Google Wishes To Secure Its Users

Google wishes to ensure the safety of its users via “Safe Browsing” initiative.

According to Alphabet Inc. t is pushing efforts to protect the privacy of customers.  The company wishes to protect users from deceptive content that is present online via an update known as the “Safe Browsing” initiative.

The search engine giant will now warn and flag users when they come in contact with such websites which they term as “social engineering” advertisements. These are  basically advertisements that try to cheat on users by portraying themselves as a message observed from a trusted platform such as a software update, notification from a web browser, through the website, or an error message from the PC.

A step ahead in this, the tech giant will flag all those websites that perpetuate such advertisements or host them. The Google users will now be warned so that they do not proceed.

Most of us have encountered such a message while browsing so it actually points out that the company is devoted to ensure the safety of its users. The tech giant does not directly navigate users directly to the site but a red page pops up. Users are then asked if they wish to continue or the session is added there and then.  Thus the final decision is on the user. The company can only warn while users have the choice of deciding what they wish to do.

Over the past it has been observed that the company is making use of warning messages so that traffic gets cut off from sites that are involved in malware or phishing attacks along with other things.

Previously, the company made an announcement claiming that they wanted to expand the reach of its Safe Browsing program so that social engineering attacks can be protected. This means that the search giant started to acknowledge users in case wrong means were used to trick the masses. It also stops users from providing personal data to wrong sites. So now the recent update will also cater to advertisements.

Most of us are well aware of the type of advertisements. Where a few make baseless claims that the software we use is out of date or needs an upgrade. They then trick the user forcing them to install unwanted and futile content.

Some of them also pretend to be Play or Download buttons posing an image that once a user clicks on them they will be able to stream or download the content they desire.  This issue is mostly faced by the online video streaming platforms that are illegal in nature and immensely popular for free content. Users do not really know that they are being tricked and thus make the wrong move.

At times, it gets really hard to identify such embeds and advertisements even by the most tech savvy individuals of the lot. This is merely because they are designed in a manner which is extremely hard to distinguish. Thus it seems like they are part and parcel of the website which they aren’t.

 The tech giant will now show warning on those websites that make use of such malicious tactics. These are usually working close with advertisers. It will flag that the content seems “to act, or look and feel, like a trusted entity” and thus looks like social engineering content. This will ensure safety of users in the long run.

Alphabet To Invest In Artificial Intelligence

Alphabet to deploy its resources in artificial intelligence.

Alphabet Inc. the parent company of Google is all keen to expand in cloud machine learning generally known as artificial intelligence (AI) suite to certain handpicked developers. The platform at this point of time is in “limited review” but it is a big step to expand the services beyond storage. Some of the company’s core applications are already using "cloud machine learning," such as “Photos (image search), the Google app (voice search), Translate, and Inbox (Smart Reply)." However, now this platform will be accessible by business.

In a blog post, Fausto Ibarra, the Google Cloud Platform director of product management stated, "We're on a journey to create applications that can see, hear and understand the world around them.” The Cloud Machine Learning is an easy way for the masses to come up with large scale, sophisticated machine learning model in a relatively short span of time. the platform is fully regulated, portable and can be scaled as per choice.

The search engine giant has come up with a massive breakthrough by giving its cloud based infrastructure the ability to get customized. This will add to its present functionality and can eventually turn out to be a game changer. This will not just enable consumers to move resources and data offsite to the cloud but will also offer diversified artificial intelligence functionalities. This is similar to the one stop solution provided by Microsoft and IBM. However, the question is what took the company so long to implement this change?

Alphabet is very well acquainted to artificial intelligence. This can be governed by the fact that the company has tweaked its search algorithm to make use of RankBrain. With no to little fanfare, the company came up with search results last annum. However, studies claim that the results are not really profitable. RankBrain is just one service by GOOG that has been deployed featuring AI to enrich user experience. So now, the tech giant has adopted a different path where it will deploy its Artificial Intelligence technology in its products.

IBM is spending almost $5 billion on its analytics solutions which runs via cloud computing powered by cognitive computing breakthrough, Watson. On the other hand, the CEO of Microsoft, Mr. Satya Nadella emphasizes on the cloud pillar for the company’s "mobile-first, cloud-first" initiatives. Both the initiatives are doing quite well and have garnered popularity. Through cloud services, IBM is already generating an yearly run rate of $4.5 billion. On the other hand, Microsoft is acing in this domain with annual run rate of $9.5 billion.

Alpahbet presently does not share the revenues from cloud computing. But considering the performance last year or last quarter, then it is nowhere close to IBM or Microsoft.  In the fourth quart of FY14, Alphabet generated $2.1 billion through its "other revenues," which is 10% of the company’s overall total sale of $21.18 billion. Other revenues are made up of Fiber, Google Play and cloud computing sales whose 10% revenue are almost negligible. Thus, there is a lot of potential for them to tick out of it.

Google Nest Exodus Continues

An anonymous employee of Nest shares about the worst working conditions at Nest.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google Nest has been in the limelight since quite some time now where two major employees have bid farewell to the company which highlights the chances of an exodus. The tech giant made the acquisition of Nest in 2014 for an amount of $3.2 billion but the company has not monitored much growth since then.

The working conditions are extremely tough and the company also lacks innovation in terms of product developments has ignited employee dissatisfaction under the leadership of Mr. Tony Fadell. The Chief Executive Officer of the company was initially associated to Apple Inc. as the design head for the iPods. The issue with him is that he demands perfection in the products which is a good thing. However, he constantly demands changes in the prototypes which burdens the engineers.

A user on Reddit whose chose to be anonymous on the sub-Reddit /r/Nest talked about how difficult it is to work in Nest due to its present working conditions. As per the engineer, the venture is experiencing a “deathwatch” where revenues and profits are heating up. As per the user, “throwawaynest,” has revenue worth $340 million but its budget is $500 million. So since its acquisition, the company has not come up with any new products and the sales digits are a miss.

News has been circulating in the industry where engineers are willing to switch as soon as their budget deals get over. The company is not providing them the monetary incentives to motivate them to work any further. On the other hand a few aren’t bothered about their withheld money and have already quitted.

The user referred to the CEO and his teammates as “Tony and his goons” who have prescribed deadlines that are unrealistic. Even if engineers come up with good products, the executives then intervene and completely change the course for the product. Right after the change, Mr. Fadell and his mates reprimand the engineers for not getting the specifications correct and label them as incompetent.

As per the engineers, he/she has to be a part of meetings that are absurd and then he has to defend them. The work environment is actually bad where workers overcome their sleeps in corners and cry in washrooms. This has also has an impact on their family life and health. The news regarding the company’s working conditions have spread far and wide which has forced Nest to recruit below par talent to compensate for the employees they’ve lost. It is quite clear that good engineers are not willing to work at Nest whatsoever.

As per the user, the only way Nest has succeeded in making some revenue is via the acquisition of Dropcam. The post was ended with a conclusion that “Now off to the other 4 meetings I have today.”

At this point the search engine giant needs to take charge, if things continue the way they are then Mr. Fadell would also be jobless in the times to come. Alphabet has plans to sell Boston Dynamics (its robotics arm) out since it was not useful for them. They might just repeat this with Nest if required.

Yahoo Investors Approach Microsoft For Deal

Reuters confirmed that Yahoo investors have approached Microsoft for a possible buyout deal.

Yahoo Inc. officially launched an auction process last month and made itself available for a possible buyout. When the speculations began about the possible sale options, there were many buyers outlined by the analysts that could move forward with an official bid. One of the top names was of Verizon Communications that already own a similar business i.e. AOL Inc. Even, the company began to approach its bidders for a possible buyout as soon as possible.

Irrespective of the situation within the company, Yahoo itself is not sure about its future. It is also in middle to avoid a possible proxy war that its activist investor, Starboard Value LP, might launch if the firm fails to meet all of its demands. Starboard Value wants the board of directors to finalize the sale of Yahoo core internet and advertising business in the coming times but the board is looking for strategic alternatives, which CEO Marissa Mayer insisted to do so.

Several names came in front that wanted to buy Yahoo’s dying business but one prominent name was Microsoft Corporation. According to Reuters, the executives of the US software firm have entered talks with the investors of Yahoo about their plan to contribution that will finance the purchase of the search engine giant. A person familiar to the matter stated that the investors seem interested in this option.

The person confirmed that at this point, the talks between both parties are preliminary and the software giant seeks to preserve the relationship between Microsoft and Yahoo. This is not the first time both companies are planning to join hands. Yahoo and Microsoft have a longstanding search and advertising agreements prior to this.

Reuters confirmed that the private equity firms and several investors of Yahoo approached the software giant for a possible deal. Microsoft has declined to comment on this matter.

The search engine giant is currently looking to auction its core internet and advertising business including search, mail, and news sites. The pioneer internet company was once the powerhouse of the tech industry but failed to keep up with the fast moving industry which resulted in major downfall. Yahoo could not only keep up pace but failed to compete against its rising rival Google which touched new heights with the new technology. It was struggling to be on par in terms of online advertisers with Google and Facebook.

The Verizon Communications CFO, Fran Shammo, said that his firm would go forward with a move only if it is a good enough deal. Reuters say that Starboard Value has moved on Thursday to forcibly remove the entire board panel along with Marissa Mayer and her management team. The team has struggled to turn around the fate for almost four years now.

Microsoft previously approached Yahoo with a business deal almost a decade ago and the CEO of that time Steve Ballmer failed to buyout the internet company for $45 billion. 

Google Maps Comes With Another Android Update

Google Maps offers customized stickers for Android users.

A blog post by Alphabet Inc. that was officially posted by the company unveiled that Google Maps has come up with a new intriguing update where it has added 24 customized stickers to its platform. These stickers can be used to decorate the preferred locations. All the users of Maps can now simply log in via their Google accounts and then view it on all the addresses which are saved by them.

The locations comprise of igloos, an extravagant castle, and a submarine which is yellow in color. It has been assured that every sticker will add a personalized touch to the location. These stickers revealed by the search engine giant can be used for work and home addresses. Other than that, it will also enable users to chalk out the best possible routes, fast directions and a lot more.

The blog post clearly highlights, “To save home and work addresses and other destinations, just make sure you’re signed into your Google account. Then visit the Your Places tab or type an address, then label it. Once setup, you can just type "home", "work" or "gym" in the search bar to get directions and navigate quickly and easily from wherever you are.”

To allow Google users to mark the top locations on its platform is also part and parcel of the update by Google Driving Mode platform. By making use of preset locations to come up with results emphasizes on the tech giant’s use of critical algorithms that provides users with the information regarding the places which have been visited frequently. It is speculated that by personalizing the favorite locations and chalking out the destinations will assist users during the peak traffic hours with the help of Google’s navigation tool.

This update is said to be a relatively small, it is assumed that by coming up with customized stickers, the users will be intrigued and the user experience will enhance. It needs to be noted here that Snapchat and Facebook have been adding stickers to their platform gradually. Thus, the decision made by the company is rather inevitable. The stickers designed by Google are designed in a manner that appeals to the liking of consumers.

The recent stickers are presently limited to Google Maps and so far have only surfaced to the Android devices. Many analysts are confused so as to why the company decided to eliminate the Apple iOS users from this update. However, it is assumed that the remedy will not surface anytime soon.

It is assumed that the company wishes to propagate the popularity of its operating system. Along with having a fresh look, it also shows the company’s desire to keep pace with competitors that are doing quite well in terms of innovation.

Google Maps is doing a lot to bolster its platform. Such updates are necessary to hook the user to the platform and in this age of millennials where Snapchat has taken the industry by a storm, it seems like a rather sane decision.