Julian Assange on Big Tech…
Tag: google
Nightmare Voyeurism: Google Tech Can Read Your Body Language – Without Cameras
Wired reports that Google’s latest privacy-invading technology can read your body language without using cameras. One Google designer ominously commented, “We’re really just pushing the bounds of what we perceive to be possible for human-computer interaction.”
Wired reports that Google’s newest tech uses radar to detect users’ body language and then performs actions based on its analysis. Google’s Advanced Technology and Product division (ATAP) has reportedly spent over a year exploring how radar could be implemented in computers to understand humans based on their movements and to react to them.
Google has experimented with radar in its technology in the past. In 2015 the company released Soli, a sensor that can use radar’s electromagnetic waves to analyze gestures and movements. This was first utilized in the Google Pixel 4 smartphone which could detect user hand gestures to turn off alarms or pause music without actually touching the device.
Now, this Soli sensor is being used in further research. Google’s ATAP is reportedly investigating if radar sensor input can be used to directly control a computer. Leonardo Giusti, head of design at ATAP, commented: “We believe as technology becomes more present in our life, it’s fair to start asking technology itself to take a few more cues from us.”
A large part of the technology is based on proxemics, which is the study of how people utilize the space around them to mediate social interactions. For instance, getting closer to another person shows an increase in engagement and intimacy.
Google suppresses America’s Frontline Doctors in search results
More evidence is emerging of Google manipulating algorithms powering its mammoth and highly influential search service to give certain results (much) more visibility than others.
And now, reports say, Google is not even trying to hide that this is the case, as America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) has been informed its reach on the internet is being artificially limited.
This organization says it is dedicated to improving doctor-patient relationships that are jeopardized by what it calls politicized science and biased information. The AFLDS would also like to provide patients with access to “independent, evidence-based information” that will inform people’s decisions regarding their healthcare choices.
Well, meeting that goal might prove to be quite difficult since Google Search, on which a huge majority of US-based users rely for their internet queries, says it is deliberately deranking information coming from the AFLDS.
Google pulls ads on meteorologist tracking climate for ‘unreliable and harmful claims’
A meteorologist who worked on climate studies at NASA says satellite observations show the Earth is warming at the “bottom end” of climate models – but Google has demonetised his website.
Dr Roy Spencer said Google was “not specific about what claims” led to the decision.
“What their website tells me is that all of my whole website basically is unreliable and harmful claims,” he said.
“If people like myself don’t buy into the narrative that global warming is not only occurring but it’s going on at a catastrophic rate and we have to do something about it, if you don’t go along with that narrative, you get thrown under the bus.”
Google and Yelp remove business reviews that criticize vaccine passport rules
Google has explained how it keeps user reviews on Google Maps free from “abuse” in a new blog post, that also mentions moderating comments from people criticizing businesses for forcing masks or vaccine passports.
Meanwhile, Yelp also admitted removing tens of thousands of reviews in 2021 for violating its policies and similarly removed reviews that mentioned vaccine passports.
Sites that allow user reviews such as Yelp and Google Maps have updated their moderation policies because some businesses have been hit with bad reviews for implementing Covid-related measures.
Did banned mRNA vax inventor Robert W. Malone M.D. just break the Google algorithm?
Did the Twitter punks who banned mRNA vaccine inventor and bona fide vaccine expert Robert W. Malone, M.D. just set off the Mother of all Backfires?
Kind of looks like it, now that they’ve drawn so much public interest to the man that they’ve apparently broken the Google algorithm for censoring stories about him.
It started like this:
Shortly after Malone was banned on Twitter, he did an long interview with bigfoot podcaster, Joe Rogan, arguing that the disinformation and repressed information on COVID vaccines was something resembling mass psychosis.
That term, and related ones, created widely divergent results between Google and its biggest rival, the more objective DuckDuckGo search engine.
Google Docs Notifications are Updated to Restrict Docs that Contain “hate speech” and “misleading” Content
Google has announced new notifications in Google Drive that show that the platform has restricted the sharing and access of files that violate its policies. In a blog post, the tech giant said that it will restrict the sharing of files that violate its Terms of Service and abuse program policies.
If a file is flagged for violating policies, the owner will still have full access but sharing will not be possible and those who already had a link will no longer have access.
The owner of the file will receive an email informing them their files have been restricted. They will be able to appeal the decision by requesting a review of their own document.
“When a Google Drive file is identified as violating Google’s Terms of Service or program policies, it may be restricted. When it’s restricted, you may see a flag next to the filename, you won’t be able to share it, and your file will no longer be publicly accessible, even to people who have the link,” the post states.
Google is the search engine that censors the most “conspiracy theories”
The idea that Google was actively and manually censoring its search engine results was something that was itself once classed as conspiracy.
But new research has shown that Google does in fact manually manipulate its search results for content, more than rivals such as DuckDuckGo, Bing, and even Russia’s Yandex.
In fact, Russia’s Yandex is the search engine that has censored some “conspiracy theories” the least, according to new research.
On Wednesday, researchers from the University of Zurich published a study claiming that Yandex promotes “conspiracy theories” more than any other search engine. The research involved the top five search engines; Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yandex.
Facebook, Google, and Snapchat Are Bypassing Apple’s APP Tracking Transparency and Still Collecting Data on Users
Downloading “free” apps onto devices more often than not allows app providers to collect personal data on users. Of course, companies that manufacture and sell devices tend to collect personal data on users too (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Having access to this data allows companies and providers to analyze users’ habits and preferences so they can market additional products and services to them. They can also sell users’ data to 3rd parties. This practice is sometimes referred to as “Surveillance Capitalism.” As more customers are becoming aware of this, more want to be able to “opt out” of privacy invasive data collection. Companies aren’t necessarily making this easy though. Recently Verizon was exposed for automatically enrolling its customers into a new program that scans users’ browser histories. Facebook, Google, and Snapchat are now also being exposed for continuing to collect data on without users’ knowledge or consent.
Urgent Google warning for millions of Android users: These symbols mean someone is watching
Google is warning millions of Android users when apps might be spying on them.
The new feature alerts users when the microphone or camera has been activated.
It’s very similar to a warning that already exists on Apple’s rival iPhone.
The Google feature was added to phones in the latest Android 12 update. So if you don’t have that, you won’t be able to see it.
The new indicator appears in the top right corner of the screen.
You’ll see a camera or microphone icon when an app attempts to access either.
It prevents apps from surreptitiously listening in — or even watching through your camera.
You can also see a rolling log of which apps have access your camera, microphone or location — and when.
Hellbound and Down 
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