google

Google says a set of security flaws on Android devices may not be as serious as initially feared. It says 90 percent of devices should be largely immune from what's been dubbed the "Quadrooter" exploit. A security research company found the problem ... in software which works with processors manufactured by Qualcomm, which are used in an estimated 900 million Android devices. The bugs affect the communication between different actions (known as processes) running on the phone at the same time. The name of the exploit (Quadrooter) comes from the fact that there are four ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sally S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just upgraded to Windows 10. Prior to that I was using Windows 7, with Internet Explorer as my main web browser. After upgrading to Windows 10, I gave the 'Edge' browser a try but didn't like it, ... so I decided to go back to Internet Explorer. Unfortunately, it seems that the upgrade to Windows 10 broke my Internet Explorer search - previously I could type in whatever I wanted to search for in the address bar, but now it keeps telling me that 'This page can't be displayed' and 'Look for the page with your search engine', and 'Refresh the page ... (view more)

Google has reported a dramatic increase in the number of requests from government agencies for information about web users. The figures show a significant global variation in how many of those requests proved justifiable. The numbers come in the ... latest installment of Google's Transparency Report in which, every six months, it gives the figures for the number of government requests for data related to user activity. The newly published figures cover the second half of 2015, as there's a lengthy delay in compiling the numbers. During that period, the total number of requests was 40,677 ... (view more)

Google's self-driving cars now have the ability to recognize hand signals from cyclists. They have also been programmed to err on the side of caution when considering passing a rider. The cars, which are now being tested on public roads in four ... states, use a wide range of technologies to safely maneuver the roads. These include cameras, proximity sensors, radar and lasers to detect and recognize objects around the car. The vehicles also use Google's own map database to get information on upcoming intersections and the likely traffic they'll encounter. One of the big challenges is ... (view more)

Google will reportedly face a fine of more than $3 billion for a series of alleged breaches of European competition laws. The penalty would be one-sixth of the maximum that could be imposed, but would still dwarf previous records. The penalty would ... come from the European Commission. Among many other roles, the commission oversees competition rules which apply to firms doing business across 28 European countries. For the record, this is a separate case launched last month , which the European Commission formally accused Google of using unfair rules in the way it pressures Android device ... (view more)

Google is to refuse to carry advertising for payday loans companies. It's the biggest such ban for something other than illegal activity or matters of taste. The ban will apply to all Google's advertising systems. That includes both the ads that ... appear alongside search results and the ads that are placed by Google for clients on third party websites. The move however will not stop payday loan companies showing up in search results. Google has defined the affected ads as ones for loans where the repayment is due within 60 days of taking out the loan. While this will apply worldwide, a ... (view more)

Google has been granted access to millions of patient medical records in the United Kingdom. It plans to use it to develop a way to spot patients at risk of developing serious kidney conditions. Although officials say personally identifying details ... will remain encrypted, the move has raised controversy with questions about the scope of the data involved. The records cover every patient who had dealings in the past five years with one of three specific hospitals in London overseen by the same NHS Trust. That's the local organizational body that delivers government-funded healthcare. ' ... (view more)

European officials have formally accused Google of breaching competition rules in the way it handles the Android system. They say the company unfairly used the system to push its search services. The claims come from the European Commission, the ... equivalent of the executive branch of the European Union. It oversees some elements of competition law that apply across 28 countries. The Commission has issued a Statement of Objections, which is formal notification that it is investigating alleged breaches. Google now has 12 weeks to respond to the claims. If found guilty it could face financial ... (view more)

Google is expanding a feature that automatically suggests quick email replies that you can send with one click. It's moving it from mobile only to the desktop, though won't yet be part of the main Gmail tool. The feature, called Smart Reply, debuted ... on the Inbox by Gmail mobile app. That's a separate tool to Gmail, though lets you access the same email accounts. The difference is that the app contains several tools designed to make it easier to deal with large numbers of messages, particularly for people who work on the move. Smart Reply works by scanning the content of an ... (view more)

A court has ordered Google to hand over details that could identify the people behind four accounts used for bogus online reviews. One of the accounts had assumed the identity of a dead woman. The reviews were made on the social networking site ... Google+. While the site has arguably struggled to compete with the likes of Facebook, posts there are particularly likely to show up in search results for a relevant term. In this case the reviews were of an Amsterdam daycare center, and would appear next to a map of the center's location before the rest of the "ranked" search results. ... (view more)