• Google Boosts Translation Services In India
    Google this week is rolling out several Translate and language-focused updates for Chrome and Search in India. “First announced last year,” as 9To5Google reports, “neural machine translation now works between English and nine widely used Indian languages: Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam and Kannada.”
  • HTTPS Accounts For Half Of Page-One Google Search Results
    Half of page one search query results on google.com are secure, which means that searchers should see a "https" lead off in the browser URL address, according to Peter Myers. In a blog post he writes that the data suggests that "HTTPS could hit about 65% of page-1 results by the end of 2017. In the post, he also lists the top 20 domain names and highlights the companies that have yet to make the switch.
  • Apple To Cut Affiliate Commissions To 2.5%
    TechCrunch reports that Apple sent an email to members of the App Store affiliate program letting them know that it will cut App Store commissions from 7% to 2.5% on May 1, 2017. The cut means a lot less profit for those apps selling for pennies on the dollar. Apple gives back a small cut to its affiliate partner when consumers buy an app and developers get about 70% of the sale. 
  • Inside Google's War On 'Bad' Content
    Wired investigates Google’s ad quality program, which, at the moment, consists mostly of people teaching computers how to spot inappropriate YouTube content. “Google still depends on a phalanx of human workers to identify and flag offensive material to build the trove of data its AI will learn from,” it writes. Among other problems, however, “Poor communication with Google and a lack of job stability are impairing their ability to do their jobs well.”
  • Google Adds TV inventory To DoubleClick Bid Manager
    Stateside, Google is adding TV inventory to DoubleClick Bid Manager, Marketing Land reports. “The new offering … taps inventory sources from WideOrbit, clypd and Google Fiber, the company’s own high-speed internet service,” it writes. “Google Fiber offers access to addressable local inventory on cable networks; WideOrbit from local affiliates; and clypd from national broadcast and cable networks.”
  • Google Promotes Peace In UK
    In the UK, Google is using YouTube and “Internet Citizens” workshops to promote peace and tolerance among young people. “It’s promised that the workshops -- hosted by YouTubers Nadir Nahdi, Alain Clapham, and Efe Ezekiel and created with the advice of the Metropolitan Police and the Active Change Foundation -- will teach teens how to deal with offensive speech, flag inappropriate content, and moderate comments.”
  • Google Buys Land Under Sports Page Bar & Grill
    The startup team at Google is said to have celebrated their successes at the North Bayshore neighborhood's Sports Page Bar & Grill, reports the Mountain View Voice. Now it seems that the land the bar sits on belongs to Google. "Google has finalized sale to buy the 0.87-acre site for $12 million," according to the media site. With sentimental value behind the deal, the bar's owner Rob Graham hopes the bar remains. He said that for now, the bar remains open for business.
  • Google Does Home-Delivery In India
    Google is getting into the food-delivery and home services business, in India. Named Areo, the new initiative, “aggregates ‘thousands of local goods and services,’ including ‘restaurants, providers, and chefs’ for food delivery, and ‘electricians, painters, cleaners, plumbers, and more’ for home maintenance,” 9To5Google reports.
  • Russia Reaches 100-Company Goal For 'Google Tax'
    Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, LinkedIn, Netflix, Bloomberg, the Financial Times, and Turkish payment service provider Payby.me, among others will start paying 18% value added tax (VAT), "known as the ‘Google tax’ in Russia," reports business daily Vedomosti. There are more than 100 companies that will pay the tax, per the media outlet. The registration service will enforce a VAT on the sale of virtual goods in Russia, which the country calls "Google tax."
  • Microsoft Adding Marketplace To Minecraft
    Microsoft is launching a new marketplace within Minecraft. Combined with a new “currency,” the effort is seen as “opening up the opportunity for businesses to sell their original content and creations to tens of millions of the game’s players,” Bloomberg writes. At launch, “nine businesses will be selling feature packs within Minecraft -- such as new storylines, in-game activities or landscapes to explore.”
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