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WASHINGTON: Google on Monday agreed to pay $392 million to settle a landmark privacy case with 40 US states over accusations that the search engine giant misled users into believing location tracking on their devices had been switched off.
A statement by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said it was the largest multi-state privacy settlement by authorities in US history and included a binding commitment by Google for improved disclosures on targeting for customers.
Google had been “crafty and deceptive,” Rosenblum added, as she announced the company’s agreement to pay up to end the case.
“Consumers thought they had turned off their location tracking features on Google, but the company continued to secretly record their movements and use that information for advertisers,” she added.
The rare joint lawsuit by 40 states grew from impatience over the failure of federal authorities to crack down on big tech amid legislative gridlock in Washington.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers disagree on what national rules on online privacy should look like, with furious lobbying by tech companies to limit their potential impact.
This is in marked contrast to Europe where the US tech giants have faced strict rules on privacy since 2018, with Google, Amazon and others subjected to hefty fines after violations.
In South Korea, Google and Meta in September were fined a record of $71 million collectively for gathering users’ personal information without consent for tailored ads.
These decisions come in addition to the big antitrust penalties that have seen the European Union fine Google a total of 8.25 billion euros ($8.5 billion) since 2017.
The US case began after an article in 2018 from The Associated Press reported that Google tracked users even when they had opted out of the practice.
Other states involved in the case included Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
Specifically at fault by Google was evidence that users continued to be tracked when they disabled the location history option on their phones as tracking continued through a separate Web & App Activity setting.
In a statement, Google said that the allegations were based on product features that were no longer up to date.
“Consistent with improvements we’ve made in recent years, we have settled this investigation which was based on outdated product policies that we changed years ago,” the company said.
Under the settlement, Google will provide more detailed information on tracking activity.
In a tweet following the settlement, the main lobby for big tech urged US Congress to adopt common privacy rules.
“It’s important that baseline rules both protect users and support innovation,” the Computer & Communications Industry Association added.
ROME: A trial pitting Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni against investigative journalist Roberto Saviano opened Tuesday, with the anti-mafia author accused of defamation for an outburst over her stance on migrants.
Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party was in opposition at the time, but took office last month after triumphing at the polls on a nationalist campaign that promised to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa.
Saviano, best known for his international mafia bestseller “Gomorrah,” faces up to three years in prison, if convicted.
In a short speech outside the Rome court, he said Meloni’s attack on those who save lives at sea was “inhuman.”
The case dates back to December 2020 when he was asked on a political TV chat show for a comment on the death of a six-month-old baby from Guinea in a shipwreck.
The baby, Joseph, had been one of 111 migrants rescued by the Open Arms charity ship, but died before he could receive medical attention.
In footage shot by rescuers and shown to Saviano on the chat show, the baby’s mother — who has just been pulled from the sea without Joseph — can be heard weeping “Where’s my baby? Help, I lose my baby!“
A visibly emotional Saviano then blasted Meloni and Matteo Salvini — the leader of the anti-immigrant League party, which is now part of her coalition government — who have both long used anti-migrant rhetoric.
“I just want to say to Meloni, and Salvini, you bastards! How could you?” Saviano said on the show.
Meloni said in 2019 that charity vessels which rescue migrants “should be sunk,” while Salvini, as interior minister that same year, blocked such vessels from docking.
Salvini joined the criminal proceedings on Tuesday as a civil party seeking damages.
In a speech read out to journalists outside the court after the hearing, Saviano said that he had used the term bastards to highlight the damage done by Meloni and Salvini’s “lies” about charity rescuers.
“How could you be so thoughtless as to isolate, to smear, to transform sea ambulances into pirate ships?” he said.
“Letting people drown isn’t a political opinion. It’s not a political opinion to discredit rescue ambulances, it is infamy, and above all it’s inhuman.”
The judge set the next hearing for December 12.
PEN International, an organization that defends free speech, sent an open letter to Meloni last week urging her to drop the case.
Ahead of the trial Saviano, 43, told AFP it was an “unequal confrontation, decidedly grotesque,” while press freedom groups warned it sent a “chilling message” to journalists.
The author, who has been under police protection since publishing “Gomorrah” due to threats from the Naples “Camorra” mafia, said the tactic was to “intimidate one in order to intimidate 100.”
Watchdogs say such trials are symbolic of a culture in Italy in which public figures — often politicians — intimidate reporters with repeated lawsuits.
Meloni’s lawyer Luca Libra said Tuesday there was no intention of “intimidating” anyone.
His client was “just a woman who was insulted… on television in front of millions of people,” he said.
Meloni would consider whether or not to withdraw the complaint, Libra added.
Italy ranked 58th in the 2022 world press freedom index published by Reporters Without Borders, the lowest level in western Europe.
Tuesday’s trial is not the only one Saviano faces for defamation. He was sued in 2018 by Salvini after calling him “Il Ministro della Malavita,” or minister of the criminal underworld.
That trial is set to open in February.
LONDON: TikTok announced over the weekend the launch of its #ClimateAction campaign in an effort to drive advocacy around the issue.
Through a raft of initiatives, the video-sharing app has sought to emerge as a destination for conversations focused on the most urgent environment and sustainability issues.
In a statement, TikTok said it was “thrilled” to see the creativity and impact being achieved with creators and organizations making a difference by sharing tips about the changes that can be made to combat climate change.
Coinciding with the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, the app invited its global communities to join the conversation and partner with creators to “take their inspiring climate content to the next level and ensure these important conversations are front and center.”
“At TikTok, we are committed to transforming climate anxiety into empowerment, helping our community and the next generation be informed and engaged,” the company said.
“By providing access to credible climate information, elevating voices of climate advocates, experts and organizations dedicated to raising climate awareness and literacy, along with collaborating with communities and partners who share the same vision around the world, TikTok aims to inspire hopeful dialogue and real action for a more sustainable future.”
To make educational resources and information accessible to everyone, the social media app recently launched the TikTok Creator Hub, with this year’s theme being climate change.
As part of its #ClimateAction campaign, TikTok hosted a series of live events during COP27 including talks, industry expert roundtables, and an interactive experience offering real-time updates and solutions for followers to get involved.
Taking the global campaign local, TikTok MENA partnered with a host of well-known creators on how they are making a difference, whether through purchasing fruits and vegetables from local farms, growing fresh herbs at home, or reducing their carbon footprint by walking to nearby places instead of using their cars.
LONDON: YouTube is bringing shopping features to its TikTok-like short-form video service, as it looks to diversify its revenue stream squeezed by falling ad spending, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Ad sales on Alphabet-owned YouTube slipped to $7.07 billion in the third quarter from $7.2 billion a year earlier, as some advertisers pulled back on their ad spending in the face of an economic slowdown.
The streaming service is also testing new commission schemes for influencers who sell products through links in videos, the newspaper said.
YouTube did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The report comes months after YouTube unveiled a new way for creators to make money on short-form videos, introducing advertising on its video feature Shorts and giving video creators 45 percent of the revenue.
The Internet’s dominant video site has struggled to compete with TikTok, the app that got its start hosting lip-sync and dance videos and has subsequently burgeoned to 1 billion monthly users.
RIYADH: Hia magazine’s annual conference, Hia Hub is back with its second edition bringing an exciting three-day program to Jax District in Riyadh’s Historic Ad-Diriyah from December 8-10.
Expanding on a successful platform built in 2021, Hia Hub will offer even more interactive experiences and cement the conference as a must-see annual creative event.
Celebrating 30 years of Hia, this year’s event is expected to be three times bigger in size, with global talent hosting exclusive master classes, workshops, and discussion sessions focusing on topics influencing the industry.
A collection of arts, culture, and fashion, guests will also experience interactive exhibitions and live musical performances by international artists and performers.
The full program is expected to be revealed soon.
Guests can learn more about Hia Hub by visiting: https://www.hiahub.com/
DUBAI: The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has made its foray into the metaverse with an immersive 3D model of Hegra’s Tomb of Lihyan, son of Kuza, marking the first time a UNESCO World Heritage Site has been recreated for the metaverse.
The landmark will be available to online visitors on Decentraland, a virtual world platform that allows users to buy and visit virtual plots of land.
Visitors will be able to take a 360-degree tour of the 72-feet tall tomb, set among a realistic recreation of AlUla’s desert landscape. They will also be able to step through the tomb’s doorway, recreated in realistic dimensions, which is impossible in the real world.
The immersive experience will allow visitors to explore the site and activate information points to learn more about the history and story of the tomb.
Hegra in the metaverse will play host to several virtual events including a version of the AlUla Moments season, which includes various tours and activities aimed at showcasing the natural beauty of the region.
“RCU’s entry into the metaverse is a groundbreaking development in innovation and virtual reality tourism that connects the whole world with the wonders of AlUla,” said Amr Al-Madani, CEO of RCU.
“As the custodians of a unique culture, fascinating heritage and ancient traditions, the adoption of the latest technologies represents the next exciting step for RCU’s commitment to empower AlUla’s regeneration — moving from the physical to the digital realm and accessible to everyone, everywhere,” he added.
The move is part of KSA’s Vision 2030 National Transformation Program, which aims to empower technological development and innovation.
Frog, a global creative consultancy, was appointed to develop and facilitate Hegra’s debut in the metaverse and support the RCU’s innovation strategy across the Kingdom.