Last month
January 2023
# tech lay offs
Google's parent company Alphabet plans to cut around 12,000 jobs, 6% of its global workforce
Minister Simon Coveney said he will be meeting with the Head of Google Ireland next week to ‘clarify impact here’.
Last year
2022
# Privacy
EU court rules Google must delete inaccurate search information if proven wrong
Search engines must “dereference information” if the person making the request can demonstrate the material is “manifestly inaccurate”.
# location tracking
Google reaches $391.5 million settlement with 40 US states over location tracking
The investigation by the states found that Google continued to track people’s location data even after they opted out of such tracking.
# fleeing russia
Google searches for ways to leave Russia spike as Putin announces conscription of reserves
A police monitoring group has said that more than 1,000 people have been arrested for taking part in anti-mobilisation protests.
# Google fine
Google loses appeal against record EU antitrust fine
Google is set to be hit with a fine of €4.125 billion
# location data
Google to delete user location history on US abortion clinic visits
Other places from which Google will not store location data include fertility centers and addiction treatment facilities.
# Passwords
Apple, Google and Microsoft agree to support ‘passwordless’ sign-ins
The technology giants have said they will back a new sign-in standard that could replace written passwords.
# Courts
High Court challenge alleges DPC failed to investigate complaint made about Google, IAB Europe
Dr Johnny Ryan claims the Data Protection Commission has delayed investigating his 2018 complaint regarding the two companies.
# Google Ireland Ltd
Tory MP reaches settlement over Google ad suggesting he was 'sympathetic to abuse of children'
Google Ireland Ltd issued an apology to Lee Anderson at a High Court hearing in London today.
# Google
Fitbit recalls one million Ionic watches after burn injuries
Fitbit received 115 reports of the battery overheating in the US, with 78 reports of burn injuries.
# the good information project
'We have to think hard about prioritisation': The environmental impact of Ireland's data centres
With around 70 data centres in Ireland and more to come, tech companies are now using a massively outsized amount of energy.
# Ads
Publishers aim to 'break Google's stranglehold' over advertising with antitrust complaint
The European Publishers Council has lodged the complaint with the European Commission.
All time
# Russia
Russia fines Google €85 million over banned content
Russia regularly takes legal action for not removing content it labels illegal, such as pornographic material or posts condoning drugs.
# Google
Google employees 'will need to be vaccinated' before returning to offices
Google Ireland said they had no specifics regarding the measure in this country.
# thorny issues
Explainer: Why bosses could be on shaky legal ground if they ask staff about vaccine status
Asking workers to be fully vaccinated before returning to work raises thorny legal issues.
# one-star reviews
Restaurants dealing with 'malicious, coordinated' campaign of abuse from anti-vaccine cert protesters
A Facebook page is coordinating an online campaign against businesses that reopened indoor dining this week.
A Facebook page is encouraging users to leave negative comments on pubs' and restaurants' reopening posts, and to boycott those businesses.
One-star reviews are also being left for businesses that have reopened indoor dining, with many leaving such reviews on multiple businesses across the country.
The Restaurant Association of Ireland has written a letter to the Government, and is to contact Facebook and Google about fraudulent bookings and reviews.
# A taxing matter
Ireland is holding out on the historic global deal on corporate tax. Why? And at what cost?
Ireland is one of just nine countries out of 139 to reject the deal.
# advertisement
French regulator fines Google €220m for favouring ads for own services at expense of rivals
The penalty is part of a settlement reached after three media groups accused Google in 2019 of abusing a dominant market position.
# Coronavirus
'I was appalled': Tánaiste asked social media firms to combat 'illegal' gatherings after Grafton St protest
Leo Varadkar contacted the companies following a protest in March.
# Android
Australian court rules Google misled mobile users about how it gathered their location data
Google is considering an appeal of the ruling.
# Australia
Australia passes law to make Google and Facebook pay for news
Final amendments to the laws were passed after consultation between Canberra and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.
# crashed
Schools reporting fewer online classes 'broken into', says principals association
We spoke to one parent whose son’s class was crashed by a stranger who shared inappropriate material.
# Social Media
Google threatens to pull search engine in Australia amid row over paying media outlets
The law aims to make Google and Facebook pay Australian media companies fairly for using news content they siphon from news sites.
# Explainer
Pro-Trump social media app Parler was a breeding ground for extremism - so why has it only been taken offline now?
At the height of its powers, Parler had 10 million users.
# big tech
'Too big to care': 2020 was the year that Europe got serious about tackling Big Tech
Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple all faced heavy regulatory scrutiny in 2020.
# tech goliath
Texas and 10 other US states sue Google for anti-competitive practices
“If the free market was a baseball game, Google positioned itself as the pitcher, the batter and the umpire,” Texas’ Attorney General said.
# digital gatekeepers
EU unveils new rules to curb tech giants' power
Companies including Google, Amazon and Facebook could face fines of up to 10% of their revenues for breaking competition rules.
# google down
Google says worldwide service outage caused by internal technical fault
Google apologised to all users affected by the outage.
# cookies
France slaps fines of €100 million on Google and €35 million on Amazon over advertising cookies
The data watchdog said users were “either insufficiently informed or never informed” of cookies being placed on their computers.
# Tech
US government sues Google over its 'illegal monopoly' on internet search and advertising services
The case is one of the country’s biggest antitrust lawsuits in decades.
# Dispute
Google must negotiate with media groups over paying for online news, Paris court rules
The ruling came as the US firm announced it was close to a deal on compensating French media groups.
# Tech giants
Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have too much power and abuse their positions, US Congress report says
Democrats in the US are hoping to rein in the power of the tech giants.
# Boom and Bust
Ghost town?: What does Google's decision to pull out of an office deal mean for the landscape of Dublin city centre?
Property experts say rumours of the capital’s demise are greatly exaggerated.
# Offices
Google cancels plan to lease large office space in Dublin
The Sorting Office space is 202,000 sq feet in size.
# News
Google tells Australians law forcing tech giants to pay for news will affect their user experience
Google has argued that paying news outlets for the content they produce is an ‘unfair advantage’.
# battle royale
Fortnite makers sue Apple and Google after it's pulled from mobile app stores
Epic Games recently released an update that dodges revenue sharing with the tech giants.
# Google Play services
HSE working with Google to fix problem with Covid Tracker app that drains Android phone batteries
The HSE said that the problem should be fixed within 24 hours.
# China
China accuses US of 'political suppression' after Trump's executive order targeting TikTok
The order comes into effect in 45 days and appears to ban transactions with the Chinese owners of the app.
# Competition
EU launches 'in-depth' probe of Google's bid for Fitbit
There is concern that acquiring Fitbit’s user data will strengthen Google’s position in targeted advertising.
# bark or byte
Head honchos at Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon to face questions from US politicians today
The tech giants are being investigated for alleged anti-competitive practices.
