37 US States sue Google over extravagant Play Store commission

In a significant development 37 U.S. state and district attorneys general have sued Alphabet Inc’s Google alleging that the search engine giant’s search and advertising policies violates antitrust law. The lawsuit, one of a series that has been filed against Google in the United States, comes in the wakes of complaints from app developers regarding…

Digital Content Next publishes letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook over App Store terms

A letter posted by a trade body shows, major news publishers seeking more favorable terms from Apple Inc on commissions it collects from them through its app store. The letter, addressing Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, was posted on the website of Digital Content Next (DCN) which represents the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times…

Russia’s GRU military intelligence gained access to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s e-mail correspondences: Der Spiegel

As per a report from German news magazine Der Spiegel, Russia’s GRU military intelligence may have gained access to many e-mails from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s constituency office in a 2015 cyber attack on Germany’s parliament. A spokesman for the German government had no immediate comment. Federal criminal police along with Germany’s federal cyber agency…

Third party contractors transcribed Facebook’s audio data

Tech companies are coming under increasing scrutiny over data privacy issues revolving around their voice assistants. According to a report from Bloomberg which cites sources familiar with the matter at hand, Facebook Inc has been paying outside contractors to transcribe audio clips from subscribers of its services. In a statement, Facebook confirmed that it had…

Google and Facebook databases reveal ad spending strategy

Political intelligence gathered from the databases of social media giants are the new tools for campaign strategists. In a first public view of how U.S. technology companies, including Google and Facebook, are yanking advertisements that break their online political ads rules. The duo also provided unprecedented insight into opponents’ online marketing, enabling them to capitalize…

Facebook blocks 115 accounts following a tip-off from U.S. authorities on election eve

Federal authorities have issued a statement saying, “Americans should be aware that foreign actors, and Russia in particular, continue to try to influence public sentiment and voter perceptions through actions intended to sow discord”. Hours before U.S. voters went to polls, Facebook Inc has blocked 115 user accounts following a tip off by U.S. authorities…