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AI 'godfather' Geoffrey Hinton warns of dangers as he quits Google

Geoffrey Hinton, aged 75, announced his resignation from Google in a statement to the New York Times, saying he now regretted his work.

And in a BBC interview on Monday, he said: "I can now just speak freely about what I think the dangers might be.

"And some of them are quite scary."

Dr Hinton's pioneering research on deep learning and neural networks has paved the way for current AI systems like ChatGPT.

Google ordered to pay Australian politician $715,000

The Federal Court found that Alphabet Inc's Google, which owns content-sharing website YouTube, earned thousands of dollars by hosting two videos attacking John Barilaro.

Barilaro was deputy premier of New South Wales until October last year.

The videos about him by commentator Jordan Shanks were viewed nearly 800,000 times between them since being posted in late 2020.

Google moves to make Android apps more private

Its so-called Privacy Sandbox project aims to curb the amount of user data that advertisers can gather.

Rival Apple now forces app developers to ask permission from users before tracking them.

The news will be a blow to firms like Meta, which rely on putting their code on apps to track consumer behaviour.

Meta said this month that Apple's changes would cost it $10bn (£7.3bn) this year. Google's Android operating system is used by about 85% of smartphone owners worldwide.

     

TikTok overtakes Google as most used internet site

The viral video app gets more hits than even the ubiquitous American search engine, according to Cloudflare, an IT security company.

The rankings show that TikTok knocked Google off the top spot in February, March and June this year, and has held the number one position since August.

Last year Google was first, and a number of sites including TikTok, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix were all in the top 10.

Cloudfare said it tracks data using its tool Cloudflare Radar, which monitors web traffic.

Google will fire employees who refuse vaccinations, report says

An internal memo, obtained by CNBC, told staff that they must upload documents proving vaccination status.

Those who did not would be placed on unpaid leave and later sacked, it said.

Google has been pushing for an eventual return to the office - which has been repeatedly delayed - and expects those attending buildings to be vaccinated.

When contacted by the BBC, Google did not deny the accuracy of the US news channel's report on the leaked internal memo.

Google issues warning to location-sharing apps

Google has said apps which fail to comply with their data policy face being banned from its Play store.

It comes after Huq admitted to the BBC that at least two app partners had not sought the correct user permissions.

Huq said the firm took data protection "very seriously" and it believed all partners were now in compliance.

App partnerships and the sharing of data with third-parties is under increased scrutiny from regulators and policy-makers around the world.

Google workers will need Covid jabs to return to office

The policy will begin at its US campuses within weeks and then be rolled out globally for its 144,000 employees.

Many firms are weighing up their stances on vaccinations.

Publisher Bloomsbury said in June that vaccines would be compulsory for UK staff returning to offices when they reopen.

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said in a blog post that "anyone coming to work on our campuses will need to be vaccinated".

Trump sues Twitter, Google and Facebook alleging 'censorship'

The class action lawsuit also targets the three companies' CEOs.

Mr Trump was suspended from his social accounts in January over public safety concerns in the wake of the Capitol riots, led by his supporters.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump called the lawsuit "a very beautiful development for our freedom of speech".

In a news conference from his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, Mr Trump railed against social media companies and Democrats, who he accused of espousing misinformation.

Google tracking cookies ban delayed until 2023

Cookies track users' internet activity and allow digital publishers to target advertising.

They are already blocked by a number of Google's rivals, including Apple, Microsoft and Mozilla.

But critics say Google's ban forces ad sellers to go direct to the tech giant for this information instead - giving it an unfair advantage.

Google owner sees record profits as lockdown boom continues

Net profit jumped by 162% to a record $17.9bn in the three months to March as advertising revenue swelled by a third.

It comes as the tech giant faces increased scrutiny over its power and the pandemic has people turning to the internet more than ever.

The firm credited "elevated consumer activity online" for its results.

"Over the last year, people have turned to Google Search and many online services to stay informed, connected and entertained," said Alphabet and Google chief executive Sundar Pichai.