People Can Now Hide Pestering ads on Google

Google will now let people mute advertisements that encourage them to buy products from websites they have previously visited. So-called reminder ads track which products people have looked at online and then promote them across the web. Google said reminder ads were “useful” but said it wanted to give people “more control” over what they see online. Individual reminder ads will be “mutable” on websites that use Google’s services to provide adverts. Muted promotions will be replaced with other adverts. There will not be a way to opt out of…

Waymo is first to put fully self-driving cars on US roads without a safety driver

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle division of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, reached an important milestone recently: since mid-October, the company has been operating its autonomous minivans on public roads in Arizona without a safety driver — or any human at all — behind the wheel. And starting very soon, the company plans to invite regular people for rides in these fully self-driving vehicles. The news that Waymo’s vehicles have been on public roads with no human in the driver’s seat was announced today by the company’s CEO John Krafcik at a…

LinkedIn opens video uploads to all

Video is the name of the game in social networking. If you’ve been on LinkedIn recently, you may have noticed that some users are making and sharing videos, basically turning the social network into a more professional version of YouTube or Facebook Live. Following this initial testing period, video will soon be available to all users. On iOS and Android, the LinkedIn app is getting a “video” button that will let you record a new video or upload one you’ve already taken. The new feature will be available to many…

Microsoft is putting OneDrive ads in Windows 10’s File Explorer

Microsoft made a lot of changes in Windows 10 that helped it put the mistakes of Windows 8 in the rear view mirror. Not all of Microsoft’s ideas are good, though. The company has shown a tendency to get a little too casual with how it promotes its services within Windows. Users have reported seeing ads to sign up for OneDrive,  — Microsoft’s cloud storage service — at the top of the Quick Access screen that comes up when you open a new File Explorer window. Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage…

Google and Microsoft agree crackdown on illegal downloads

Vivo

US tech giants Google and Microsoft have reached a truce with the Government and the creative industries in a bitter and long-running battle over links to pirated films and music online. The search engine operators have signed up to a clampdown that will see the UK’s copyright watchdog monitor the search results they provide for unlawful websites. The agreement follows years of campaigning by record labels and film studios, which have accused Google and Microsoft of turning a blind eye to piracy and dragging their feet over measures to protect…

Facebook Loses $500 Million Virtual Reality Headset Verdict

Facebook

Facebook Inc. and its co-defendants were ordered to pay $500 million to ZeniMax Media Inc. after a jury found the social network’s Oculus VR unit unfairly used ZeniMax code to build a virtual reality headset Bllomber Technology reports. The verdict in Dallas federal court is a rebuke to Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, who isn’t a defendant but who told jurors in his first-ever courtroom testimony that it was important for him to be there because the claims by ZeniMax were “false.” An Oculus spokeswoman said the company will…

Google Gets Rid of 1.7 Billion Bad Ads

Google

Google has reported that it removed 1.7 billion bad advertisements from its various sites in 2016, more than double the prior year’s totals. The firm took several steps to crack down on the deceptive advertising, including updating its policies to protect users from “misleading and predatory offers.” It also beefed up its technology to help identify misleading ads and remove them, according to Scott Spencer, Google’s director of product management, sustainable ads. The director noted that free and open Web is a vital resource for individuals and businesses around the…

Location information to make mobile ads more valuable

NEW YORK–Hyper-targeted advertising based on your location is coming to mobile phones and could finally bring money into the mobile advertising market, say experts at the All Things D mobile conference here Monday. In two separate interviews, the CEO of the mapping app Waze and ad executives Jason Spero from Google and Mollie Spilman of Millennial Media talked up the importance of users’ GPS location information to help tailor advertising. Adapted From cnet.com

South Africa launches Artificial Intelligence Industry Association

Artificial Intelligence

South Africa, known for its burgeoning technological landscape, is taking a significant step towards embracing the potential of artificial intelligence (AI). The South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA) will be officially launched on July 19, 2023, in partnership with the esteemed Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), a prominent hub for AI innovation in South Africa. The association’s mission is to engage individuals and organizations, provide research and analysis to inform decision-making, assist with policy-making, connect buyers and suppliers, support SMMEs, attract foreign investment, help African tech companies access international markets,…

Africa Data Centres Announced as Latest Partner for London Internet Exchange (LINX) Nairobi. The Interconnection Hub for East Africa

Africa Data Centres Announced as Latest Partner for London Internet Exchange (LINX) Nairobi. The Interconnection Hub for East Africa

Africa Data Centres (ADC) has announced its partnership with the London Internet Exchange (LINX) for the new East African interconnection hub, LINX Nairobi. LINX Nairobi is set to become the region’s first interconnected, multi-site Internet Exchange Point (IXP), offering redundancy and resilience for networks peering there. This partnership aims to foster growth, enhance connectivity, and expand digital services across new markets in Africa. LINX Nairobi is set to go live in the coming weeks and is the region’s first interconnected, multi-site Internet Exchange Point (IXP). The technical specification of the…