Google and Facebook: voracious giants with the power to create the future

The internet powerhouses are using their billions to challenge in sectors far removed from their original business modelsThe webs biggest consumer companies make the bulk of their incomes, and have built up vast assets, from targeted advertising. It accounts for around 90% of Facebooks revenue and much the same for Google. By supporting a vast range of services that variously offer search, chat, email, file storage, video and photo-sharing, they can track every nuance of online activity, preference and behaviour, targeting and adapting advertising and services.Yet with such a simple and lucrative core business, Facebook and Google are investing significant sums in new, exploratory and seemingly unrelated technologies. Facebook astonished the industry with its $2bn acquisition of Oculus Rift, a promising but niche and untested virtual reality headset. Google X, the companys notionally secretive experimental wing, has bought 14 specialist startups since March 2013, covering robotics, machine learning and gesture recognition, but has also been developing Googles self-driving car project, the augmented reality Google Glass headset and Project Loon, which is developing ways of using a network of balloons in the stratosphere to bring internet connectivity to developing regions. Why? Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #oculus rift #machine learning

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Google and Facebook: voracious giants with the power to create the future'


Facebook is changing licensing terms for Watch shows, creating a dilemma for publishers

Facebook is increasingly seeking to buy publishers' shows outright for its Watch video tab, which would limit the money publishers could make from the platform. The post Facebook is changing licensing terms for Watch shows, creating a dilemma for publishers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cheatsheet: How Europe is moving to regulate Google and Facebook

Publishers are in a zero-sum tussle with Facebook and Google; it’s no secret they need a bit of assistance. The post Cheatsheet: How Europe is moving to regulate Google and Facebook appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Australia investigates Facebook and Google over media impact

Internet giants may be trying to make nice with publishers, but that's not completely reassuring to Australian regulators. The country's Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is investigating Facebook, Google and other "digital platform provide... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Government considers classifying Google and Facebook as publishers

Culture secretary says internet firms may have legal status changed amid concerns about copyright and extremist materialKaren Bradley, the culture secretary, has said the government is considering changing the legal status of Google, Facebook and other internet companies amid growing concerns... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ofcom chair raises prospect of regulation for Google and Facebook

Patricia Hodgson says she believes sites could be classified as publishers, as businesses face pressure over fake newsThe chairman of the media regulator Ofcom has said she believes internet businesses such as Google and Facebook are publishers, raising the prospect that they could eventually... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some publishers give Facebook and Google visitors a worse user experience

Some publishers show more pop-ups, autoplay ads and content recommendation ads to flyby readers. The post Some publishers give Facebook and Google visitors a worse user experience appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Turning off retargeting could hurt publishers and empower Google, Facebook

If users could opt out of retargeting with a single click, it could have ripple effects throughout the ad and media industries. The post Turning off retargeting could hurt publishers and empower Google, Facebook appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘It is harder to differentiate in the platforms’: Publishers want more data, monetization options from Facebook, Google and Apple

Publishers said they want more data sharing, better subscription options and greater flexibility in how articles and ads can be designed within distributed platforms. The post ‘It is harder to differentiate in the platforms’: Publishers want more data, monetization options from Facebook, Google... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google, Like Facebook, Unfurls Subscription Tool for Publishers

Alphabet's Google is developing new tools designed to boost subscriptions for news publishers. It follows a similar olive branch from Facebook to an industry that has seen the digital behemoths take over the online advertising market.Google's latest foray arrives on three fronts. The first is a... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Media Alliance targets Facebook and Google in fight against fake news

Alliance of 2,000 organizations says the two companies’ dominance in online advertising and traffic has created an unsustainable future for journalismNews outlets are seeking permission from the US Congress for the right to negotiate jointly with Google and Facebook, two companies that dominate... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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French publishers are joining forces to take on Google and Facebook

Le Monde and Le Figaro have paired up to offer a scaled digital ad proposition, and 15 other publishers are pooling audience data to rival the duopoly. The post French publishers are joining forces to take on Google and Facebook appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newspapers seek antitrust exemption to band together in fight against Google and Facebook

For years, news organizations have had little recourse but to cede more distribution and advertising dollars to Facebook and Google, even agreeing to give away articles in the hopes the wider digital audience will pay off in the long run. But as profits continue to decline in journalism, news... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal Are Coming Together to Fight Facebook and Google

As publishers continue to give Facebook and Google more ad dollars and control over distribution, a group of outlets including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, Tronc and smaller newspapers are banding together. The News Media Alliance--a trade organization that... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For Axios, Apple News beats Google AMP and Facebook Instant Articles

At a time when premium publishers have pulled out of Facebook Instant Articles, Apple is showing that it is open to creating custom units for publishers. The post For Axios, Apple News beats Google AMP and Facebook Instant Articles appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Strength in Numbers: Publishers Team Up in Fight Against Google and Facebook

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[ Advertising Age | 2017-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Advertisers should follow Vodafone's lead after Facebook and Google failures | Nils Pratley

Telecoms giant is right to stop relying on social media titans to stop its adverts appearing next to inappropriate contentAbout time too: a major advertiser has become so frustrated with Facebook and Google’s limp attempts to police the content they publish that it has taken matters into its own... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Just Lost a Big Battle to Google for Publishers

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[ Advertising Age | 2017-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fake news or not, the future belongs to Facebook

Imagine the forecasters are right, and that print will die and social media rises to domination. What would the 2042 general election be like then?It was the week when the fake news furore went legacy-viral. Facebook bought full-page print ads in national dailies featuring 10 tips for spotting... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Families of San Bernardino attack victims accuse Facebook, Google and Twitter of aiding terrorism in lawsuit

Relatives of the victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Twitter, Google and Facebook, accusing the tech giants of knowingly supporting Islamic State and its extremist agenda. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Could Google and Facebook’s Challengers Steal Away Ad Budgets by Working Together on Metrics?

In an Adweek magazine feature story this week about Facebook's and Google's metrics issues, Treasure Data CMO Kiyoto Tamura offered what seemed like a novel idea. What if Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest worked together--perhaps with either the Advertising Research Foundation or the Interactive... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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