schmidt

Chinese internet leaders vow to ‘intensify control’ of social media

According to Reuters, state news agency Xinhua has reported technology company big wigs in China have agreed to work together to intensify controls on social media and halt the perceived “spread of harmful information” on the internet. Ten of the country’s top executives, including Sina Corp’s Charles Chao, Baidu’s Robin Li and Alibaba’s Jack Ma, took part in a three-day discussion held in Beijing and hosted by one of the country’s Internet regulators, the State Internet Information Office. The summit was held to discuss ways in which tech companies could work together to curb online gossip and rumours, pornography, fraud and other information which might be deemed harmful to the state – or in other words information deemed unacceptable to the ruling party. The companies which agreed to the crackdown plan to “strengthen self-control, self-restraint and strict self-discipline,” Xinhua news website said, according to The Register .

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Chinese internet leaders vow to ‘intensify control’ of social media

schmidt

Siri frightens Google

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt admitted that Apple’s virtual assistant Siri may have what it takes to give the search titan a run for its money. Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee over alleged anti-competition practices, Schmidt rebuked claims from competitors that the search engine “doesn’t play fair” while in the hot seat. In particular, Schmidt cited Apple’s newly launched virtual assistant Siri as fresh competition, noting it has been labelled a “Google killer” by some industry insiders. “History shows that popular technology is often supplanted by entirely new models. Even in the few weeks since the hearing, Apple has launched an entirely new approach to search technology with Siri,” Schmidt said . “Apple’s Siri is a significant development – a voice-activated means of accessing answers through iPhone demonstrates the innovations in search. Google has many strong competitors and we sometimes fail to anticipate the competitive threat posed by new methods of accessing information.” Apple’s Siri – which made its debut on the iPhone 4S – uses a microphone to turn voice commands into actions. Users can use Siri to send text messages, set reminders, check the weather and browse the web

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Siri frightens Google

schmidt

Google Announces Management Changes, CEO Eric Schmidt to Step Down

Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt announced on Thursday that he will be handing over day-to-day operations to co-founder Larry Page on April 4, 2011. In his new role, Schmidt will serve as the new Executive Chairman and continue his responsibility as the chairman of the board of directors. The search giant also announced that founding partner Sergey Brin will step in and focus his attention on strategic projects and new initiatives.

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Google Announces Management Changes, CEO Eric Schmidt to Step Down

schmidt

French Court Rules Google Guilty of Defamation

The AFP reports that Google and CEO Eric Schmidt have been convicted of defamation because of search results from its “suggest” feature, according to French legal affairs website legalis.net. According to Search Engine Land, this is the second time this year that Google has lost a lawsuit in France.

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French Court Rules Google Guilty of Defamation