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DuckDuckGo's privacy-focused browser gets cross-device syncing and backups
DuckDuckGo is introducing end-to-end encrypted syncing and backups across devices.
Google paid $26 billion in 2021 for default search engine status
A Google executive testified on Friday that the company paid $26.3 billion to other companies to acquire traffic, including default search engine status. A significant portion of that likely went to Apple.
Google will let rivals appear as default search engine options on Android for free
The EU pressured the company to ditch the pay-to-play format in Europe.
Brave is developing its own privacy-focused search engine
It bought open-source engine Tailcat to power Brave Search.
Google will remove misleading election-related autocompletes
In the fight against fake news, even a search engine’s autocomplete suggestions can create confusion. Google announced today that it’s updating its autocomplete policies related to elections, adding that it will “remove predictions that could be interpreted as a claim about participation in the election” as well as “predictions that could be interpreted as claims for or against any candidate or political party.” Things that sound like they might be claims about voting methods, requirements or status of voting locations will not be shown either.
UK to levy additional tax on big tech companies beginning April 1st
The UK's two percent tax on large, multinational tech companies goes into effect on April 1st. As much as big tech companies in the US may object, this is not an April Fools' Day joke. Unsurprisingly, the US government strongly objects.
Google's EU Android search choice is good for DuckDuckGo, bad for Bing
Last year -- following an antitrust ruling by the European Union -- Google announced it would start offering a choice of search providers to Android users. The "choice screen" set to appear on Android devices shipped in Europe from March 1st is designed to mitigate Google's search engine monopoly, and give other providers the chance to get in front of users. These other providers, however, will basically not include Bing.
White House: Google’s work in China is not a security risk
Earlier this month, Facebook board member and billionaire investor Peter Thiel accused Google of working with China's government. Today, The Wall Street Journal reports that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he and President Trump have no national security concerns about Alphabet Inc.'s work in China.
Google officially closes 'Dragonfly,' its controversial Chinese search project
Google's controversial Project Dragonfly has officially been shelved. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, Google's vice president of public policy, Karan Bhatia, said that work on its censored Chinese search engine had been "terminated." A spokesperson later confirmed that Google has no plans to launch Search in China, and that there is no work being undertaken on such a project.
Google adds DuckDuckGo as a search engine option in Chrome
Hidden in the most recent version of Chrome is the ability to change its default search engine to a more privacy-friendly option. With the release of Chrome 73, Google has quietly introduced DuckDuckGo as a preferred search option in more than 60 markets including the United States and the United Kingdom.
Experiment with face swaps in a snap with this new search engine
Ah, the future. You don't even have to use Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover to try on different hairstyles and other looks these days even if you aren't proficient with Photoshop. All you need is a selfie to try out curly hair, the 1930s or even a different culture.
Yahoo's redesigned mobile search looks a lot like Google's
Yahoo has been pushing hard to be people's default search engine on every device. Before it can make that happen, though, the company knows its product must be improved drastically. As part of these efforts, Yahoo Search is getting an overhaul on mobile, designed to put relevant results information front and center. For example, if you're looking for sushi in Seattle, you now have the option to get directions to any restaurant, as well as read reviews and make reservations -- so long as you're in the US. It's obvious that Yahoo took a cue from Google with these features, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?
Yahoo reportedly set to surface Yelp reviews in search results
According to The Wall Street Journal, the next time you search for a chicken dinner on Yahoo you could be served up a Yelp review for the best bird in your hood. According to the paper's source, Yahoo CEO Marisa Mayer announced a partnership that would surface Yelp reviews and listing in Yahoo's search results, during a meeting Friday. Little else is known of the deal. While the struggling internet company continues to see revenue fall, its latest earnings report revealed that search revenues for Q4 2013 were up eight percent over the same quarter the year before. The company is clearly still invested in its bread-and-butter, but it's also made a push into content, signing names like David Pogue and Katie Couric to lead new news initiatives. During her CES keynote earlier this year, Mayer, who previously led search at Google, underlined Yahoo's commitment to search, revealing it added 869 partners, and conducted 600 related experiments in 2013.
This is the Modem World: The day Google died
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. One day, Google will not be the technology giant that it is today. Consider the following: In 1968, the Pontiac GTO was Motor Trend's Car of the Year. Today, Pontiac is a historical footnote of General Motors. In 1981, IBM launched the PC, which became the de facto standard of personal computers, spawning hundreds of PC clones and dominating the computing market to this day. In 2005, the IBM PC business was acquired by Lenovo, and the IBM PC is no more.
Diablo III is one of the most-searched terms of the year
If games were having a popularity contest, then Diablo III just won by a landslide. Google Zeitgeist posted the most-searched-for terms of the year across the world, and Blizzard's action-RPG clicked in at number five. While it wasn't enough to topple Gangnam Style, it was by far the highest game mentioned in the overall list. Diablo III also topped the video game list in the United States, beating out other major titles like Mass Effect 3 and Halo 4. According to Google, the lists were "ranked in order of the queries with the largest volume of searches."
Google delivers search app for Windows 8 with a touch of tablet optimization
It's not a finished, Windows 8-tuned Chrome build, but we'll take it. Much as Google has been catering to iOS users who don't have its search completely baked into the platform, there's now a dedicated Google Search app for the Metro-inclined. Ignore the desktop OS foundation; the Windows 8 app is much closer to the touchscreen-oriented mobile version with its oversized search box, service shortcuts, an emphasis on voice recognition and finger-friendly instant previews of the results. Although incorporating Google search on a Surface will undoubtedly rankle Microsoft's Bing team, the app could be the ticket for many tablet owners who live in Google's cloud without using its hardware.
Google Knowledge Graph explains related content, finds the six degrees with less Bacon
We had a bit of a laugh with Google's Kevin Bacon calculator. Not everyone needs to tie their searches to the star of Footloose, though, which is partly why Google is pushing out an update to its Knowledge Graph that explains how searches turn up related items. The effort is starting with actors, celebrities and their links to any movies and TV shows they've starred in. Looking for Orson Welles and mousing over Rita Hayworth's portrait reminds us that the two luminaries were married for years, for example. We won't know when the more intelligent searches will expand, but at least we won't be quite so confused if the animated Transformers movie appears next to Citizen Kane.
Foursquare launches local search for all, goes after the likes of Yelp and Google
Foursquare just launched a redesigned desktop interface that everyone, not just members, can use for local listings and business recommendations. The company has been on this trajectory for awhile now, especially with the latest Explore map that provides a more tailored search experience for logged-in users. This is all in line with co-founder and CEO Dennis Crowley's promise that Foursquare is more than just a simple social service; that it serves as a discovery and recommendation engine much like Yelp or Google. Leveraging over 3 billion check-ins and 30 million tips from its community of nearly 25 million members, the New York-based firm is confident it can offer reliable recommendations to the general public. It's still beneficial to join up -- you get personalized filters and access to that handy mobile app -- but it's no longer necessary if you just want know where to get a quick sushi fix.
Google tests searches that include Calendar, Drive in results
Google has been testing an expanded search that includes Gmail results ever since August, and it's been enough of a hit that the company is swinging for the fences with an expanded test. The new version lets Gmail members find Calendar appointments and Drive files through the autocomplete results in the search box. Visit the main Google page and the results won't be quite as broad, but they'll include both the previous trial's Gmail information as well as Drive -- thankfully, tucked to the side rather than dominating the main page. Any individual, English-literate Google fans can join the new trial to get early access and find that long lost spreadsheet in the cloud.
Google offers historical exhibitions, wields its search powers to tell untold stories (video)
Google has been taking advantage of its sheer domination of search to act as a custodian for human culture, whether it's famous artwork or wonders of the world. The most direct example of this archival impulse may have arrived today through the launch of historical exhibitions at the (virtual-only) Google Cultural Institute. Starting with 42 exhibitions, the project delves into major historical events with both a guided, mixed-media tour as well as the kind of free-form exploration you'd expect from Google, such as hunting down a specific person, place or time range. The focus helps Google tell both textbook-level history as well as private stories. Though small at present, the collection is taking further submissions that could lead to a much broader internet resource for learning -- an expansion that we can't help but embrace.
