The Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google agreed to “cooperate and assist one another” in case of an inquiry into their pact to work together in online advertising.

The Journal report mentioned raw footage of the lawsuit filed by 10 states against Google last week.

Google was accused as it was working with Facebook in order to boost its already-dominant online advertising business in ways that dishonored antitrust law.

According to the report, the lawsuit said that Google and Facebook were aware that their agreement could set off antitrust investigations. 

According to a Google spokesperson, such agreements over antitrust threats are extremely common

When the journal reviewed the unedited draft version of the lawsuit, it said that Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg signed the deal with Google.

According to the report, The draft version was also seen to quote an email in which Sandberg told Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg and other executives that “this is a big deal strategically,” 

source: Reuters

Also Read:

MARK ZUCKERBERG ADMITS FACEBOOK USES SECRET TOOL TO TRACK USERS ACROSS INTERNET

FOUR EXTENSIONS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY ON GOOGLE MEET

FACEBOOK, TWITTER SUSPEND RUSSIAN NETWORK AHEAD OF ELECTION

GOOGLE MAPS NEW UPDATE MAKES THE APP MORE COMMUNITY FOCUSED

APPLE'S FIRST SELF-DESIGNED CHIP FOR MAC- M1

NEW HEADPHONE BY APPLE, COSTS MORE THAN IPHONE SE

In a blog, Google has announced that it is rolling out new features, making it easier for Chrome users to sync their passwords and payment information across devices. 

After you log into the browser with a Google account, Chrome on Android will be able to access saved payment information. Payments can be confirmed by entering a card's CVC or also by biometric security. One can easily log in to a Google Account on an Android device. A single tap will be enough for devices with pre-enabled Google services like Gmail, to sign in to the browser with a Google Account. 

Also, Chrome's desktop version is being updated. When you save a new password to a device, Chrome will ask you whether you want to save it on the device or to a Google Account. If you save the password in your Google account you can access the password from any of your devices. 

These features are already available in chrome via its sync features. But as the sync option needs to be turned on in every device it is a little problematic. The company claims that the new approach of signing into a browser with a Google Account makes it “simpler and more intuitive” to access your information.

source: the verge

Also Read:

HOW TO CHOOSE CURTAIN FOR YOUR ROOM?    

REECHA SHARMA- MY SKIN CARE ROUTINE IS PRETTY NORMAL AND SIMPLE    

GO SMS PRO IS LEAKING CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGES, DATA OF MILLIONS OF USERS EXPOSED    

NOKIA 3.4 LAUNCHED IN NEPAL - PRICE, SPECS AND AVAILABILITY    

XIAOMI BOUNCES BACK TO #1 POSITION IN THE SMARTPHONE MARKET IN NEPAL        

GM NEW BATTERIES CUT ELECTRIC CAR COSTS, INCREASE RANGE  

Alphabet’s Google took over European Unions' antitrust approval for its $2.1 billion bid for Fitbit( a company that produces wearable fitness trackers and watches ) after the tech titan agreed to conditions including not using health data from European users for advertising. 

When Google announced the acquisition in November 2019, Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh said that the Fitbit purchase was “an opportunity to invest even more in Wear OS as well as introduce Made by Google wearable devices into the market.” But regulators quickly got involved, and in August, they formally began investigating Google’s purchase of Fitbit over data privacy and antitrust concerns.

The deal had triggered criticism from privacy advocates on both sides of the Atlantic, consumer organizations, and Google rivals about the company’s market power and the use of people’s health data in targeted advertising.

Once Fitbit was a leader in the wearable devices market. But in recent years it has lost market share to Apple, Xiaomi, Samsung, and Huawei.

The European Commission said it had agreed on concessions with Google, valid for 10 years with the possibility of another 10-year extension, addressing competition concerns.

For the approval of the deal, Google has agreed to a number of concessions to ease EU concerns. Among the concessions, Google has agreed not to use Fitbit data, including GPS and health data, gathered from any user in the European Economic Area (EEA) for targeted advertising. Also, Google will store Fitbit user's data separately from Google's data used for advertising, and will not use data from Fitbit for GoogleAds. Users can store their health data either in their Google or Fitbit accounts.

The tech giant is said to maintain access to users’ health and fitness data to software applications through Fitbit Web API software, without charging for access. 

Google says that it believes this deal will encourage the innovation of wearable devices and enable them to build products that will help people lead healthier lives. 

Source: Reuters

Also Read:

GOOGLE PIXEL 5 LAUNCH ON SEPTEMBER 30

FOUR EXTENSIONS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY ON GOOGLE MEET

HOW TO FIX SLOW INTERNET CONNECTION?

SAMSUNG MAY DISCONTINUE HIGHEND GALAXY NOTE SMARTPHONES

ZOOM'S MOBILE AND DESKTOP APPS NOW SUPPORT TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

YOUTUBE MUSIC TO REPLACE GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC BY DECEMBER 2020