Tech

Google defends Digital Markets Act changes, cites complex trade-offs

Published

1 month ago

March 21, 2024

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Google defends Digital Markets Act changes, cites complex trade-offs

Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google on Thursday will seek to fend off criticism about changes to its core services mandated by landmark EU tech rules, according to a copy of a senior Google executive’s speech seen by Reuters.

Oliver Bethell, a lawyer who leads Google’s EMEA competition team, will tell regulators and rivals that balancing the various interests has required the tech company to make complex trade-offs, according to the document.

Under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which kicked in on March 7, users can remove any Google pre-installed software or app if they want while Google will need their consent to use their data across its various services or for personalised ads.
Google is not allowed to favour its services or products over rivals on its platform.

The DMA aims to rein in Big Tech’s power, ensure a level playing field for smaller rivals and give users more choices. The Act designates companies that control access to their platforms, such as Google, as a gatekeeper.

Rivals ranging from comparison shopping sites to hotels, airlines and restaurants have said the changes made by Google do not comply with the DMA and have urged the European Commission to act. Some rivals have complained that Google’s search traffic results are even worse than prior to the changes.

Bethell says in the speech that re-wiring the company’s search engine has been a balancing act.

“We need to balance the new opportunities 6(11) is intended to create with the risk to user privacy and security,” Bethell will tell a workshop organised by the European Commission to allow rivals and other interested parties to quiz the company. Six/11 refers to a DMA article.

“The balance requires complex trade-offs,” Bethell says in the document. “There is a question of when do we go too far by giving online search engines sensitive information at a high cost to users.”

Bethell said some changes demanded by vertical search engines went beyond the DMA.

“We heard some calls for changes from stakeholders that we think would fundamentally degrade Search for European users and businesses, that are not required by the DMA and that we can’t implement,” he said.

“The DMA should not require a degraded search experience on Google for European consumers.”

Bethell also took a swipe at other companies designated as gatekeepers under the DMA which have faced criticism over their compliance efforts.

“As we comply with the DMA, engage with the Commission, and listen to feedback from third parties, we expect the same from other gatekeepers too,” he said.

DMA breaches can cost companies as much as 10% of their annual global turnover.

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Tech

WhatsApp to launch file sharing feature without internet

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

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WhatsApp to launch file sharing feature without internet

The messaging app WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is working on a cool new feature to make it easier to share files even when you’re not connected to the internet.

Recent leaks say that pretty soon, you’ll be able to share photos, videos, music, and documents offline.

This new feature is all about letting you share different kinds of files without needing Wi-Fi or data. And don’t worry about security – the files you share will be encrypted, which means they’ll be safe from anyone trying to mess with them.

Screenshots that got leaked from the latest test version of WhatsApp for Android show us what kind of permissions this feature will need. One important thing is that it’ll be able to find other phones nearby that also have this offline file-sharing thing.

For this to work on Android phones, WhatsApp needs a permission that lets it look for other devices using Bluetooth. But if you’re not comfortable with that, you can always turn it off.

Before this, WhatsApp added a feature that lets you pin notes to keep them handy. So, looks like WhatsApp is always coming up with cool stuff to make chatting even better!

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Tech

Flame-throwing robotic dog unleashed for sale in US

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

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Flame-throwing robotic dog unleashed for sale in US

A flame-throwing robotic dog is now available for sale in the US, thanks to an Ohio-based company.

Throwflame first released the contraption last year but recently announced it was back in stock, asking for $9,420 a piece.

The company released a promotional video showing the ARC Flamethrower and saying it can “send streams of fire up to 30 feet with the push of a button.”

The flamethrower is attached to a Go2 Robot Dog manufactured by the China-based Unitree.

Throwflame said on its website the flamethrowers are legal to own and are “federally unregulated,” but are “not even considered a firearm (ironic) by the federal authorities.”

The company released its first flamethrowers in 2015, called the X15, which could send “a stream of flaming fuel or napalm up to 50 feet.”

That prompted a huge media response, questioning its legality. But Throwflame said the device remains “completely unrestricted in 48 states.”

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Tech

US military stage world’s first ever AI controlled warplane

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

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US military stage world's first ever AI controlled warplane

The United States has finally started to seek answers to one of the most asked questions on the planet – who wins between man and machine?

Incredible details have emerged of the world’s first ever AI controlled warplane taking on a human piloted jet in a historic dogfight that saw both aircraft blasting through the sky at speeds of 1,200mph.

The insane test saw an AI powered modified F-16 – dubbed the X-62A – take on the same jet but with a human in the cockpit.

Both powerful jets went “nose-to-nose” as they battled 2,000ft up in the air, say officials.

The tests were conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) alongside the US Air Force to learn about just how advanced artificial intelligence really is.

Results of the intense air battles have been kept tightly under wraps but they were done to show how safe and effective autonomous fighter jets could be.

Officials were also intrigued to see how close AI powered military jets are to operating safely in a complex war environment.

In the end, 21 test flights were done for the project taking place between December 2022 and September 2023.

Lt. Col. Maryann Karlen, deputy commandant of the test pilot school, explained how it all worked in a fascinating video on the historic dogfight.

They said: “In September we actually took the X-62 and flew it against a live manned F-16.

“We built up in safety using the manoeuvres – first defensive, then offensive, then high aspect nose-to-nose engagements where we got as close as 2,000 feet at 1,200 miles per hour.”

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