• Was Google Rigging Search Results?
    Google has reportedly been burying mobile search results for rivals like Yelp and TripAdvisor. “It looked like a flagrant reversal of Google’s stated position on search, and a move to edge out rivals,” Re/code writes. “Nope, it’s a bug, claims Google.” Said a Google spokeswoman: “The issues cited were caused by a recent code push, which we’re working quickly to fix.”
  • Google Updated Transparency Report
    Google just updated its Transparency Report with additional examples of "right to be forgotten" requests it has received. "The cases make it clear that Google has to balance fairness to the individual against the wider public interest," 9To5Google reports. "For example, while it might agree to remove decades-old information about private individuals, it refused to do so for a public figure in Hungary."
  • Alphabet To Make Subsidiaries More Accountable
    The new accounting structure will require Alphabet subsidiaries such as Google X, Google Fiber and Google Life Sciences to pay for using corporate services such as computing, recruiting and marketing, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter. The holding company wants to make its companies more accountable.
  • Search Warrants Force Tech Companies To Turn Over Search, Mobile, Social Data
    Apple and Google have been one of the biggest proponents of keeping mobile data safe, but sometimes law enforcement needs access to emails, social posts, location data, and text messages. A New York County district attorney report argues that Google and Apple should give law enforcement access to user smartphone data, and in a report details the methods for extracting information from smartphones and other Android or iOS devices with or without the owner's permission when served a search warrant. The report suggests Apple can reset a locked phone with physical access to the device, and Google can do a …
  • Bing Adds Camera View To Maps
    Bing reports adding more than 35,000 traffic cameras across 11 different countries in Bing Maps. Turn on the traffic layer by clicking on the traffic icon in Maps to see them. While it started as a data experiment, the tool allows viewers to zoom into an area when cameras are available.
  • Google Search Takedown Requests Rise To An Estimated 1,500 Links Per Minute
    Copyright holders continue to flood Google with DMCA takedown notices, asking the company to delete links to pirated content. TorrentFreak estimates the number of reported takedown requests translates into 1,500 links per minute, or 25 per second, doubling the amount handled last year around the same time. The media reports suggests that many links point to pirated content. The associated links are often swiftly removed from Google’s search results, but with the massive volume of reports coming in, mistakes and duplicate requests are also common.
  • Google Tests Mortgage Comparison Tool
    In partnership with Zillow and LendingTree, Google just launched a mortgage comparison tool for home shoppers in California, with support for more states in the works. “It’s worth noting that this isn’t just a public service for consumers,” TechCrunch notes. “This is a commercial product.”
  • Google Releases Android Studio 2.0
    Google just announced the second major version of its integrated development environment, Android Studio 2.0. “Version 2.0 adds Instant Run, a faster Android emulator, and a new GPU profiler,” Venture Beat reports. “The latest release isn’t yet ready for all developers, but you can get a preview of the first feature now in the Canary channel.”
  • Bing Launches Global Elite SMB Partner Program
    Bing launched a global program for partners who have proven their competence in bringing success to small-and-medium size businesses. The partners are among the chosen few who have an in-depth understanding of search advertising and Bing Ads solutions. Force Marketing is among those participating in the program.
  • How Affiliate Marketing Sidesteps Ad Blocking
    Affiliate marketing is when a publisher drives traffic to an ecommerce site in return for commission if those visitors take a specific action within a set time. Many times the traffic comes from publishers, and sometimes from Amazon, eBay and other marketplaces. A search or a click on a retail or publisher's site will trigger the on-site ad, which as search marketers know has moved from a mostly text media to text and images. Jack Simpson believes it's one way to circumvent ad blocking on publisher sites. He details how it works, and offers up tips on using the media during the holiday season.  …
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