google – The Commerce Africa https://thecommerceafrica.com African Reneissance Sat, 11 Nov 2023 22:51:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9 Google issues three-week warning to G-mail account users https://thecommerceafrica.com/google-issues-three-week-warning-to-g-mail-account-users/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/google-issues-three-week-warning-to-g-mail-account-users/#respond Sat, 11 Nov 2023 22:51:24 +0000 https://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=15589 Google has issued a three-week warning to the users of G-mail accounts about a clean-up exercise that could see their e-mails, documents, photos and videos permanently deleted.

Google while issuing the warning to users said in a statement that it will delete millions of Gmail accounts in December.

The company also said that this is one of the parts of a major update to the platform.

“The purge will impact all personal Google accounts that have been left dormant for at least two years, with emails, documents, spreadsheets, calendar appointments, photos and videos all permanently deleted,” the statement read.

According to Google, the policy had been introduced earlier this year but it will come into effect in December 2023.

“We are updating our inactivity policy for Google Accounts to two years across our products,” Google’s vice president of product management, Ruth Kricheli, had written in a blog post earlier in May 2023.

“This update aligns our policy with industry standards around retention and account deletion and also limits the amount of time Google retains your unused personal information.”

The company added that it is taking this step so as to protect active Google users from security threats such as phishing scams and account hijacking.

According to Google, old G-mail accounts that have not been used for a number of years years typically stand the risk of being hacked.

It said this is because they may use the same passwords that have been compromised in other security breaches, which could be easily found on the dark web.

“Any account at risk of deletion will receive multiple notifications before any action is taken,” Google said while including any associated recovery email addresses.

“We have already begun sending emails to those affected, telling users it is “to protect your private information and prevent any unauthorised access to your account even if you’re no longer using our services,” the tech giant stated.

“Losing access to a Gmail account could also potentially prevent people from using other online platforms and services that are associated with that email address, even if they are not related to Google.

“In order to keep an account active and avoid being deleted, Google users are advised to open or send an email, use Google Drive, download an app on the Google Play Store, or simply make a Google Search while logged in to the account.”

The tech giant, however, said that any G-mail account that has posted a video to YouTube does not stand the risk of being deleted regardless of when it was last active.

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Google’s 25-year journey from dorm to internet dominance https://thecommerceafrica.com/googles-25-year-journey-from-dorm-to-internet-dominance/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/googles-25-year-journey-from-dorm-to-internet-dominance/#respond Wed, 27 Sep 2023 20:21:25 +0000 https://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=15274 More than 25 years ago, two students at Stanford University brainstormed in their dormitory and came up with an idea – to create an internet search engine that would organize web pages and also rank them.

Initially called BackRub, the startup grew into one of the world’s most valuable and influential companies, Google.

Google’s products, including Gmail and search, are now used by billions and its co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, rank among the richest people in the world.

Here are some milestones in the history of the tech giant, whose parent is now known as Alphabet:

YEAR
EVENT
1995-1996
Page and Brin meet at Stanford University and create a search engine named BackRub.
1998
The startup, now renamed Google, gets $100,000 in funding from Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim.
1999
Google announces $25 million in funding from Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins in its very first press release, and officially announces the term “Googlers” to the world.
June 2000
Google becomes the default search engine provider for Yahoo, one of the most popular websites at the time.
October 2000
Launches AdWords, the online advertising platform that would become core to Google’s business.
2001
Eric Schmidt is named Google’s chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors.
April 2004
Google announces it is testing the release of Gmail, with up to 1GB of storage capacity.
August 2004
Launches initial public offering of roughly 19.6 million shares, at an opening price of $85 per share.
February 2005
Launches Google Maps for desktop.
August 2005
Acquires mobile startup Android.
Launches Google Talk instant messaging service.
2006
Buys online video service YouTube for $1.65 billion.
April 2007
Announces acquisition of web ad supplier DoubleClick for $3.1 billion.
May 2007
Introduces universal search that lets users access search results across all content types, like images, videos and news, at once.
September 2008
Debuts first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1 or HTC Dream.
Launches Google Chrome web browser.
January 2010
Launches smartphone, Nexus One, co-developed with HTC.
March 2010
Stops censoring search results in China, leading to its banning in the country.
October 2010
Google tests out its first self-driving vehicles with a small fleet of Toyota Prius cars in California.
June 2011
Launches Google+ social networking service, which was shut down in 2018.
August 2011
Announces acquisition of Motorola Mobility, which includes Motorola’s cellphone and TV set-top box businesses, for $12.5 billion.
2012
Launches Google Glass.
2013
Announces acquisition of Israeli mapping startup Waze for about $1 billion.
2014
Announces in January that it will acquire AI firm DeepMind.
In the same month, announces a $3.2 billion deal to buy smart thermostat and smoke alarm maker Nest Labs.
2015
Announces plans to create a new publicly listed company, Alphabet, which will house Google and other units, including YouTube and research and venture capital businesses. Sundar Pichai named CEO of Google.
October 2016
Launches the first Pixel smartphone.
November 2016
Launches Google Home smart speaker.
June 2017
The European Commission fines Google 2.42 billion euros for violating the neutrality of its search.
February 2018
Google reports full-year sales of over $100 billion a year for the first time.
July 2018
The European Commission fines Google 4.34 billion euros for anti-competitive practices with respect to its Android operating system.
March 2019
The European Commission imposes a 1.49 billion euros fine for anti-competitive practices with respect to the company’s online advertising business.
June 2019
Google announces acquisition of analytics startup Looker for $2.6 billion.
November 2019
Announces acquisition of Fitbit for $2.1 billion.
December 2019
Co-founders Page and Brin announce they are stepping down as CEO and president, respectively; Pichai becomes CEO of Alphabet.
2020
Alphabet hits $1 trillion in market capitalization.
January 2023
The company cuts 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce.
February 2023
Google announces Bard, a generative AI-powered chatbot that can produce text content and fetch information off the internet. However, a factual error in the AI tool’s demo tanks Alphabet shares, erasing $100 billion from the company’s market capitalization.
Susan Wojcicki, one of Google’s first employees, steps down as YouTube CEO; Neal Mohan replaces her.
March 2023
Begins rolling out Bard to some users.

Reporting by Chavi Mehta, Arsheeya Bajwa, Yuvraj Malik, Samrhitha Arunasalam and Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai for Reuters

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DuckDuckGo says market share constrained by rival Google’s huge wallet https://thecommerceafrica.com/duckduckgo-says-market-share-constrained-by-rival-googles-huge-wallet/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/duckduckgo-says-market-share-constrained-by-rival-googles-huge-wallet/#respond Sat, 23 Sep 2023 08:37:07 +0000 https://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=15197 The CEO of internet search engine company DuckDuckGo testified on Thursday that his company struggled to grow its market share because Google was paying key companies billions of dollars to keep its search engine as the default on computers or mobile devices.

THE TAKE: DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg, who was testifying at a trial in Washington to determine if Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google broke US antitrust law, was meant to support the U.S. government’s argument that Google’s big pockets were used to illegally hold back its smaller rivals.

KEY QUOTE:

*The government has argued that Google, which has some 90% of the search market, illegally paid $10 billion annually to smartphone makers like Apple (AAPL.O) and wireless carriers like AT&T (T.N) and others to be the default in search on their devices in order to stay on top.

*The clout in search then makes Google a heavy hitter in the lucrative advertising market, boosting its profits.

*DuckDuckGo has around 2.5% of the online search engine market because it has not been able to win a default position on devices made by big companies.

Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Kirsten Donovan for Reuters

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Google appoints Nigerian, Alex Okosi as Managing Director in Africa https://thecommerceafrica.com/google-appoints-nigerian-alex-okosi-as-managing-director-in-africa/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/google-appoints-nigerian-alex-okosi-as-managing-director-in-africa/#respond Tue, 05 Sep 2023 12:39:17 +0000 https://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=14944 Google, a global technology company, has appointed a Nigerian-born Alex Okosi as its African region’s Managing Director.

Meir Brand, Vice President of EMEA Emerging Markets at Google, disclosed this recently.

Until his new appointment, Okosi was the Managing Director for YouTube in EMEA Emerging Markets.

Okosi will be responsible for his new role for Google’s operations in Africa, including programs to help businesses and economies grow, expanding access and providing tools to help the next billion users get more from the web.

“Alex is a proven leader with a wealth of experience in the media and technology industries. He deeply understands African countries and is passionate about using technology to empower people and businesses”, Brand stated.

Okosi is a seasoned media, entertainment, and technology leader.

Before joining YouTube, he was Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks Africa and BET International. In his most recent position at YouTube, Okosi played a pivotal role in steering the platform’s growth and expansion across Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey.

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Shettima commends Google’s N1.2b grant initiative https://thecommerceafrica.com/shettima-commends-googles-n1-2b-grant-initiative/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/shettima-commends-googles-n1-2b-grant-initiative/#respond Tue, 15 Aug 2023 20:57:39 +0000 https://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=14729 Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has commended Google’s N1.2 billion grant initiative for the President Tinubu administration’s one million jobs initiative.

Shettima made the commendation when he received in the audience some executives of Google, a leading global technology company, at the Presidential Villa, on Tuesday in Abuj

According to him, the announcement of a grant of N1.2 billion to support the Tinubu administration’s digital jobs initiative is commendable and worthy of emulation by other companies.

“Let’s think outside the box and create more job opportunities. We need to walk the talk. It is easy to pontificate but very difficult to bring all of the ideas to fruition. I want to assure you, this administration is ready to partner with you.

“Nigeria is ready for business. The President that we have now wants to leave a legacy that Nigerians will be proud of many years after,” Shettima said.

Speaking about the potentials of Nigeria’s young population, the Vice President said Nigeria has a unique opportunity to harness the potentials of its huge youth population to create millions of jobs in the digital sector.

“We have more English-speaking people than many countries in Africa and beyond. We missed the agricultural age, we missed the industrial age and we are now in the knowledge-driven post-industrial age.

“We have the potential and a unique opportunity to fill the anticipated global talent deficit. Access Bank is doing a lot in terms of digital skills, training 1,000 youths in digital skills to create employment opportunities.

“We are working with Wema Bank, the Bank of Industry and other partners on this project. We are willing to partner with Google, we will work closely with you for the good of our nation,” he added.

Earlier, the Director of Google, West Africa, Mr Olumide Balogun, said the company was excited about the Tinubu administration’s vision of creating one million digital jobs and was committing over N1.2 billion in grants to support the initiative.

He said the company, through the programme, would provide digital skills to over 20,000 youths and women to enhance and improve their lives and livelihoods, and also enable several startups grow and create thousands of jobs in the sector.

Also, the Google Africa’s Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, Mr Charles Murito, said the company remains committed to investing in digital infrastructure across Africa.

He noted that digital transformation in the continent can be the driver of the targeted technology jobs.

“Google cannot achieve its vision and objectives if it doesn’t cover Nigeria effectively.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Google initiative is designed to train 20,000 Nigerian women and youth in digital skills.

The programme is facilitated through a grant from Google’s philanthropic arm to “Mind the Gap” in partnership with Data Science Nigeria and the Creative Industry Initiative for Africa.

This initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to increasing the participation of young Nigerians in the digital economy by creating 1 million digital jobs.

The delegation from Google also includes, Programme Manager, Google Africa, Ms Oluwatamilore Oni; the Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, Mr Adewolu Adene, and the Communications and Public Affairs Manager for Google West Africa, Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, among others.

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Google explores AI tools for journalists, in talks with publishers – spokesperson https://thecommerceafrica.com/google-explores-ai-tools-for-journalists-in-talks-with-publishers-spokesperson/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/google-explores-ai-tools-for-journalists-in-talks-with-publishers-spokesperson/#respond Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:39:57 +0000 https://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=14549 Google is exploring using artificial intelligence tools to write news articles and is in talks with news organizations to use the tools to assist journalists, a company spokesperson said late on Wednesday.

The spokesperson did not name the publishers, but the New York Times reported that Google has held discussions with the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal-owner News Corp NWSA.O) and even the New York Times, among others.

These AI tools could assist journalists with options for headlines or different writing styles, for instance, in a way that “enhances their work and productivity,” the Google spokesperson said, adding it was in the “earliest stages of exploring ideas”.

“Quite simply these tools are not intended to, and cannot, replace the essential role journalists have in reporting, creating, and fact-checking their articles,” the spokesperson said.

However, some executives who saw Google’s pitch described it as unsettling, the NYT said, adding the executives asked not to be identified. The AI tool that was pitched is called Genesis internally at Google, the NYT said, citing people familiar with the matter.

A News Corp spokesperson declined to comment on the NYT report or the AI tool, but said, “We have an excellent relationship with Google, and we appreciate (Google CEO) Sundar Pichai’s long-term commitment to journalism.”

The NYT and Washington Post did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment outside regular working hours.

The news comes days after the Associated Press said it would partner with ChatGPT-owner OpenAI to explore the use of generative AI in news, a deal that could set the precedent for similar partnerships between the industries.

Some outlets are already using generative AI for their content, but news publications have been slow to adopt the tech over concerns about its tendency to generate factually incorrect information, as well as challenges in differentiating between content produced by humans and computer programs.

Reporting by Urvi Dugar and Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D’Souza for Reuters Technology

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Google leads funding round for Indian space startup Pixxel https://thecommerceafrica.com/google-leads-funding-round-for-indian-space-startup-pixxel/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/google-leads-funding-round-for-indian-space-startup-pixxel/#respond Fri, 02 Jun 2023 11:37:57 +0000 https://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=14031 Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google is leading a $36 million funding round for Bengaluru-based Pixxel, a satellite-image startup, in the first major investment in the Indian space sector since the government launched its privatisation policy in April.

Pixxel, founded in 2019, is building a constellation of satellites that have the ability to identify mineral deposits or the productivity of crops by analysing the spectral signature of an image.

Miner Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO.AX) and Australian agritech company DataFarming are clients, Pixxel said.

The startup has raised more $71 million from investors including Accenture PLC (ACN.F). Pixxel did not specify the valuation it reflected

Google said it had made the investment in Pixxel through its India Digitalisation Fund, which focuses on investment in India-based startups.

Founder and Chief Executive Awais Ahmed said Pixxel would be “the most valued space tech company in India after this investment”.

That had been rocket and launch provider Skyroot Aerospace, valued at an estimated $163 million, according to Tracxn, which tracks startups.

“We work with satellite data and Google does a lot of work around that with agriculture and environment,” Ahmed told Reuters. “They also have Google Earth … so a combination of that led to them seeing a benefit.”

Pixxel is among the many private companies looking for a fillip since India opened the space sector, encouraging startups to deliver broadband services like Starlink and to power applications like tracking supply chains.

The government announced its private-sector space policy framework in April.

The funding comes at a time when startups globally have struggled to raise funds. Space startups, in particular, have come under pressure after the bankruptcy of Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit launch company.

Ahmed said the funding would be used to build out its satellite network. Pixxel is readying six satellites for launch next year to add to the three it has now and looking to hire more engineers for its analytics.

Ahmed has said he was inspired to launch a space startup from a visit Elon Musk’s SpaceX as part of a student competition to build a demonstration “hyperloop” transport pod.

He and co-founder Kshitij Khandelwal set out to build an AI model that could use satellite data to predict crop yields, detect illegal mining and track natural disasters.

They launched Pixxel when they concluded existing commercial satellite images did not provide enough detail. Pixxel’s satellites take in and analyse a wide spectrum of light instead of just assigning primary colours to each pixel, a technology known as hyperspectral imaging.

Reuters

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Nexus 6 review https://thecommerceafrica.com/nexus-6-review/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/nexus-6-review/#respond Wed, 24 Dec 2014 14:32:49 +0000 http://themes.tielabs.com/sahifa5/?p=171

Don’t act so surprised, Your Highness. You weren’t on any mercy mission this time. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you. In my experience, there is no such thing as luck. Partially, but it also obeys your commands. I want to come with you to Alderaan. There’s nothing for me here now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and be a Jedi, like my father before me. The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.

Still, she’s got a lot of spirit. I don’t know, what do you think? What!? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan– What good is a reward if you ain’t around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain’t my idea of courage. It’s more like…suicide.

She must have hidden the plans in the escape pod. Send a detachment down to retrieve them, and see to it personally, Commander. There’ll be no one to stop us this time! You’re all clear, kid. Let’s blow this thing and go home! Partially, but it also obeys your commands.

  • Dantooine. They’re on Dantooine.
  • He is here.
  • Don’t underestimate the Force.

nexus-6-review

I care. So, what do you think of her, Han? A tremor in the Force. The last time I felt it was in the presence of my old master. But with the blast shield down, I can’t even see! How am I supposed to fight? Obi-Wan is here. The Force is with him. But with the blast shield down, I can’t even see! How am I supposed to fight? You are a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Take her away!

Still, she’s got a lot of spirit. I don’t know, what do you think? What!? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan– What good is a reward if you ain’t around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain’t my idea of courage. It’s more like…suicide.
You don’t believe in the Force, do you? Obi-Wan is here. The Force is with him. I call it luck. Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead. You can get a transport there to Mos Eisley or wherever you’re going. What?! The Force is strong with this one. I have you now.

  1. I care. So, what do you think of her, Han?
  2. You mean it controls your actions?
  3. Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead. You can get a transport there to Mos Eisley or wherever you’re going.
  4. I’m trying not to, kid.

You’re all clear, kid. Let’s blow this thing and go home! But with the blast shield down, I can’t even see! How am I supposed to fight? Alderaan? I’m not going to Alderaan. I’ve got to go home. It’s late, I’m in for it as it is.

Nexus-6-camera-image-2

I care. So, what do you think of her, Han? A tremor in the Force. The last time I felt it was in the presence of my old master. But with the blast shield down, I can’t even see! How am I supposed to fight? Obi-Wan is here. The Force is with him. But with the blast shield down, I can’t even see! How am I supposed to fight? You are a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Take her away!

Still, she’s got a lot of spirit. I don’t know, what do you think? What!? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan– What good is a reward if you ain’t around to use it? Besides, attacking that battle station ain’t my idea of courage. It’s more like…suicide.
You don’t believe in the Force, do you? Obi-Wan is here. The Force is with him. I call it luck. Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead. You can get a transport there to Mos Eisley or wherever you’re going. What?! The Force is strong with this one. I have you now.

  1. I care. So, what do you think of her, Han?
  2. You mean it controls your actions?
  3. Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead. You can get a transport there to Mos Eisley or wherever you’re going.
  4. I’m trying not to, kid.

You’re all clear, kid. Let’s blow this thing and go home! But with the blast shield down, I can’t even see! How am I supposed to fight? Alderaan? I’m not going to Alderaan. I’ve got to go home. It’s late, I’m in for it as it is.

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