Google algorithm removed 170 million fake reviews
Google rolled out a new algorithm last year to fight fake reviews in Google Search and Maps better.
The new algorithm intercepted 45 per cent more fake reviews last year than in 2022. A total of 170 million reviews that violated terms and conditions were removed in the previous year.
In addit... Read more
“Amazon manipulated prices with secret algorithm”
The FTC's recent competition case against Amazon has produced an unexpected by-product. The tech giant allegedly used a secret algorithm, Project Nessie, to artificially inflate its prices.
A recent copy of court documents on the FTC's antitrust case against Amazon reveals more information about... Read more
Researchers foil MitM attack on military robots with algorithm
Australian researchers at UniSA University have succeeded in preventing Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks on autonomous military robots. They did so using an algorithm that taught the robot to detect MitM attacks.
In the experiment, researchers from Australian universities succeeded in preventing... Read more
Google presents algorithm that protects passkeys from quantum attacks
Google has developed a Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithm against quantum computing attacks on FIDO2 encryption. It's known as a "hybrid PQC" algorithm.
The FIDO2 encryption standard is just about the most secure way to log in without a password. It uses a strong form of built-in two-fact... Read more
Meta’s AI-powered audio codec makes files ten times smaller than MP3
Meta announced EnCodec, an AI-powered audio compression method that has the ability to make audio up to ten times smaller than MP3 without compromising on quality.
Meta said its technology enhances the sound quality of speech on low-bandwidth connections, such as cellphone calls in suboptimal ne... Read more
Google’s AI update will improve the quality of search result snippets
Google says it is implementing an under-the-hood modification that will enhance consumers' responses in the snippets box at the top of search results pages.
If you've ever Googled something and received a little information box showcasing the top result, you've come across one of Google's 'featu... Read more
‘Virtual assistant Alexa gives hazardous advice’
A recent incident reveals that Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa can encourage users to perform dangerous actions. According to The Verge, Alexa encouraged a child to hold a coin against the exposed contacts of a powered phone charger after being asked to cite a 'fun challenge'.
After the child i... Read more
Google fined in France over misleading rating system for hotels
Google has been fined €1.1 million over misleading star ratings for hotels in France. The company has agreed to pay the fine after it had been applying its own algorithm-driven system of ratings for hotels applied on its search engine and Google Maps.
However, back in 2019, several complaints ... Read more
‘Microsoft faces immense challenge if it partially acquires TikTok’
The potential acquisition of elements of TikTok by Microsoft will be difficult. The social network shares a lot of resources with other applications of TikTok's parent company ByteDance.
Microsoft plans on purchasing only part of the social network: the United States, Canada, Australia and New Z... Read more
Researchers create an algorithm for forecasting COVID-19 outbreaks
A team of researchers has come up with an algorithm that can be used to analyse Google searches and tweets to forecast COVID-19 outbreaks.
The team, steered by Harvard scientists Nicole Kogan and Mauricio Santillana, presented the algorithm in a journal submitted last Thursday to the arXiv scien... Read more