 |
|
|
|||||
Google may have to break off parts of its business, such as Chrome and Android, and share users' search data with its competitors, based on the proposed remedies the US Justice Department has submitted in a court filing. The DOJ said it's "considering behavioral and structural remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search and Google search-related products and features" after Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August that it illegally abused its monopoly over the search industry. That ruling was the result of a 2020 antitrust lawsuit filed by the DOJ and several states, accusing Google of "unlawfully maintaining monopolies" over search and search-related products. The department is also considering limiting or prohibiting Google from signing contracts with other companies to make its search engine the default option for their browsers and phones. In his ruling, Judge Mehta said that paying Mozilla, Apple, Samsung and other device makers to make Google as their default search engine was an illegal act meant to maintain its dominant position in the market. A Google executive previously revealed during a trial for the lawsuit that the the company paid Apple $26 billion. One of the department's other proposals is to restrict Google from being able to use search results to train its generative artificial intelligence models. In a blog post, Google's VP of Regulatory Affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, called the DOJ's proposals "radical and sweeping." She said the government "seems to be pursuing a sweeping agenda that will impact numerous industries and products" and proceeded to enumerate how the proposals would affect consumers. Mulholland argued that forcing Google to share users' search queries and results with competitors could create major privacy and security risks, since the company protects them with its "strict security standards." She also said that splitting off Chrome or Android would break them, jeopardize their security and make patching bugs harder. It will "change their business models, raise the cost of devices, and undermine Android and Google Play in their robust competition with Apples iPhone and App Store," she explained. Mulholland also argued that "hampering Googles AI tools risks holding back American innovation at a critical moment." Finally, she said that the government's "unreasonable restrictions" on Google's distribution contracts that make its search engine "easily available" would "create friction for people who just want to easily search for information." It could reduce revenue for companies like Mozilla and other Android smartphone makers, as well, leading to the lack of funds for further development and pricier smartphones overall. The DOJ has until November 20 to file a more refined set of remedies, while Google has until December 20 to propose its own fixes to the court. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-justice-department-could-force-google-to-break-itself-up-123041161.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
The sixth and final episode of Slow Horses fourth season lands on Apple TV+ today, giving me a flimsy excuse to urge you all to watch. Its a pulpy, fun and gripping British spy thriller that has finally started to garner some deserved attention. At six episodes a run, its respectful of your time in a way plenty of other streaming series arent. And while its unafraid of showing you the brutal side of espionage, you can revel in its gloriously deathly sense of humor. Slow Horses focuses on Slough House, a department inside Britains security service where agents are dumped. MI5 officers who cant be trusted with real work, or angered their superiors, are dumped in the administrative purgatory. Since you cant hand a spy a pink slip and send them on their way, theyre parked at Slough House until they retire, or quit. The show stars Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, the antithesis of anyones imagined vision of a real spy. Lamb is perpetually drunk, obsessed with his own bodily emissions and is unpleasant to be around. (As I said when the show started, Slow Horses delights in watching the once and hopefully-future George Smiley playing someone so grubby.) Hes joined by Jack Lowden as River Cartwright, a would-be superspy and the scion of a great family of spymasters parked at Slough House for spoilery reasons. Of course, much as River may chafe at his exile, hes not quite able to live up to his own expectations. Much like the rest of the team, that Lamb delights in tormenting, River lacks some top-tier spy talents. Naturally, despite being a team of losers, misfits and boozers, Lamb and his crew are regularly drawn into MI5s grander intrigues. This time around, a central London shopping center is blown up, which precipitates a rabid hunt for the culprit. Except this time, the answers arent in MI5s hands, but the slow horses themselves, but thats about as much as I can say. Much as I love the world the series depicts, drawn from Mick Herrons series of books, I adore its dialog. Creator Will Smith (not that one), who recently won the series first Emmy, worked on The Thick of It. The British sitcom is the progenitor for Veep, and also laid the groundwork for Succession; two series that also share a love for the almost operatic use of profanity. A show like Slow Horses should be dominating the news cycle every single episode, but I think we all know why it remains in a smaller niche. That its on Apple TV+ certainly limits the number of people who are able to watch it and, by extension, fall in love with it. After all, despite having the worlds most well-heeled backer and access to every iPhone in the world, it still has a quarter of Netflixs user figures. But dont let its platform hold you back, especially when you can pay for a months worth and watch all four seasons in a week, depending on your patience. Its certainly worth it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/im-so-glad-slow-horses-is-a-hit-120003767.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Elon Musks Boring Company pitched that its Vegas Loop, underground tunnels built below Las Vegas, would reduce gridlock in some of the busiest parts of the city, offering a new transport solution that isnt a monorail. People are transported by ordinary Tesla vehicles in tunnels and terminals that are often difficult to get to. (At least, that was my experience earlier this year.) It hasnt been the transport game changer the company promised, though. A report from Fortune elaborated on whats actually happening in those tunnels, saying there have been at least 67 trespassing reports since 2022 and 22 instances of other vehicles following Teslas into the tunnels and stations. Borings monthly reports to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority also showed several instances of property damage, theft, technical issues or injuries, near-misses and trespassing or intrusions. Some curated highlights include a skateboarder who snuck into the tunnels through a passenger pickup station and two people spotted sleeping in one of the tunnel stations. And yet (and yet!) county commissioners approved a plan last May to expand the tunnels to 65 miles and add 69 passenger stations. Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed The best deals from Amazon Prime Day 2024 SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts are leaving the ISS on October 13 The best projector for 2024 Meta Quest 3S hands-on A $300 VR headset without major compromises. Engadget If you were intrigued by Metas continued VR experiments but put off by the price of the Quest 3, then the Quest 3S may be for you. Its a slightly bulkier, slightly less sharp version of Metas last standalone VR headset, but starting at $300, its much less than the Quest 3s $500 launch price. There are compromises with display resolution and lenses, but it packs the same powerful processor as the Quest 3, so it should run games and apps just as quickly. Expect our full review soon, but so far were impressed. Continue reading. DJI Neo review The best $200 drone ever made Engadget The DJI Neo may be an inexpensive, beginner-friendly drone, but it still has powerful features, like subject tracking and quick shots. Surprisingly, this is a cheap $200 drone arguably worth considering. Just be prepared for the noise it makes. Continue reading. Machine learning pioneers awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics Including Geoffrey Hinton, the Godfather of AI. Two scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks. John Hopfield, an emeritus professor of Princeton University, devised an associative kind of memory that can store and reconstruct images and other patterns in data. Geoffrey Hinton, dubbed the Godfather of AI, pioneered a way to autonomously find properties in data, leading to the ability to identify picture elements. Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-boring-companys-vegas-loop-plagued-by-lost-drivers-trespassers-and-skateboarders-111742611.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||