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Showing posts from July, 2020

Stadia Savepoint: July updates

With July coming to a close, let’s take a look back at our latest Stadia Connect and some other updates we’ve brought to Stadia this month. In our Stadia Connect , we announced 16 new games and five exclusives on their way to players, representing titles from publishers including Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, 2K Games, Square Enix and Activision. With titles like Outcasters and Orcs Must Die! 3 that are Only on Stadia and exclusive for a limited time, plus new partnerships with Harmonix , Uppercut Games and Supermassive Games for upcoming games, we’re bringing an immense amount of content for players to look forward to. And if you want to try out our first Stadia Games and Entertainment title, Orcs Must Die! 3, click here to play instantly if you already own the game or are a Pro subscriber. As for other news in July, Stadia players created and played multiplayer games in Crayta and tore up the track in F1® 2020 , in addition to many other games now availab...

An update on Exposure Notifications

In May, we partnered with Apple to launch the Exposure Notifications System (ENS) and made it available to public health authorities around the world in their fight against COVID-19. The ENS allows public health authorities to develop apps that augment manual contact tracing efforts while preserving the privacy of their citizens. As of today, public health authorities have used ENS to launch in 16 countries and regions across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, with more apps currently under development.   In the United States, 20 states and territories—representing approximately 45 percent of the U.S. population—are exploring apps based on ENS. We expect to see the first set of these apps roll out over the coming weeks. The Association of Public Health Laboratories also announced recently that it will host a national key server to support all U.S. states, which will allow people with Exposure Notification apps to receive alerts even if they travel acro...

Take control of how data is used in Google Analytics

Rising consumer expectations and changing industry regulations have set higher standards for user privacy and data protection. This has led many businesses to revisit how they are managing data in their Google Analytics accounts. To help, Analytics provides businesses with a variety of features to control how their data is used. Here is an updated overview of controls in Analytics that govern how data is collected, stored, and used–all of which can be adjusted at any time. Three ways businesses can manage data in Google Analytics: Control the data settings in your account You can access various settings in your Analytics account to control how you collect, retain, and share data. Decide if you need to accept the Data Processing Terms. The optional Data Processing Terms are meant for businesses affected by the European Economic Area General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other similar regulations . Yo...

Updates on our work to improve user privacy in digital advertising

Privacy is core to our work at Google, and to our vision for a thriving internet where people around the world can continue to access ad-supported content, while also feeling confident that their data is protected. But in order to get there, we must increase transparency into how digital advertising works, offer users additional controls, and ensure that people’s choices about the use of their data are respected—not worked around or ignored.  Today we’re sharing updates on our work in these areas, including new tools that provide people more information about the ads they see. We’re also introducing new resources for marketers and publishers that offer guidance on how to navigate today’s privacy environment, along with real-world examples from brands and media companies who are delivering effective, privacy-forward ad experiences that use data responsibly. Greater transparency, more control For many years Google has offered a feature called Why this ad, where from an icon...

A digital exhibit to elevate Indigenous art

In March 2020, the 22nd Biennale of Sydney opened to wide acclaim—only to close after 10 days because of COVID-19. The Biennale has since physically reopened to limited audiences, but now, through a virtual exhibit on Google Arts & Culture , people all over the world can experience it.  This year’s Biennale is led by First Nations artists, and showcases work from marginalized communities around the world, under the artistic direction of the Indigenous Australian artist, Brook Andrew. It’s titled NIRIN—meaning “edge”—a word of Brook’s mother’s Nation, the Wiradjuri people of western New South Wales. To commemorate the opening of this unique exhibition, and learn more about its origins and purpose, we spoke with Jodie Polutele, Head of Communications and Community Engagement at the Biennale of Sydney. Tell us about the theme of this year’s exhibition.   NIRIN is historic in its focus on the unresolved nature of Australian and global colonial history...

Know who’s in the know: Get community updates in Maps

More than a billion people turn to Google Maps to navigate and explore the world and their communities. And thanks to the hundreds of millions people who contribute information to Google Maps each year—like the best takeaway dish to order at a local restaurant or a photo of a nearby park’s new open hours—people can get local recommendations and up-to-date information about where to go and what to do. We’re now making it easier to uncover community-powered updates and recommendations in Google Maps.    Last year we announced a Google Maps pilot feature that allowed people to follow select Local Guides , the everyday people who are passionate about sharing their experiences on Google Maps. It was exciting to see many of the Local Guides we invited in our initial pilot opt in and participate. Equally exciting was the interest we saw from many Google Maps users who began following top Local Guides to receive helpful recommendations about the places around them. Today w...

Do something new with whats.new

Last year, Google Registry released .new —a domain extension that lets businesses build novel shortcuts into their products. Since then, more than 200 .new domains have come to life, providing shortcuts to common tasks within popular services like Medium, Asana, GitHub and more. With all the .new domains available, you can easily replace menus and long URLs with short and memorable links—clicking less, and getting things done faster. To help you get the most out of the .new domains that have launched over the last few months, we’ve put together a collection of notable ones at whats.new . You can also browse all the .new shortcuts currently available by category . Here are just a few of our favorite shortcuts: The next time you need to convert a file into a PDF, try using pdf.new from Adobe Acrobat . All you need to do is drag and drop your document into their online PDF converter and watch it transform into a high-quality PDF that’s easy to share and looks great on any screen...

“Hey Google, let’s play a game” on your Smart Display

Google Assistant smart speakers have always been a great way to play voice-based games. Just say, “Hey Google, let’s play a game,” and within moments you’ll find yourself humming along to "Song Quiz," or testing your trivia skills with "Are You Feeling Lucky." With Smart Displays , like Nest Hub Max, you also have access to brand new games designed with visuals in mind. These games take full advantage of the screen, and combine with voice and touch controls for instant, easy fun. One of my favorite new games is “Guess the Drawing” by CoolGames, where you guess what’s being drawn on the screen as quickly as you can. Test your skills with new drawings every day, or compete real-time with other players in Party mode. Just say “Hey Google, let’s play Guess the Drawing” to get started. But that’s just my personal favorite; there are so many other games available on your Smart Display to try.  TV trivia, in your home For trivia die-hards, step up to the ...

To be a Google intern in 2020

I had been dealing with imposter syndrome for months. Since applying for an internship at Google, I questioned if my GPA was high enough, if they liked my interviews or if my application could stand out without going to an Ivy League school. After weeks of anticipation, I finally got the call from my recruiter. I received an offer to intern on the Global Communications and Public Affairs Team in the New York City office. And when I learned about my role telling stories on Google’s blog and social channels, I knew this was a perfect fit for me.  But in the weeks after I got that call in January, it seemed like the world was spiraling. COVID-19 hit the United States hard. The number of cases increased, students were evacuated from campus, stay-at-home orders were put in place—it was scary. I was worried about what would happen to my Google internship, and when another email from the recruiter came, my eyes scanned for the words “cancelled” and “postponed.” Luckily, I didn’t see th...

New ways to support Black-owned businesses

While working as an Entrepreneur-in-residence at Google from 2014 to 2016, I traveled across the country to help enhance the online presence of hundreds of Black-owned businesses. As a Black woman, entrepreneur and Googler, supporting Black-owned businesses and Black founders is my passion. Over the past few months, we’ve seen a surge in online searches for Black-owned businesses. It’s been inspiring to witness so many people look for ways to invest in the Black community. Now, we’re announcing three new ways to help support Black business owners.  Starting today, merchants in the U.S. with a verified Business Profile on Google can add a Black-owned business attribute to their profile, making it easier for customers to find and support them. As part of our $300 million commitment to support underrepresented entrepreneurs, we’re also integrating the attribute into the digital skills training programs we offer Black business owners through Grow with Google Digital Coaches. An...

Helping publishers manage consent with Funding Choices

Consent management, or the process of gathering and managing user privacy and data choices, has become increasingly important as more regions around the world enact privacy regulations. For publishers to continue funding their businesses with advertising, while respecting the privacy of their users, many are implementing a consent management solution. To help publishers gather and manage consent for the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and opt-out requests for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), we’re adding new features to Funding Choices, our Consent Management Platform (CMP). These new features allow publishers to communicate with users for GDPR and CCPA purposes, so that they can monetize their content online in a privacy-focused way. They also build on Funding Choices’ existing capabilities that enable publishers to recover revenue lost to ad blockers and seek user consent for ads personalization. Gather consent for GDPR with the IAB Europe's TC...

Meet Milwaukee: Visit the city with Google Arts & Culture

Did you know that Milwaukee is nicknamed the City of Festivals, and hosts 60 in the summer alone? Or that it was called the “Midwest’s Coolest and Most Underrated City” by Vogue? This summer, Visit Milwaukee is one of 16 institutions partnering with Google Arts & Culture to introduce the world to the Brew City . While our celebrations may look different, we’re bringing our festivities to you. From murals and manufacturing to breweries and fine art museums, here are five reasons you should visit our quirky, dynamic community :  1. The people Milwaukee is  alive . The moment you start speaking to Milwaukeeans you encounter people who are curious about the world around them and proud of their city. Radio Milwaukee offers a platform for all sorts of creatives, including  female poets  during National Poetry Month and high school musicians through their  music lab  with Grace Weber. Imagine MKE gives us a glimpse into the creative process of Milwauke...

Sundar Pichai’s testimony to the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust

Editor’s Note: Today the CEOs of Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook are testifying before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law. Read our CEO Sundar Pichai’s opening testimony below, describing how Google’s free products are helpful to people and small businesses, and how competition inspires us to innovate and create better products for everyone.  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Sensenbrenner, and members of the Subcommittee. Before I start, I know this hearing was delayed because of the ceremonies to honor the life of your colleague, Representative John Lewis. Because of his courage, this world is a better place. He’ll be deeply missed.  At its heart, a discussion about competition is a discussion about opportunity. This has never been more important, as the global pandemic poses dual challenges to our health and our economy.   Expanding access to opportunity through technology is personal to me. I di...