Google has been fined a total of €890 million ($1.04 billion) by the European Union after regulators concluded that the technology giant unfairly favored its own apps and services over those of competitors. The penalties mark the first major enforcement action against Google under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), legislation introduced to curb…
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, reported strong revenue growth in its latest quarter, but rising investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure pushed its free cash flow into negative territory for the first time in at least a decade. The technology giant recorded negative free cash flow of $5.9 billion (£4.3 billion), reflecting the cash…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies and generative artificial intelligence platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the unauthorised use of Nigerian news content. The directive follows a petition submitted to the Presidency by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which represents…
BRUSSELS – Europe’s highest court has upheld a €4.1 billion (£3.5 billion) antitrust fine against Google, ruling that the technology giant abused the dominance of its Android mobile operating system to restrict competition in the smartphone market. The decision dismisses Google’s appeal against the penalty, bringing to a close one of the European Union’s most…
A Google engineer has been charged in the United States over allegations that he used confidential company information to make more than $1.2 million from bets placed on cryptocurrency-based prediction platform Polymarket. US prosecutors identified the suspect as Michele Spagnuolo, an Italian citizen residing in Switzerland, who was arrested on Wednesday and later appeared before…
Leading fintech company OPay has officially opened applications for the 2026 edition of its flagship scholarship initiative, now rebranded as OPay Scholars, as part of its ₦1.2 billion, 10-year commitment to supporting education in Nigeria. As part of the expanded programme, OPay has introduced an Innovation Challenge in partnership with Google and OPay Futures, aimed…
Google has unveiled a series of artificial intelligence-powered health features aimed at strengthening its position in the growing digital health market, including plans to support devices made by rival companies such as Apple, Garmin, and Oura. The tech company announced that its Fitbit app will be rebranded as Google Health from May 19, introducing a…
Major technology companies including Microsoft, Google, and xAI have agreed to provide the US government with access to unreleased artificial intelligence models for security testing before they are launched publicly. The move was announced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology as part of efforts to address growing concerns about the cybersecurity risks linked…
Google has revealed that artificial intelligence now produces approximately 75% of its new code, marking a significant leap from 25% in 2024 and 50% in 2025. The company said the AI-generated code is still reviewed by human engineers, but the latest figures highlight how AI has evolved from a supporting tool into a primary driver…
Google has issued an apology after a news alert linked to this year’s BAFTA ceremony included a “see more” prompt that referenced a racial slur. The notification, sent via Google News, related to reports on fallout from the awards ceremony, during which a member of the audience with Tourette’s syndrome uttered the slur as an…
Apple and Google have agreed to adjust how their app stores operate in the UK following pressure from the country’s competition watchdog, which had raised concerns about their dominance in the market. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the two technology companies have committed to a series of changes aimed at improving fairness and…
Google is facing renewed internal pressure after hundreds of its employees called on the company to end its involvement with US immigration enforcement agencies, citing ethical concerns over how its technology may be used. In an open letter released on Friday, close to 900 full-time staff urged Google’s leadership to be more transparent about the…
Google has formally appealed a major US court decision that found the tech giant unlawfully maintained a monopoly in online search, marking the latest twist in one of the most significant antitrust cases in decades. The appeal follows an August 2024 ruling by US District Judge Amit Mehta, who concluded that Google had used anti-competitive…
Apple has announced a multi-year partnership with Google to enhance several of its services, including a more personalised version of its voice assistant, Siri. Under the agreement, Apple will integrate Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence models into its ecosystem to drive upcoming AI-powered features. In a joint statement, both companies said the collaboration would deliver “innovative…
When Victoria Woodall reported disturbing behaviour by a senior manager at Google, she believed she was doing the right thing. Instead, she now claims her decision triggered a chain of events that ultimately cost her career. Woodall, a senior industry head in Google UK’s Sales and Agencies team, has told a London employment tribunal that…
European regulators have launched a formal investigation into Google’s use of artificial intelligence-generated summaries that appear at the top of search pages, amid concerns the technology may rely on publishers’ content without proper permission or payment. The European Commission said the inquiry will look at whether Google drew on material from news sites to power…
Google’s parent company, Alphabet, may be one of the world’s most powerful tech giants, but even it would feel the shockwaves if the booming artificial intelligence sector were to suffer a major downturn, CEO Sundar Pichai has warned. In an exclusive interview with the BBC at Google’s California headquarters, Pichai described the current rush of…
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has launched a new artificial intelligence-powered web browser called ChatGPT Atlas, in a bold move to challenge industry giants such as Google, which dominates the market with Chrome. Unveiled on Tuesday, ChatGPT Atlas is initially available for Apple’s macOS and is designed around OpenAI’s flagship chatbot rather than the traditional…
Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., has announced plans to invest $15 billion in constructing a new artificial intelligence (AI) data hub in Visakhapatnam, a port city in Andhra Pradesh, southern India. According to Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, the project represents Google’s largest AI hub investment outside the United States, and the funds will be…
Tech giant Google may soon be required to make significant changes to how its search engine operates in the United Kingdom, following a major decision by the country’s competition regulator. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has formally designated Google’s search services as holding “strategic market status” (SMS) under new digital competition laws that came…
Google is turning its popular Chrome browser into an AI-powered tool, introducing its Gemini AI assistant directly into the platform as part of a major update. The move comes as the tech giant ramps up competition with Microsoft’s Copilot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT in the rapidly growing AI space. The rollout, which began this week for…
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has unveiled a £5 billion ($6.8 billion) investment in the United Kingdom’s artificial intelligence sector, marking one of the largest technology commitments by a U.S. company in recent years. The announcement comes just days before U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK. The funding will be spread…
Penske Media, the parent company of Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety, has filed a landmark lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of using its journalism without permission through AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of search results. The suit, filed Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C., is the first by a major…
Google has been hit with a €2.95 billion (£2.5 billion) fine by the European Union after regulators ruled that the tech giant abused its dominant position in the online advertising market. The European Commission announced the penalty on Friday, accusing Google of using its power in the ad tech sector to unfairly promote its own…
Google has been ordered to pay $425 million (£316.3 million) in damages after a U.S. federal court ruled that the tech giant violated users’ privacy by collecting data even after they had disabled a key tracking feature. The class-action lawsuit, first filed in July 2020, accused Google of misleading users about its Web & App…
Google has avoided being forced to sell its Chrome web browser after a landmark antitrust ruling in the U.S., but the company will now have to open up its search data to competitors and end exclusive deals that cement its dominance. The decision, issued on Tuesday by District Judge Amit Mehta, comes after a lengthy…
Google has acknowledged that its Android Earthquake Alerts system failed to provide timely warnings to millions of people during the devastating 2023 earthquakes in Turkey, which killed more than 55,000 people and injured over 100,000. According to the company, only 469 “Take Action” alerts – its highest-level warning – were sent out ahead of the…
Between 2021 and 2024, Google quietly turned more than two billion Android phones into a worldwide earthquake detection system – delivering early warnings to millions of people across 98 countries and offering a bold new approach to public safety. Using the built-in motion sensors in smartphones, the Android Earthquake Alerts System detects tremors in real…
The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded contracts worth up to $200 million each to four of the world’s leading artificial intelligence firms – Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Elon Musk’s xAI – as part of a broader effort to integrate advanced AI tools into national defense operations. Announced Monday by the Pentagon’s Chief Digital and…
Google could soon be required to provide UK users with more choice over which search engine they use, following a fresh investigation by the country’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Under powers granted by the UK’s new digital markets law, the CMA is assessing whether Google holds a dominant position in the online search and…
Mexico has filed a lawsuit against Google for renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” on its maps platform for U.S. users, President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed. The legal move comes after months of diplomatic protest and a formal request urging the tech giant to reverse the change. Sheinbaum did not specify which…
Google is stepping up its fight against online scams with a new artificial intelligence-powered system that can detect fraudulent websites in real time on Chrome. The tech giant announced on Thursday that it’s now using a version of its Gemini AI model directly on users’ devices to identify scammy web pages – particularly those that…
Apple is reportedly exploring a major shift in its Safari browser by integrating AI-powered search tools, a move that could pose a serious challenge to Google’s long-standing dominance in the search market, according to Bloomberg. The development comes as Apple executive Eddy Cue revealed during a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust trial involving Google’s parent…
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has launched a dedicated mobile app for its Meta AI assistant, marking a bold step in its ongoing push to compete with artificial intelligence leaders like OpenAI and Google. Announced on Tuesday, the new standalone app extends the capabilities of Meta AI beyond its existing integration across WhatsApp,…
A U.S. federal court has ruled that tech giant Google violated antitrust laws by monopolizing the digital advertising market, marking a major legal victory for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The decision, issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, concluded that Google’s dominance in online advertising harmed publishers, stifled…
Google is introducing a new security feature that will automatically reboot Android devices that remain locked and unused for three consecutive days – a move that mirrors a similar update rolled out by Apple in late 2024. The feature, part of the latest Google Play Services update (version 25.14), is designed to enhance data protection…
Google is facing a major legal challenge in the United Kingdom, where a £5 billion ($6.6 billion) class action lawsuit has been filed accusing the tech giant of abusing its dominant position in the online search market. The claim, brought before the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal on Tuesday, alleges that Google manipulated its market power…
Despite its vast technological prowess and deep roots in artificial intelligence research, Google continues to fall short in capturing public excitement around its AI tools — a space where rivals like OpenAI and DeepSeek have excelled. While Google has consistently introduced advanced AI models such as Gemini and pioneered scientific breakthroughs through its DeepMind unit,…
Google has launched Gemini 2.5 Pro, its most powerful artificial intelligence model to date, designed to tackle complex reasoning, coding, and problem-solving tasks with greater precision. Announcing the release in a blog post on Thursday, the tech giant revealed that Gemini 2.5 Pro outperforms previous models in key benchmarks and has secured the top spot…
Google is implementing a major AI-powered upgrade for Gmail, promising enhanced security but also raising privacy concerns among its massive user base. As the company tightens its grip on spam filtering, new reports reveal that a dangerous email attack has been operating unnoticed for years. Stronger Spam Filters, Tougher Times for Marketers Google’s latest restrictions…
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) is intensifying its legal challenge against Google’s dominance in the digital space, requesting a federal judge to order the immediate divestiture of the company’s Chrome browser. This latest move is part of the government’s broader antitrust case, which accuses Google of monopolistic practices in the search and digital advertising…
Google has confirmed the removal of multiple malicious apps from its Play Store after cybersecurity researchers uncovered a new spyware campaign linked to North Korean hackers. The latest threat, identified as KoSpy malware, was exposed by cybersecurity firm Lookout, which attributed it to the APT37 (ScarCruft) hacking group. According to the report, KoSpy has been…
Google has announced plans to replace Google Assistant with Gemini, its advanced AI-powered digital assistant, signaling a significant shift in the company’s approach to virtual assistants. In a recent blog post, Google emphasized the impact of generative AI on user interactions with technology, positioning Gemini as a more personalized and capable alternative to Assistant. “Over…
Google is set to bring lock screen widgets to smartphones, expanding a feature previously available only on tablets. Announced during the company’s Spotlight Week, the update will be part of Android 16 QPR1, expected to roll out in late summer 2025. The new feature will allow users to access essential information and controls directly from…
Google has introduced a free version of its AI-powered coding assistant, Gemini Code Assist, making it accessible to solo developers worldwide. The company announced on Friday that the tool is now available in public preview, aimed at helping students, freelancers, hobbyists, and startups streamline their coding processes. Ryan J. Salva, Google’s Senior Director of Product…
Google has introduced an advanced artificial intelligence system, AI Co-Scientist, designed to aid researchers in generating hypotheses and planning experiments. The tech company emphasized that AI Co-Scientist is not a replacement for human expertise but a collaborative tool aimed at supporting scientific inquiry. It is expected to be particularly useful in fields such as disease…
Apple and Google have reinstated TikTok on their U.S. app stores, following an executive action that delayed the enforcement of a potential ban on the platform. Google Play confirmed on Thursday that it had restored TikTok, while reports from Bloomberg and CNBC indicated that Apple would do the same later that evening. By Thursday night,…
Google is ramping up security measures for Android, but the changes could leave millions of users needing a new phone within the next 12 weeks. The tech giant recently outlined its latest efforts to enhance Android security, including AI-powered threat detection, stricter privacy policies, and improved developer tools. In 2023, these measures blocked over 2…
Google has announced the formation of a new team focused on creating artificial intelligence models that can simulate the physical world. The team will be led by Tim Brooks, who joined Google DeepMind in October after co-leading OpenAI’s Sora video generation model. In a post on social media platform X, Brooks shared the ambitious goals…
Samsung and Google have introduced Eclipsa Audio, an open-source 3D audio format designed to deliver immersive sound experiences. This groundbreaking technology, set to debut later this year on select YouTube videos, will also feature in Samsung’s 2025 lineup of TVs and soundbars. Positioned as a cost-effective alternative to Dolby Atmos, Eclipsa Audio promises to redefine…
