even when using incognito mode.

[M]any sites and apps include code from other parties of which users are typically unaware, researchers from Microsoft,Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pennsylvania wrote in a study published in 2019. Such third-party code can allow companies to monitor the actions of users without their knowledge or consent and build detailed profiles of their habits and interests.

Google has also previously been accused of personalizing search results in incognito mode by rival DuckDuckGo a claim that suggests the companys private browsing mode isnt as anonymous as we might think.

Read next: California blocks bill that couldve led to a facial recognition police-state

Why is queer representation so important? What's it like being trans in tech? How do I participate virtually? You can find all our Pride 2020 coverage here.

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Google faces $5 billion lawsuit over tracking users in incognito mode - The Next Web