Google’s Chrome browser has added a new feature that could go a long way in preventing a form of account takeover that’s grown increasingly common as users adopt two-factor authentication, passkeys, and similar protections.
The new Chrome protection is known as device-bound session credentials (DBSCs). The measure stores a unique encryption key in a silicon-resident fortress that’s built into the device running the browser. On Windows machines, this fortress is called a TPM, short for Trusted Platform Module. On macOS and iOS, it’s known as a secure enclave. Other platforms have differing names. Recently released versions of Chrome for Windows and macOS generate a key that’s stored in this fortress.
DBSCs protect against the theft of session cookies, the unique strings of characters that websites store on browsers. Session cookies greatly speed up browsing on sensitive sites that require user authentication. Instead of requiring the exchange of credentials each time a user opens a new site page, the server sets a session cookie that effectively proves the user has already successfully logged in.
© Getty Images
Google began offering third-party app store downloads in the Play Store earlier this week, but US District Judge James Donato says the company isn't doing enough. After reviewing the process for accessing the first non-Google store, Donato ruled that Google has added unnecessary "anticompetitive friction," ordering the company to rectify the issues.
While Epic and Google are patching things up with a global partnership agreement, the two are still on opposite sides of the antitrust case in the US. Google lost the case in 2023, and the intervening years have been about determining how to implement remedies to address Google's anticompetitive behavior. One of the court's key elements is the requirement that Google include third-party app stores in the Play Store, giving users an easy way to get apps from non-Google sources. Aptoide Games became the first such app store recently.
However, Google worked hard to avoid this outcome, attempting to settle with Epic to keep third-party app stores out. When it was forced to admit the Aptoide store under the terms of the ruling, Google didn't exactly put up a banner welcoming third-party app stores. In fact, Judge Donato found in a Thursday hearing that Google's implementation was not good enough, according to The Verge.
Google has revealed its Pixel phone hardware for 2026, and you won't be surprised. The Pixel 11 series looks a lot like last year's lineup, featuring an evolution of the design Google adopted with the Pixel 9. There are some minor tweaks, a few new hardware goodies, and yes, even more Gemini-powered AI. The new phones are joined by an updated Pixel Watch 5 with much the same story, as well as Google's first in-house tracker device, the Pixel Tag. And you can place orders for all of Google's new hardware today.
The Pixel 11 series is clearly the star of the show. You might even call it the highlight—or HiLight. Just as the leaks predicted, Google's most notable hardware innovation for the 2026 Pixel phones is the return of the notification LED (sort of).
The new HiLight feature is available on the Pro phones, so the base model Pixel will remain unilluminated. HiLight consists of a ring of RGB LEDs inside the flash assembly on the back of the phone. It lights up when you're talking to Gemini, so you don't have to look at the screen of your phone to know you've been heard or that the AI is working. Thus, it makes the most sense when the phone is lying face down.
In 2018, 20,000 Google employees worldwide made headlines when they staged a walkout to protest how the company had handled sexual misconduct allegations against key corporate executives, among other grievances. One of the organizers was Claire Stapleton, a communications specialist whose distinctive voice and ability to channel the corporate ethos had once earned her the internal moniker "Bard of Google."
Six months later, a disillusioned Stapleton resigned, claiming she had been demoted during the most recent restructuring as retaliation for helping to spearhead the walkout. The story of how she went from enthusiastic cheerleader to proactive dissident, and the many lessons she learned along the way, are featured in her new book, Don't Be Evil: Bad Bosses, Fake Promises, and My Escape from Big Tech—A Biting Memoir of Twelve Years Inside Google.
Stapleton didn't set out to be a rabble-rouser. When she joined Google out of college in 2007, it was like "getting the golden ticket in Willy Wonka," she told Ars. Awareness of her good fortune offset any initial uneasiness or skepticism, although Stapleton was sufficiently independent-minded not to move into what was then Google's new corporate housing development in Mountain View, California. Stapleton was very good at her job, and she quickly moved up the ranks, playing a key role in shaping the company's public image.
© Alex Tai | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Bad news for anyone seeking a job in this AI-infested hiring hellscape: not even Google’s top AI lab can figure it out.
That’s according to an HR memo viewed by Bloomberg, encouraging job-seekers to fill out a special AI-proof form on top of their standard application so that a “real human” will know they applied.
The document, which contains the delicious disclaimer “PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS DOC WIDELY,” is ironically the product of Google DeepMind’s AGI Safety and Alignment Team. Taken at face value, it pretty blatantly admits that whatever AI-integrated hiring software the lab uses to review candidates has been dumping CVs straight into the garbage.
“We have an applications system with a non-trivial probability your CV will be screened out incorrectly or take too long to reach us,” the memo explains. “Filling out this form makes sure that a real human on the team will get to see your application.”
Even in the face of the memo, a spokesperson for Google’s DeepMind project insisted to Bloomberg that the company’s AI hiring software is working just fine.
“This team set up a special form to go past the recruiter review, and get their resumes direct to the people on the team,” the spokesperson said. “But there are no shortcuts to getting hired.”
All told, it’s a wild admission from any Google division, not to mention its flagship AI research hub. For the DeepMind crew, specifically, to throw up their hands and invent a workaround to sneak past the company’s own AI hiring software is galling beyond words.
It’s safe to say AI slop has completely obliterated the digital hiring ecosystem millions depend on to find work — and if Google’s top AI minds can’t fix it, what hope do the rest of us have?
More on Google: Google’s AI Is Telling Users That Flock Cameras Are Filled With Valuable Gold and Copper
The post Internal Google Document Reveals That Its HR AI Has Been Throwing Résumés From Qualified Applicants Straight Into the Trash appeared first on Futurism.
Since its earliest days, Google’s homepage has been iconic in its simplicity: a central text box and a big button labeled “Search.”
That’s now changing. As anticipated, many users are reporting that the “Search” button is no more, replaced by three buttons for various AI features: “Create images,” “Ask about files,” and “Brainstorm.”
These are placed next to the lingering “I’m feeling lucky” button, which survived the chopping block. A separate “AI Mode” button that’s existed inside the search bar for some time now still features as well. Some of the options, like “Create images,” were already featured on the home page of the Google app.
The change was first spotted on Monday by search engine experts. You can still perform a regular Google search — which are already pretty AI-laden — by hitting enter. But it’s clear that Google is further experimenting with its AI-centric vision for navigating the internet, though there’s a distinct sense of caution about how far the tech giant is willing to go.
Google Search’s vice president of product Robby Stein confirmed that this was a “small test.”
“This is a small test on desktop to help people find new things they can do with Search,” he wrote in a post on X. “No impact to how the core search box works.”
In May, Google teased an “intelligent” search box that expands into an chatbot-like experience as you type. It came loaded with AI features, including the ability to recruit AI agents to automate searches and an autocomplete feature to help finish your thoughts.
The biggest change, however, was that the revamped search box showed conversational answers instead of Google’s classic “ten blue links” to other websites.
Experts viewed this as a threat to the open web. Instead of encouraging users to visit other websites, Google’s AI was pilfering and summarizing content into a single contained window. In the long run, this could starve websites of the much needed traffic they need to survive. This was already happening as more people turn to AI chatbots to get their answers instead of a search engine, causing some websites to start using ads that cater to robotic visitors.
Still, heavily AI-infused though it may be, the old-fashioned search hasn’t been completely replaced by Google — yet.
More on AI: AI Investors Are Suddenly Quaking in Their Boots
The post Google Just Updated Its Home Page to Replace the “Search” Button With a Bunch of AI appeared first on Futurism.
Fomos procurar quais os smartphones com as melhores câmaras à venda em Portugal, dividindo-os em duas categorias, sem limite de preço e até 500 euros. Explicamos também quais os critérios que deve ter em contra na hora de escolher.
The post Dos modelos premium aos mais “económicos”: 12 smartphones com as melhores câmaras que pode comprar em Portugal appeared first on Tek Notícias.
Earlier this summer, Amazon customers began noticing that emails related to their online orders looked sparse: Order confirmation emails didn't name specific items anymore, and instead listed only item categories.
"Your Beauty item is confirmed!" an email about my retainer cleaning tablets read. Shoppers have posted other iterations of the redacted emails as well: "Ordered: 1 Hardware item," "Your Drugstore, Shoes, and other items are here!" and "1 Nutrition & Wellness, 1 Wireless Accessories," for example. The emails have clip art-style illustrations of general product categories, and a shopper has to exit their email and go to Amazon to …
Also: Google executives jump ship in race for AI dominance
Hello, TechScape readers! Danielle Abril, editor of the Guardian’s Reworked series on AI and the future of work, filling in for Blake Montgomery this week. Major legal battles against Meta over child safety are playing out in courts across the US – and the tech giant is losing. Recent rulings raise big questions about social media companies’ responsibility to their youngest users. Meanwhile, more key executives have jumped ship from Google as it battles OpenAI and Anthropic in the race for AI dominance, and Meta’s smart glasses face a fearsome backlash. Let’s dig in!
‘I’ve definitely lost followers’: influencers face backlash over Meta ‘pervert glasses’ content
Tell us: do you believe you have been filmed by Meta’s smartglasses without your consent?
Restaurants, pubs and theatres ban Meta’s ‘spy glasses’ over privacy fears
‘I’m not spying’: how Meta’s smartglasses have divided opinion
Bernie Sanders calls on Silicon Valley to ‘pause AI development’ in interest of humanity
Rising number of UK children report seeing explicit deepfakes of themselves
The White House’s plan to vet potentially dangerous AI is cloaked in secrecy
‘This is very real redlining’: outrage in Little Rock as two datacenters loom
Safety fears as scientists make first viruses designed by AI
SpaceX beats revenue expectations in first earnings report after IPO crash
Continue reading...
© Photograph: Jill Connelly/Getty Images
© Photograph: Jill Connelly/Getty Images
© Photograph: Jill Connelly/Getty Images
Gemini è di nuovo al centro dell'attenzione per un comportamento che diversi utenti Android, compresi alcuni proprietari di smartphone Pixel, ritengono tutt'altro che normale. In alcuni casi l'assistente AI di Google avrebbe iniziato a rispondere a conversazioni che avvenivano nelle vicinanze del telefono, senza che nessuno lo avesse chiamato in causa o avesse pronunciato una richiesta. La segnalazione più lampante che possiamo individuare su Reddit riguarda un Pixel 9a: il proprietario era in macchina con un amico e, mentre i due parlavano, Gemini è intervenuto con una risposta legata proprio a ciò che stavano dicendo.
Non si sarebbe quindi trattato della classica attivazione accidentale provocata da una parola pronunciata per caso. La risposta ricevuta da Gemini era pertinente al discorso, circostanza che ha fatto pensare ad un'elaborazione del contenuto della conversazione e non alla semplice attesa del comando vocale.
Tutto sembra collegato alle modalità di guida di Google Maps e Waze. Stando alle segnalazioni raccolte dagli utenti, Google avrebbe modificato recentemente l'impostazione che consente di utilizzare Gemini in vivavoce durante la guida, arrivando ad attivarla anche su dispositivi nei quali era disabilitata. Alcune persone sostengono infatti di aver controllato l'opzione e di averla trovata nuovamente abilitata, senza il loro consenso.
a 361 euro.Google avrebbe in canna una novità piuttosto importante per Gemini Notebook (ex NotebookLM), ossia la possibilità cioè di prendere le fonti raccolte in un notebook e trasformarle in una piccola app interattiva. La funzione è stata individuata da TestingCatalog all'interno del pannello Studio, dove è comparsa una nuova voce chiamata semplicemente “App”, accanto ad altre funzioni ancora non distribuite come Canvas e Lit Review.
Il funzionamento sembra abbastanza immediato. L'utente parte dai documenti e dalle fonti presenti nel notebook, inserisce un prompt e lascia a Gemini il compito di costruire qualcosa di utilizzabile, per esempio una dashboard, uno strumento per studiare o persino un piccolo gioco basato sul contenuto di un libro. Sarebbe un passo non banale per Gemini Notebook, finora Google ha puntato soprattutto sulla trasformazione delle fonti in contenuti da consultare: Audio e Video Overview, infografiche, presentazioni, flashcard e tabelle. Con App il risultato diventerebbe invece qualcosa con cui interagire, non solo quindi da leggere o da guardare.
Un indizio tecnico è arrivato già nelle ultime settimane. Google ha esteso agli utenti AI Pro sul web l'accesso a un computer cloud isolato per ciascun notebook, ambiente in grado di eseguire codice sulle fonti caricate. Proprio questo tipo di infrastruttura potrebbe rappresentare la base necessaria per far funzionare le applicazioni generate. Ci sono altre novità in sviluppo. Google sta lavorando anche sulle AI Notes, con la possibilità sia di far creare al modello una nota che di aggiungerne una manualmente. È comparso inoltre un controllo relativo ai watermark, che potrebbe gestire il branding Google applicato ai contenuti esportati come video, slide o infografiche, ma il funzionamento non è ancora del tutto chiaro.
Google’s upcoming Pixel 11 Pro XL has reportedly appeared on Geekbench 7, revealing early performance details of the company’s next-generation Tensor G6 chipset. While the new processor is expected to bring improvements in efficiency and AI capabilities, the leaked benchmark results suggest that raw performance gains may be relatively modest compared with the previous-generation Tensor G5.
According to Igeekphone, the Pixel 11 Pro XL and other Pixel 11 series models are expected to be unveiled at Google’s annual Made by Google event on August 12. Ahead of the official announcement, benchmark information has provided the first look at the performance of Google’s upcoming flagship processor.
The Geekbench 7 listing reportedly shows that the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL achieved:
These results represent the first known real-world benchmark scores for the Tensor G6 chipset, which has previously appeared only through leaks and industry reports.
The benchmark listing also confirms that the tested device is equipped with:
While benchmark results do not reveal every aspect of real-world performance, they provide an early indication of the processing capabilities of Google’s next flagship smartphone platform.
According to the Geekbench database information, the Tensor G6 appears to use a seven-core CPU architecture consisting of three core clusters.
The reported configuration includes:
The listing does not confirm whether the Tensor G6 is manufactured using a 2nm process technology, despite previous reports suggesting that Google could become one of the first smartphone manufacturers to adopt a 2nm Tensor chip.
Although the Tensor G6 represents a new generation of Google’s custom smartphone chipset, the leaked benchmark results suggest that the performance improvement may not be dramatic.
For comparison, the previous-generation Pixel 10 Pro’s Tensor G5 reportedly achieved:
Compared with those numbers, the Tensor G6 appears to offer a small increase in single-core performance but a lower multi-core score in this early Geekbench test.
If the leaked results are accurate, the Pixel 11 Pro XL may not deliver a major upgrade in traditional computing performance. Instead, Google may continue focusing on areas where Tensor chips have historically stood out, such as artificial intelligence processing, photography enhancements, and software optimization.
The Pixel 11 series has previously appeared in Geekbench databases as well.
Earlier testing of the standard Pixel 11 model reportedly showed:
That listing also indicated a seven-core Tensor G6 architecture, although the performance results were significantly lower than the Pixel 11 Pro XL benchmark.
Differences between models could be related to software optimization, testing conditions, clock speeds, or hardware configurations.
Google’s Tensor processors have traditionally prioritized artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities rather than competing directly with flagship chips from Qualcomm and Apple in raw benchmark performance.
The Tensor G6 is expected to bring improvements in areas such as:
For Pixel users, these software-driven improvements may be more noticeable in daily use than benchmark score increases.
Google is expected to officially introduce the Pixel 11 series along with the Pixel Watch 5 during the upcoming Made by Google event on August 12.
The Pixel 11 lineup is expected to include multiple models, including:
The Pixel 11 Pro XL is expected to serve as the top-tier model, featuring the largest display, highest memory configuration, and the most advanced camera system in the lineup.
The leaked Geekbench results for the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL suggest that the upcoming Tensor G6 chipset may deliver only moderate improvements in traditional processing power. While the move to a newer architecture and potential 2nm manufacturing process could improve efficiency, the benchmark numbers indicate that Google is not necessarily chasing the highest raw performance scores in the smartphone market.
Instead, the Pixel 11 series is likely to continue Google’s strategy of combining custom hardware with advanced AI software experiences. For potential buyers, the most important upgrades may come from new AI features, camera improvements, and software innovations rather than a major leap in benchmark performance.
The post Google Pixel 11 Pro XL Geekbench Scores Leak: Tensor G6 Shows Limited Performance Gains appeared first on IGeeKphone China Phone, Tablet PC, VR, RC Drone News, Reviews.
O 9.º Tribunal de Recurso dos EUA recusou ontem o recurso das empresas tecnológicas, concluindo que a Secção 230 oferece uma defesa de responsabilidade, e não imunidade total. O julgamento que envolve 29 procuradores-gerais estatais começa esta quarta-feira em Oakland.
The post Tribunal dos EUA obriga Meta, TikTok, Google e Snapchat a enfrentar mais de 3.000 processos judiciais por dependência das redes sociais appeared first on Tek Notícias.
Conheça o novo Pixel 11 Pro da Google, com teaser que destaca design e promete inovação no lançamento.
O post Google revela teaser do Pixel 11 Pro antes do lançamento oficial apareceu primeiro em Blog do Edivaldo - Informações e Notícias sobre Linux.
A Aptoide Games é uma das primeiras lojas de terceiros aprovadas para distribuição através Play Store da Google nos Estados Unidos. De acordo com a empresa portuguesa, o novo enquadramento representa uma “evolução significativa no ecossistema Android”.
The post Play Store abre a porta a lojas de apps de terceiros nos EUA. Portuguesa Aptoide regressa à plataforma da Google appeared first on Tek Notícias.
Login