Though the part of Google’s antitrust settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that had them allow exports of AdWords data through its API expires tomorrow, Matthew Sucherman, Google’s VP and deputy general counsel, announced today that Google will keep the AdWords API terms and conditions as they are currently. That means Google will continue to allow […]
In 2012, Google paid $22.5 million to settle an FTC claim that the company “misrepresented to users of Apple Inc.’s Safari Internet browser that it would not place tracking cookies or serve targeted ads to those users . . .” The company bypassed Safari’s cookie-blocking settings, it said, to deliver a “signed-in” user experience. Google explained
Google facing $1 billion in potential liability with UK class action Read More »
Imagine that you own and operate a family business going back three generations. You hired an offshore company to develop your website, but after some years, you sever that contract due to costs and incompetence. And then the nightmare begins. The offshore company initiates a campaign to try to destroy you by hijacking your website,
CEO who forged court order to get Google to remove defamation faces prison Read More »
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley has reportedly initiated an investigation into whether Google has violated Missouri consumer protection or antitrust laws. According to a press release, the Missouri Attorney General’s office is looking at data collection, “misappropriation” of third-party content and promotion of “websites owned by Google” to the detriment of third-party competitors: The business practices
Missouri Attorney General initiates Google antitrust investigation Read More »
A federal court in California has blocked implementation of a Canadian Supreme Court ruling that ordered Google to delist websites associated with a company called Datalink from Google’s global index. The Canadian decision (Google Inc. v. Equustek Solutions) was an example of a court in one country asserting authority over global activity outside its jurisdiction. Because Google exhausted
A number of Google Home Mini devices that were distributed to members of the press had a defect that caused them to record everything being said around them. This discovery renewed privacy concerns surrounding smart speakers as surreptitious listening devices in our homes. The problem was first discovered by Android Police. Once being notified, Google investigated
Echo and Home will probably have to tell you they’re always listening — in Europe Read More »
Google’s traffic acquisition costs (TAC) have been climbing. As Google’s ad revenues grow, so does the money it pays to partners and distributors. Investors are particularly sensitive to this issue. In response to investor questions, Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat explained recently that Google’s increasing traffic costs are partly about mobile and programmatic growth, which have
Ads from Comparison Shopping Engines will start appearing in Google Shopping results on September 27, 2017. In response to the European Commission’s antitrust ruling — and record $2.7 billion fine — against Google for favoring its own content, the search giant is making some changes to the way it handles Google Shopping results in the
CSEs will compete head-on with Google Shopping in EU search results Read More »
According to Bloomberg, Google is going to create a separate business unit to manage shopping content in search results to comply with the European Commission’s recent antitrust decision. This unit will reportedly be required to compete in the auction against shopping competitors. The unit will apparently use its own budget and revenues to bid in
Alphabet to create separate business unit in Europe to run Google Shopping Read More »
As Search Engine Land first reported in October of 2015, Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) determined that Google violated Russian competition laws by banning phone manufacturers from preinstalling competitors’ apps, and requiring those same phone manufacturers to preinstall selected Google apps on Android in exchange for access to the Google Play Store. Well, after nearly
