Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the 2024 United States presidential election, has vowed to prosecute Google if he wins the November election. Trump claimed, without evidence, that the tech giant only displays negative stories about him while favouring positive coverage for Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump accused Google of ‘illegally’ interfering with the election by promoting biased search results. He said he would ask the Justice Department to investigate the company if they fail to act before he potentially returns to the presidency.
This isn’t the first time Trump has accused Google of such behaviour. In 2019, he made similar claims, alleging the company promoted negative coverage of him during the 2016 presidential election. Google dismissed the accusations at the time.
Recently, some Trump supporters have revived the allegations. Elon Musk accused Google of having a search ban on Trump in July, just days after an assassination attempt on the former president.
Malaysian tech firm Dagang NeXchange Berhad (DNeX) and Google Cloud have signed a multi-year agreement to provide sovereign cloud services in Malaysia. That partnership aims to meet the country’s growing demand for secure and compliant cloud solutions, particularly in regulated sectors such as public services, finance, healthcare, and energy. The collaboration will allow DNeX to operate Google Distributed Cloud, which offers ‘air-gapped’ solutions that can run without an internet connection, ensuring strict data privacy and residency.
This deal follows Google’s announcement in May to invest $2 billion in its first data center and Google Cloud region in Malaysia. The partnership also includes plans to establish an AI centre of excellence designed to foster local talent in AI. Both companies aim to drive digital transformation in Malaysia through cutting-edge infrastructure and AI tools.
While the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, Google Cloud’s Vice President for Asia Pacific, Karan Bajwa, emphasised that the deal would empower Malaysian organisations to advance their digital capabilities while maintaining control over their data.
The European Union has chosen a team of AI experts to help shape the guidelines for compliance with its upcoming AI Act. On 30 September 2024, the European Commission convened the first meeting of working groups responsible for drafting a ‘code of practice’ to guide how companies should meet the law’s requirements. The selected experts include figures like AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio, former UK policy adviser Nitarshan Rajkumar, and Marietje Schaake from Stanford University.
These working groups, which also feature representatives from major tech companies such as Google and Microsoft, will address issues like copyright and risk management. Although the code of practice won’t be legally binding, it will serve as a checklist for companies to prove compliance with the AI Act, which takes full effect in 2025. Firms that claim to follow the law but ignore the code may face legal challenges.
A key focus will be on the transparency of AI training data, a contentious issue in the industry. Some AI companies resist sharing details about the data used to train their models, citing trade secrets. The code of practice is expected to clarify how much information companies will need to disclose, with the potential for increased legal scrutiny over the use of copyrighted content.
As Google‘s trial on allegations of monopolising the advertising technology market draws to a close, experts believe the financial risk to the tech giant is minimal. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and a coalition of states accuse Google of illegally controlling the markets used by advertisers and publishers to buy and sell online ads. However, analysts point out that the ad tech business at the centre of the trial, Google Network, is declining and represents a smaller portion of the company’s overall revenue compared to its dominant search business.
In 2023, advertising made up over 75% of Google’s $307.4 billion revenue, though the Network division, which is central to the DOJ case, contributed just $31.4 billion. The DOJ is pushing for the divestiture of Google Ad Manager, but analysts believe that even if Google loses, the financial impact would be small, with revenue losses potentially under 10%. Google has defended itself by highlighting strong competition from other platforms, especially in mobile apps and streaming ads, which could undermine the DOJ’s argument.
The more significant worry for Google lies in the potential consequences of a ruling in favour of the DOJ, as it could facilitate easier transitions for advertisers and publishers between platforms. A successful case might establish a legal precedent that holds tech companies accountable for monopolistic practices. However, the overall impact will hinge on the trial’s outcome and the remedies the court proposes in the upcoming months.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google has announced a $1 billion investment in Thailand to establish a data centre and cloud region, aimed at meeting the increasing demand for cloud services and supporting AI adoption in Southeast Asia. This investment is projected to create approximately 14,000 jobs annually until 2029, according to a Deloitte study.
Google’s new cloud and data centre infrastructure will be situated in Chonburi and Bangkok, respectively, improving access to Google Cloud capabilities and AI innovations while also supporting popular services like Search, Maps, and Google Workspace. This announcement follows Microsoft’s launch of its own regional data centre in Thailand in May, aimed at expanding cloud services in the region.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra praised Google’s investment, stating that it aligns well with the country’s Cloud First Policy, which promotes the adoption of cloud technologies across various sectors.
Germany’s competition watchdog has designated Microsoft as a ‘company with paramount cross-market significance for competition,’ allowing for stronger regulatory actions against the tech giant. Andreas Mundt, head of the Bundeskartellamt, emphasised that Microsoft’s products are essential across various sectors, making its ecosystem more interconnected than ever.
This classification also extends to Apple, Google, and Meta, indicating that Microsoft will undergo heightened scrutiny and may face restrictions on anti-competitive practices. A spokesperson for Microsoft expressed the company’s commitment to promoting a competitive environment and working cooperatively with the Bundeskartellamt.
The designation follows antitrust charges against Microsoft by the European Commission in June, which accused the company of unfairly bundling its Teams app with the Office suite, putting rivals like Slack at a disadvantage. The German authority clarified that its increased oversight will apply to Microsoft as a whole, rather than focusing solely on individual services or products.
Google has restricted the creation of new accounts for Russian users, according to Russia‘s digital ministry. The move follows mounting pressure on the tech giant over its failure to remove content deemed illegal by Moscow and for blocking Russian media channels on YouTube following the invasion of Ukraine. Telecom operators have also reported a sharp decline in the number of SMS messages sent by Google to Russian users.
The digital ministry warned there is no guarantee that two-factor authentication SMS confirmations will continue functioning for Google services. It advised users to back up their data and consider alternative authentication methods or domestic platforms. Google had already deactivated AdSense accounts in Russia in August and halted serving ads in the country in March 2022.
Google has blocked over 1,000 YouTube channels linked to state-sponsored Russian media, as well as more than 5.5 million videos. Slower speeds on YouTube in Russia have been recorded recently, with Russian lawmakers blaming the issue on Google’s equipment, a claim the company disputes.
A federal judge has scaled down a privacy lawsuit against Apple, which alleged the company collected personal data from iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users without permission. The lawsuit targets Apple’s apps, including the App Store, Apple Music, and Apple TV. US District Judge Edward Davila dismissed most claims involving the “Allow Apps to Request to Track” setting, clarifying that it only governs data collection by third-party apps and websites, not Apple’s in-house apps.
Despite dismissing many claims, the judge allowed some to proceed related to Apple’s ‘Share [Device] Analytics’ setting. The plaintiffs claim that Apple continued collecting data even after users disabled the setting, despite promises that it would stop data sharing. Judge Davila agreed, noting that users could reasonably assume they had withdrawn consent based on Apple’s own disclosure that disabling the option would prevent data collection.
This lawsuit is part of a broader trend of legal actions against major tech companies like Google and Meta, accusing them of gathering user data without proper consent. Neither Apple nor the plaintiffs’ lawyers have responded to requests for comment on the case as it unfolds.
Alphabet plans to invest $3.3 billion in South Carolina to establish two new data centres, according to CEO Sundar Pichai. This investment comes as the Google parent company and its competitors significantly enhance their infrastructure to support the growth of AI applications. The new data centre campuses will be located in Dorchester County, alongside an expansion of an existing facility in Berkeley County, as confirmed by the South Carolina governor’s office.
The new facilities in Dorchester County, located in the Pine Hill Business Campus in Ridgeville and Winding Woods Commerce Park in St. George, represent a $2 billion investment and are anticipated to create 200 operational jobs. Additionally, the expansion in Berkeley County will require another $1.3 billion investment. In July, Alphabet reported capital expenditures of $13 billion for the June quarter and indicated that spending would remain at or above $12 billion for the rest of 2024.
This announcement comes on the heels of Microsoft’s recent partnership with BlackRock and the Abu Dhabi-backed investment firm MGX to establish a fund exceeding $30 billion, focused on developing AI infrastructure, including the construction of data centres and energy projects.
Google has introduced a major update to its AI-powered note-taking platform, NotebookLM. Users will soon be able to upload YouTube URLs and audio files, such as mp3 and wav formats, for analysis by the Gemini AI.
Previously, NotebookLM allowed users to interact with documents like Google Docs, PDFs, and web pages. Now, a new sharing feature enables public URL generation for Audio Overviews, enhancing collaboration.
NotebookLM’s latest features position it as a strong rival to Microsoft OneNote’s Copilot and Notion AI. Gemini is also integrated into Google Workspace, offering business customers enterprise-grade data protection.
