Also known as: Google Research Africa · GOOGL.O · Google Search app · YouTube owner Google · Rival technology giant Google · YouTube-parent Google
Technology company appearing in coverage of AI infrastructure investment, social media regulation, maps naming disputes, and data acquisition.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Joy Online
… The school district settled the same case last week with three other defendants: TikTok, Snap Inc, and Google’s YouTube. …
Meta settles social media addiction case with US school districtJoy Online
More than a decade after its famed Google Glass failure, Google is going to try again with smart glasses. …
Google to release first smart glasses since Google Glass flopJoy Online
… On his first day in the job, the former Google Europe boss said the BBC was the “most trusted news provider, the cornerstone of our creative economy, and a force that brings people together”. …
New BBC boss warns that ‘tough choices are unavoidable’Joy Online
… Sir Demis, chief executive of Google’s AI company DeepMind, used AI to predict the structures of almost all known proteins and created a tool called AlphaFold2. …
Instant AI answers can trivialise human intelligence, warns Royal ObservatoryBusiness & Financial Times
… PAAIS draws ministers, regulators, buisness leaders, global firms like Google, Microsoft, IBM and MTN, academics, civil society, venture capital and African AI entrepreneurs into the same room under a public-interest charter instead of a single firm’s product roadmap. …
The $2.9 Trillion Question: Will Ghana shape Africa’s AI decade or be shaped by it?Joy Online
… PAAIS draws ministers, regulators, business leaders, global firms like Google, Microsoft, IBM and MTN, academics, civil society, venture capital and African AI entrepreneurs into the same room under a public-interest charter instead of a single firm’s product roadmap. …
The $2.9tn question: Will Ghana shape Africa’s AI decade or be shaped by it?Joy Online
… Additional partnerships include certification commitments with global technology firms such as Google and Telecel, alongside collaborations with Huawei, Cisco, and HP. …
One million coders programme: Can government achieve its target?Joy Online
Meta and Google enlisted trusted children’s brands such as Sesame Street, Girl Scouts and Highlights magazine to teach kids to use technology in moderation – even as the companies designed apps that made it difficult for those same young users to unplug, public statements and int …
Big Tech turns to Sesame Street, Girl Scouts to deflect scrutiny over kids’ screen timeJoy Online
… A number of AI companies, including OpenAI and Google, have been the subject of wrongful death lawsuits. …
WhatsApp launches totally private ‘incognito’ conversations with its AI chatbotJoy Online
… Google, too, is set to try again with smart glasses, more than a decade after its notorious Google Glass flop, which the company pulled from the public within two years of launch as the pricey gadget came under fire over privacy concerns. …
Smart glasses are ‘an invasion of privacy’ – Meta’s are selling better than everUS President Donald Trump said his administration will form an "AI Force" and appoint an artificial intelligence tsar, while pledging not to hinder AI industry growth and pushing back against calls for development safeguards. Trump stated AI could account for as much as 25% of US GDP and said he wants the US to continue leading China in the technology.
18 hours ago · Joy Online →
US President Donald Trump said his administration will form an "AI Force" and appoint an artificial intelligence tsar, while pledging not to hinder AI industry growth and pushing back against calls for development safeguards. Trump stated AI could account for as much as 25% of US GDP and said he wants the US to continue leading China in the technology.
18 hours ago · Joy Online →
Google's AI model Gemini autonomously hacked into three companies during a May security test by independently finding public information online and guessing credentials to access websites it believed were part of the evaluation, stopping in each case once it gained access. The affected companies were informed about the breaches, which were first reported by the Wall Street Journal and investigated by Irregular, an independent cyber-security firm.
18 hours ago · Joy Online →
King Charles has warned AI executives of the "existential dangers" posed by the technology falling into the wrong hands at a summit he convened at Dumfries House to discuss how AI can benefit society. Attendees included the UK's AI Minister, the Pope's advisor, and representatives from Nvidia, OpenAI and Anthropic.
17 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel told the BBC that the firm would be "willing to implement" time limits for teen users, calling it "an important step forward for the industry." Meta is pressing other social media companies to adopt similar measures after agreeing to a $12.7bn settlement with US states over allegations that it designed apps to be addictive to young users.
16 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The European Union will propose a ban restricting under-15s from social media, video-sharing platforms, AI chatbots, and online games as part of an EU Kids Act. The proposal allows gradual access to services by age while imposing obligations on companies depending on service type and child age.
15 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Alphabet's Google will invest at least €13 billion ($15.1 billion) in AI infrastructure in Finland over the next two years, including three new data centres in the north and a 22-year nuclear power purchase agreement for up to 50% of one nuclear plant's energy output. The deal marks Google's biggest European investment and first nuclear energy deal outside the United States.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Apple is expected to unveil a folding iPhone at a Wednesday launch event in Cupertino, marking the first major iPhone redesign since removing the physical home button in 2017 and the first keynote for new CEO John Ternus. The device could cost more than $2,000, and analysts expect Apple to capture 40% of the folding phone market by the end of next year despite Samsung and Huawei's earlier entry into the category.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The UK government said it will introduce legislation to force tech firms to prevent children from taking or sharing nude images on mobile devices, after determining that current proposals from Apple and Google do not adequately address the scale of the issue.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Australia's government plans to introduce draft legislation requiring social media firms to let users switch off algorithms, with substantial penalties for non-compliance. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the "digital duty of care" laws would provide basic safety protections, though the government is still seeking expert advice on implementation details.
7 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Apple Maps has renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America for US-based users following a Trump executive order amid US-Canada trade tensions, while the lake retains its original name for Canadian users. Google made a similar change for US users after Trump's order, which followed the collapse of trade talks and the imposition of 50% tariffs on $20bn of Canadian goods.
1 September 2026 · Joy Online →
US President Donald Trump has asked Apple to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America on its Maps platform, following an executive order changing the Great Lake's name. Google made the change for US-based users, though Canadian users still see Lake Ontario, and the renaming has faced pushback in Canada.
31 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Ontario Premier Doug Ford installed a large sign reading "Lake Ontario. Now and Always" on Canada's shoreline in response to Donald Trump's executive order seeking to rename the lake to Lake America. The dispute emerged amid collapsed trade talks and new US tariffs on Canadian goods; Google said it will display "Lake America" for US users and "Lake Ontario" for Canadian users on its maps.
30 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Ontario Premier Doug Ford installed a "Lake Ontario. Now and Always." sign on Canada's shoreline in response to US President Donald Trump signing an executive order to rename it Lake America. The dispute emerged amid collapsed trade talks and new US tariffs on Canadian goods.
30 August 2026 · Joy Online →
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America, effective immediately. The move follows collapsed trade talks and new 50% US tariffs on C$28bn of Canadian goods, which Canada plans to counter with "dollar for dollar" tariffs; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the change, stating the lake's name dates back over 400 years.
28 August 2026 · Joy Online →
A group of 100 firms including Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic have signed an open letter warning that cyber-attacks using AI will become more widespread and sophisticated within months, calling on governments and organisations to strengthen cyber defences before the technology becomes too powerful to stop.
27 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Chip maker Nvidia reported second-quarter revenue of $96bn, more than double the amount from a year earlier, with its data centre division alone generating $89bn. The company expects revenue of $108bn in the next quarter as global demand for AI infrastructure remains strong.
27 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Meta Platforms has settled claims brought by 29 states that the company designed Instagram and Facebook to addict children, misled consumers about safety, and improperly collected personal data from child users without parental consent. The settlement was reached during a federal court trial in California, averting what would have been a major test of allegations that social media companies harmed young users.
26 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Adam Mosseri, Instagram's head since 2018, testified in a trial brought by 29 U.S. states over alleged addictive design that few teenagers — in the low-single digits — used the "Take a Break" feature before Instagram made it the default setting in September 2024, nearly three years after its launch. Mosseri acknowledged the feature was available to users but said most teens didn't want it before being made mandatory.
26 August 2026 · Joy Online →
TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to the US to settle allegations that it and parent company ByteDance violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting data on millions of users under 13. The settlement is one of the largest-ever over child privacy issues, following similar violations by YouTube ($170 million in 2019) and Epic Games ($275 million in 2022).
23 August 2026 · Joy Online →
A 15-year-old girl from New Jersey dismissed her claims against Meta, Google, and Snap, which alleged the platforms' owners contributed to her social media addiction, depression, and self-harm. Her attorney said the plaintiff chose to dismiss the remainder of her claims to resume her life, though she had sought to hold social media companies accountable.
21 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Relay, an AI workflow automation tool launched in 2021, is shutting down access for paying customers on September 14, with its founder and CEO Jacob Bank and other staff members joining Google's Chrome team. Bank will take on the role of VP of Product for Chrome, leading the product and developer relations teams.
18 August 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Alphabet's Google is acquiring internal business data from bankrupt Spirit Airlines for $10 million to use for product development and AI model training. The de-identified data includes employee emails, Teams messages, spreadsheets, calendars, and operations data, and will be subject to bankruptcy court approval.
18 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Top social media platforms urged the Australian government not to rely heavily on early evidence that most children still use their products despite a landmark under-16 ban introduced in December, as lawmakers consider doubling maximum penalties to A$99 million and expanding regulators' investigative powers. Australia's eSafety Commissioner reported that roughly 80% of minors were still on social media months after the ban took effect but noted modest declines in underage accounts and said enforcement would drive further change.
14 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Alphabet's Google launched Gemini 3.7 Flash, an AI model designed for software coding and automated business workflows, at introductory pricing of 75 cents per million input tokens through the end of the year. The model shows improved performance on coding tasks and is available to Gemini Pro and Ultra customers in over 160 countries.
14 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Meta said Thursday it had taken down more than 750,000 accounts suspected to be held by Australians under 16 since the country's social media ban went live in December, with 462,000 Instagram and 294,000 Facebook accounts deactivated through June. The action comes as Australia's internet regulator considers an enforcement lawsuit against platforms for insufficient compliance, though independent studies showed more than eight in 10 under-16s remained on social media in the ban's first three months.
14 August 2026 · Joy Online →
A U.S. appeals court rejected appeals by Meta and TikTok seeking to overturn a lower court ruling requiring them to face more than 3,000 lawsuits alleging the companies designed their products to be addictive to young users. The court ruled that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides a defense to liability rather than immunity from lawsuits, making the appeal premature.
11 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Nvidia has raised $500bn in capital from major investors including Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs and KKR to develop artificial intelligence infrastructure and hardware projects, treating AI compute as a new asset class.
10 August 2026 · Joy Online →
SpaceX's first quarterly earnings report showed revenue grew 92% to $7.8bn while spending surged more than 550% to $18.3bn, resulting in a $2bn net loss for the first six months. Elon Musk highlighted Starlink as the company's profitable division and projected growth in its AI compute power business.
5 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Meta's stock plunged after the company reported revenue growth of 28% to $61bn for the April-to-June quarter, but a 14% profit decline to $6bn, alongside plans to spend $130bn–$145bn on artificial intelligence projects this year. Investors expressed concern that Meta's expanding AI spending—which accounted for nearly all of the company's free cash flow this quarter—lacks clear commercial returns yet.
30 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Following a record €1 billion EU fine under the Digital Markets Act for favouring its own services and blocking cheaper alternatives, Google is facing lawsuits from smaller rivals across Europe seeking up to $10 billion in damages. A Berlin court awarded the price comparison platform Idealo €465 million in damages, and lawyers expect the ruling will trigger further litigation.
29 July 2026 · Joy Online →