Google appears to have an interesting relationship with the U.S. government. And it boils down to one thing: privacy. On the one hand, the company’s Transparency Report tool makes the government’s requests for citizen’s information transparent. On the other hand, Google’s own privacy policies will now be monitored twice a year, for the next 20 years, by the Federal Trade Commission. READ MORE
BuyWithMe has discovered that acquisition as a growth strategy does not always work. The No. 3 daily deals site behind Groupon and Living Social has laid off the bulk of its staff in what is described as a “last ditch effort” to sell the company, according to the firm’s former marketing director Ian Boschen. READ MORE
Millennial Media, a mobile advertising company, has released a report on impression share in the mobile ad market for August. Android led the industry with a 54 percent share of total impressions. Millennial combined data for tablets, smartphones, and other connected devices for its report. Apples iOS commanded 28 percent of impressions. READ MORE
Facebook, Google and Apple use facial recognition to automatically recognize people in photos and the technology is increasingly being used in other ways, such as in billboards that target ads based on who’s walking by. But is this technology good, or bad? Is it an invasion of privacy, or is it something consumers can benefit from? READ MORE
YouTube last night launched a service that converts existing uploaded videos to 3D. READ MORE
Google will soon attach its +1 button to web and mobile display advertisements. The feature will begin to appear on ads in early October, the company has said. The company may be wagering that Google+, which has not caught on as an alternative to Facebook, may draw in some new members by catering to brands. READ MORE
The press and public reaction to many high profile hacks–think Sony, or the Pentagon–is that the breaches are embarrassments at best or setbacks at worst. But hacks can have grievous real-world consequences for companies, as Dutch certificate authority DigiNotar proved this week when it filed for bankruptcy after finding itself unable to recover from the consequences of a massive hack it suffered this summer. READ MORE
It’s not every company that provides spin on what a top executive says before he says it, but Google did just that on Wednesday morning, releasing a “guide” to the Senate Judiciary hearing later that day. READ MORE
If you’ve been on Google.com today you may just possibly have noticed a gigantic blue arrow that drew itself across your screen and pointed ever-so-subtly to the Google+ link on the black bar across the top of the page. That’s Google’s unassuming way of telling the world that you no longer need an invitation to join G+–everyone everywhere is welcome, so come on in. READ MORE
Google Wallet launched yesterday but with only the Nexus S 4G handset supported so far and no mention of the NFC sticker system revealed last May, reports SlashGear. The stickers were originally intended as a workaround for those without the WiMAX Android phone but now Google’s Wallet site and the official launch announcement are conspicuously vague on the stickers. READ MORE
