cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36929877

Google abused its power by favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of its competitors, online advertisers and publishers.

As a result of Google's illegal practices, advertisers faced higher marketing costs which they likely passed on to European consumers in the form of higher prices for products and services. Google's tactics also reduced revenues for publishers, which may have led to lower service quality and higher subscription costs for consumers.

Google's abusive behaviour therefore had a negative impact on all European citizens in their day-to-day use of the web.

This is illegal under EU competition rules and therefore our decision orders Google to pay a fine of €2.95 billion.

In line with our usual practice, we increased Google's fine since this is the third time Google breaks the rules of the game. But a mere fine in this case is not enough to deliver real and tangible solutions for the market and to protect our consumers.

This is why we have also ordered Google to stop its illegal practices and to put an end to its inherent conflict of interests in the Adtech industry.

Google has 60 days to inform the Commission on how it plans to do so, and if it fails to propose a viable plan, the Commission will not hesitate to impose an appropriate remedy.

At this stage, it appears that the only way for Google to end its conflict of interest effectively is with a structural remedy, such as selling some part of its Adtech business.

Pro

2025-09-05 16:35:15

[JS Required] Google Fined 2.95-billion-euro ($3.45 billion) by EU Over Ad-Tech Business

::: spoiler Comments
- Hacker News.
:::

Google abused its power by favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of its competitors, online advertisers and publishers.

As a result of Google's illegal practices, advertisers faced higher marketing costs which they likely passed on to European consumers in the form of higher prices for products and services. Google's tactics also reduced revenues for publishers, which may have led to lower service quality and higher subscription costs for consumers.

Google's abusive behaviour therefore had a negative impact on all European citizens in their day-to-day use of the web.

This is illegal under EU competition rules and therefore our decision orders Google to pay a fine of €2.95 billion.

In line with our usual practice, we increased Google's fine since this is the third time Google breaks the rules of the game. But a mere fine in this case is not enough to deliver real and tangible solutions for the market and to protect our consumers.

This is why we have also ordered Google to stop its illegal practices and to put an end to its inherent conflict of interests in the Adtech industry.

Google has 60 days to inform the Commission on how it plans to do so, and if it fails to propose a viable plan, the Commission will not hesitate to impose an appropriate remedy.

At this stage, it appears that the only way for Google to end its conflict of interest effectively is with a structural remedy, such as selling some part of its Adtech business.

Commission fines Google €2.95 billion over abusive practices in online advertising technology

The European Commission has fined Google €2.95 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the advertising technology industry (‘adtech\'). It did so by favouring its own onli

^{European Commission - European Commission}

cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36929877

Google abused its power by favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of its competitors, online advertisers and publishers.

As a result of Google's illegal practices, advertisers faced higher marketing costs which they likely passed on to European consumers in the form of higher prices for products and services. Google's tactics also reduced revenues for publishers, which may have led to lower service quality and higher subscription costs for consumers.

Google's abusive behaviour therefore had a negative impact on all European citizens in their day-to-day use of the web.

This is illegal under EU competition rules and therefore our decision orders Google to pay a fine of €2.95 billion.

In line with our usual practice, we increased Google's fine since this is the third time Google breaks the rules of the game. But a mere fine in this case is not enough to deliver real and tangible solutions for the market and to protect our consumers.

This is why we have also ordered Google to stop its illegal practices and to put an end to its inherent conflict of interests in the Adtech industry.

Google has 60 days to inform the Commission on how it plans to do so, and if it fails to propose a viable plan, the Commission will not hesitate to impose an appropriate remedy.

At this stage, it appears that the only way for Google to end its conflict of interest effectively is with a structural remedy, such as selling some part of its Adtech business.

Pro

2025-09-05 16:35:15

[JS Required] Google Fined 2.95-billion-euro ($3.45 billion) by EU Over Ad-Tech Business

::: spoiler Comments
- Hacker News.
:::

Google abused its power by favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of its competitors, online advertisers and publishers.

As a result of Google's illegal practices, advertisers faced higher marketing costs which they likely passed on to European consumers in the form of higher prices for products and services. Google's tactics also reduced revenues for publishers, which may have led to lower service quality and higher subscription costs for consumers.

Google's abusive behaviour therefore had a negative impact on all European citizens in their day-to-day use of the web.

This is illegal under EU competition rules and therefore our decision orders Google to pay a fine of €2.95 billion.

In line with our usual practice, we increased Google's fine since this is the third time Google breaks the rules of the game. But a mere fine in this case is not enough to deliver real and tangible solutions for the market and to protect our consumers.

This is why we have also ordered Google to stop its illegal practices and to put an end to its inherent conflict of interests in the Adtech industry.

Google has 60 days to inform the Commission on how it plans to do so, and if it fails to propose a viable plan, the Commission will not hesitate to impose an appropriate remedy.

At this stage, it appears that the only way for Google to end its conflict of interest effectively is with a structural remedy, such as selling some part of its Adtech business.

Commission fines Google €2.95 billion over abusive practices in online advertising technology

The European Commission has fined Google €2.95 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the advertising technology industry (‘adtech\'). It did so by favouring its own onli

^{European Commission - European Commission}

cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36929877

Pro

2025-09-05 16:35:15

[JS Required] Google Fined 2.95-billion-euro ($3.45 billion) by EU Over Ad-Tech Business

::: spoiler Comments
- Hacker News.
:::

Google abused its power by favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of its competitors, online advertisers and publishers.

As a result of Google's illegal practices, advertisers faced higher marketing costs which they likely passed on to European consumers in the form of higher prices for products and services. Google's tactics also reduced revenues for publishers, which may have led to lower service quality and higher subscription costs for consumers.

Google's abusive behaviour therefore had a negative impact on all European citizens in their day-to-day use of the web.

This is illegal under EU competition rules and therefore our decision orders Google to pay a fine of €2.95 billion.

In line with our usual practice, we increased Google's fine since this is the third time Google breaks the rules of the game. But a mere fine in this case is not enough to deliver real and tangible solutions for the market and to protect our consumers.

This is why we have also ordered Google to stop its illegal practices and to put an end to its inherent conflict of interests in the Adtech industry.

Google has 60 days to inform the Commission on how it plans to do so, and if it fails to propose a viable plan, the Commission will not hesitate to impose an appropriate remedy.

At this stage, it appears that the only way for Google to end its conflict of interest effectively is with a structural remedy, such as selling some part of its Adtech business.

Commission fines Google €2.95 billion over abusive practices in online advertising technology

The European Commission has fined Google €2.95 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the advertising technology industry (‘adtech\'). It did so by favouring its own onli

^{European Commission - European Commission}

Labor organizers have been trying to form a union at the parks for years but did not have the necessary support until this year when the Trump administration’s mass firings left the parks service in turmoil, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“Every day you come to work and you have no idea what is going to happen next. It’s like we are all being subjected to psychological warfare,” a staffer said this spring.

Earlier this year at Yosemite, laid-off employees hung a US flag upside down, a symbol of distress, at the park’s El Capitan to bring attention to the cuts.

Beleaguered workers at Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon flock to unionize

Amid Trump's onslaught, nearly all voted yes.

^{Mother Jones}

In a 2-1 ruling, the appellate court in Atlanta, Georgia, granted a request from the state of Florida and the US homeland security department to block a lower court injunction while a lawsuit plays out.

"Alligator Alcatraz is in fact, like we've always said, open for business," said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Last month, US District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a halt to the facility's expansion and for its dismantling to begin within 60 days.

'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration centre can stay open, appeals court rules

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis welcomes the ruling and declares the Everglades site "open for business".

^{Jude Sheerin (BBC News)}

"As of today, it is our understanding that none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company," it said in statement. "We prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone working at the site."

At a press conference on Friday, an official with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said "there was a majority of Korean nationals from the 475" people detained.

"They are in the custody of ICE enforcement and removal operations," Special Agent Steve Schrank said, adding that they were taken to a processing facility in Folkston, Georgia.

"They will be moved based on the individual circumstances beyond that," he said. "This in fact was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of homeland security investigations."

South Koreans detained in ICE raid at Hyundai electric vehicle site in Georgia

Most of the 475 arrested were from South Korea, leading the country to call the raid an unjust infringement of people's rights.

^{Robin Levinson King and Kayla Epstein (BBC News)}

cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36929877

Google abused its power by favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of its competitors, online advertisers and publishers.

As a result of Google's illegal practices, advertisers faced higher marketing costs which they likely passed on to European consumers in the form of higher prices for products and services. Google's tactics also reduced revenues for publishers, which may have led to lower service quality and higher subscription costs for consumers.

Google's abusive behaviour therefore had a negative impact on all European citizens in their day-to-day use of the web.

This is illegal under EU competition rules and therefore our decision orders Google to pay a fine of €2.95 billion.

In line with our usual practice, we increased Google's fine since this is the third time Google breaks the rules of the game. But a mere fine in this case is not enough to deliver real and tangible solutions for the market and to protect our consumers.

This is why we have also ordered Google to stop its illegal practices and to put an end to its inherent conflict of interests in the Adtech industry.

Google has 60 days to inform the Commission on how it plans to do so, and if it fails to propose a viable plan, the Commission will not hesitate to impose an appropriate remedy.

At this stage, it appears that the only way for Google to end its conflict of interest effectively is with a structural remedy, such as selling some part of its Adtech business.

Pro

2025-09-05 16:35:15

[JS Required] Google Fined 2.95-billion-euro ($3.45 billion) by EU Over Ad-Tech Business

::: spoiler Comments
- Hacker News.
:::

Google abused its power by favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of its competitors, online advertisers and publishers.

As a result of Google's illegal practices, advertisers faced higher marketing costs which they likely passed on to European consumers in the form of higher prices for products and services. Google's tactics also reduced revenues for publishers, which may have led to lower service quality and higher subscription costs for consumers.

Google's abusive behaviour therefore had a negative impact on all European citizens in their day-to-day use of the web.

This is illegal under EU competition rules and therefore our decision orders Google to pay a fine of €2.95 billion.

In line with our usual practice, we increased Google's fine since this is the third time Google breaks the rules of the game. But a mere fine in this case is not enough to deliver real and tangible solutions for the market and to protect our consumers.

This is why we have also ordered Google to stop its illegal practices and to put an end to its inherent conflict of interests in the Adtech industry.

Google has 60 days to inform the Commission on how it plans to do so, and if it fails to propose a viable plan, the Commission will not hesitate to impose an appropriate remedy.

At this stage, it appears that the only way for Google to end its conflict of interest effectively is with a structural remedy, such as selling some part of its Adtech business.

Commission fines Google €2.95 billion over abusive practices in online advertising technology

The European Commission has fined Google €2.95 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the advertising technology industry (‘adtech\'). It did so by favouring its own onli

^{European Commission - European Commission}

::: spoiler Comments
- Hacker News.
:::

Google abused its power by favouring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of its competitors, online advertisers and publishers.

As a result of Google's illegal practices, advertisers faced higher marketing costs which they likely passed on to European consumers in the form of higher prices for products and services. Google's tactics also reduced revenues for publishers, which may have led to lower service quality and higher subscription costs for consumers.

Google's abusive behaviour therefore had a negative impact on all European citizens in their day-to-day use of the web.

This is illegal under EU competition rules and therefore our decision orders Google to pay a fine of €2.95 billion.

In line with our usual practice, we increased Google's fine since this is the third time Google breaks the rules of the game. But a mere fine in this case is not enough to deliver real and tangible solutions for the market and to protect our consumers.

This is why we have also ordered Google to stop its illegal practices and to put an end to its inherent conflict of interests in the Adtech industry.

Google has 60 days to inform the Commission on how it plans to do so, and if it fails to propose a viable plan, the Commission will not hesitate to impose an appropriate remedy.

At this stage, it appears that the only way for Google to end its conflict of interest effectively is with a structural remedy, such as selling some part of its Adtech business.

Commission fines Google €2.95 billion over abusive practices in online advertising technology

The European Commission has fined Google €2.95 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the advertising technology industry (‘adtech\'). It did so by favouring its own onli

^{European Commission - European Commission}

https://apnews.com/article/nepal-ban-social-media-platform-3b42bbbd07bc9b97acb4df09d42029d5

United States immigration authorities have arrested 475 people in a raid on a Hyundai manufacturing site in Georgia, Steve Schrank, a special agent in charge of Homeland Securities Investigations Atlanta, said at a press conference on Friday.

The Hyundai facility, located in Ellabell, Georgia -- approximately 30 miles west of Savannah -- was raided “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes,” according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

475 people taken into ICE custody at Hyundai plant in Georgia

"This operation underscores our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians."

^{Jon Haworth (ABC News)}

cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36925956

::: spoiler Comments
- Hacker News.
:::

Pro

2025-09-05 15:03:43

Why I Ditched Spotify, and How I Set Up My Own Music Stack

::: spoiler Comments
- Lemmy;
- Hacker News.
:::

Why I Ditched Spotify, and How I Set Up My Own Music Stack

{/ truncate /}

^{James Ambrose (leshicodes.github.io)}

::: spoiler Comments
- Lemmy;
- Hacker News.
:::

Pro

2025-09-05 15:47:13

Why I Ditched Spotify, and How I Set Up My Own Music Stack

cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36925956

::: spoiler Comments
- Hacker News.
:::

Why I Ditched Spotify, and How I Set Up My Own Music Stack

{/ truncate /}

^{James Ambrose (leshicodes.github.io)}

Mike Cannon-Brookes, the CEO of enterprise software giant Atlassian, was one of the first users of the Arc browser. Over the last several years, he has been a prolific bug reporter and feature requester. Now he’ll own the thing: Atlassian is acquiring The Browser Company, the New York-based startup that makes both Arc and the new AI-focused Dia browser. Atlassian is paying $610 million in cash for The Browser Company, and plans to run it as an independent entity.

The acquisition is mostly about Dia, which launched in June. Dia is a mix of web browser and chatbot, with a built-in way to chat with your tabs but also do things across apps. Open up three spreadsheets in three tabs and Dia can move data between them; log into your Gmail and Dia can tell you what’s next on the calendar. Anything with a URL immediately becomes data available to Dia and its AI models. For a company like Atlassian, which makes a whole suite of work apps — the popular project-tracker Jira, the note-taking app Confluence, plus Trello, Loom, and more — a way to stitch them all together seems obviously compelling.

The Browser Company, maker of Arc and Dia, is being acquired

It’s a big bet on AI for Atlassian, which makes tools like Jira and Confluence, and a work-focused shift for Dia.

^{David Pierce (The Verge)}

On Thursday, Fidji Simo, OpenAI's head of applications (and former CEO of Instacart), announced the plan for workers to advertise themselves to the company's customers for new jobs. She said that while AI is going to shake up the employment market, who better to solve that problem than the people doing the shaking?

"AI will be disruptive. Jobs will look different, companies will have to adapt, and all of us – from shift workers to CEOs – will have to learn how to work in new ways," she said in a blog post.

"At OpenAI, we can't eliminate that disruption. But what we can do is help more people become fluent in AI and connect them with companies that need their skills, to give people more economic opportunities."

Simo's plan is that workers should take courses in tech literacy at its OpenAI Academy and then advertise themselves on a forthcoming jobs platform. She said the company has already signed up some big names to the scheme, although maybe the choice of Walmart as an early adopter might not encourage IT admins in their future career paths.

OpenAI eats jobs, then offers to help you find a new one at Walmart

: Move over LinkedIn, Altman's crew wants a piece of the action

^{Iain Thomson (The Register)}

https://www.reuters.com/business/openai-launch-its-first-ai-chip-2026-with-broadcom-ft-reports-2025-09-05/

https://www.reuters.com/business/openai-launch-its-first-ai-chip-2026-with-broadcom-ft-reports-2025-09-05/

::: spoiler Comments
- Lemmy;
- Reddit;
- Hacker News.
:::

I'm Mark Zuckerberg.

Mark Zuckerberg sues Meta - but he's not who you think

Indiana bankruptcy lawyer Mark S Zuckerberg says his Facebook account is "constantly hacked", businesses refuse to take his bookings and he gets constant requests online for money or favours aimed at the billionaire Meta founder.

^{Mickey Carroll (Sky News)}

themachinestops

2025-09-04 17:41:45

Mark Zuckerberg, the Lawyer, Is Suing Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO

Mark Zuckerberg, the Lawyer, Is Suing Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO

An Indiana attorney is suing Meta for repeatedly shutting down his Facebook pages

^{Ece Yildirim (Gizmodo)}

Have you noticed how malicious links are now being "𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐤𝐞𝐝"?

X won't allow links in promoted posts to fight malvertising. Yet scammers love the challenge and trick X’s AI to amplify the same links that should've been blocked!

This is "𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠"

Malvertisers run “video card” promoted posts with mostly sketchy “adult” content baits (how these even pass X's review is a mystery!)

The malicious link is hidden in the tiny "𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦:" field below the video player. There is no malicious link scanning whatsoever on X! Yet, it is still barely noticeable at this spot. It is not really a good malvertising practice, just yet...

Meanwhile, these posts reach 100k to 5M+ impressions through paid promotion! 💰

Then comes the twist. Scammers turn to 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐤!

They ask something like: "𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦?" 😏

Grok reads the promoted post and finds the “From” field, using it in its reply 👉 This time, the malicious link is fully visible, clickable, and impossible to miss. Adding to that, it is now amplified in SEO and domain reputation - after all, it was echoed by Grok on a post with millions of impressions! 🤯

So what happened?

A malicious link that X explicitly prohibits in ads (and should have blocked entirely!) suddenly appears in a post by the system-trusted Grok account, sitting under a viral promoted thread and spreading straight into millions of feeds and search results!

👉 The system meant to enforce restrictions gets bypassed, and the AI itself becomes the amplifier! 🤖

And the links? They lead through shady ad networks, monetizing clicks with “direct links” that are known to push Fake captcha scam, Info stealer malware and other shady grey-area content

Really, grok? Don’t you check your links before you “grok” them?

Head of Guardio Labs, Nati Tal, post on X/Twitter.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/climate/trump-climate-satellites.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jk8.DxUD.Hmd1Xj5fdGg6

The mountain retreats where Pakistanis go to escape the stifling summer heat have been inundated this year by floods, another product of climate change.

Access options:
* gift link — registration required
* archive.today

KEY POINTS

Nonfarm payrolls increased by just 22,000 for the month, lower than the 75,000 forecast, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%.

The report showed a marked slowdown from the July increase of 79,000, which was revised up by 6,000. Revisions also showed a net loss of 13,000 in June.

Health care again led by sectors, adding 31,000 jobs, while social assistance contributed 16,000. Wholesale trade and manufacturing both saw declines of 12,000 on the month.

Payrolls rose 22,000 in August, less than expected in further sign of hiring slowdown

Nonfarm payrolls were expected to increase by 75,000 in August while the unemployment rate edged up tp 4.3%.

^{Jeff Cox (CNBC)}

Researchers from UC Berkeley, Ajou University, and Georgia Tech unveiled Rhagobot in 2025, a tiny aquatic robot inspired by water striders of the genus Rhagovelia[^1]. The robot features self-deploying fan-like structures on its legs that harness surface tension for propulsion, mimicking the insects' ability to move rapidly across water surfaces[^2].

The 8 cm long robot weighs just 0.2 grams and uses passive fan mechanisms that unfurl in 0.01 seconds without requiring muscle power[^3]. These fans, measuring 10 by 5 mm, enable the robot to achieve speeds of two body lengths per second and execute 90-degree turns in under half a second[^4].

According to Professor Je-Sung Koh from Ajou University, "Our robotic fans self-morph using nothing but water surface forces and flexible geometry, just like their biological counterparts. It is a form of mechanical intelligence refined by nature through millions of years of evolution"[^5].

The breakthrough came from studying the water striders' fan architecture using electron microscopy, which revealed that surface tension alone powers the fan deployment - contrary to previous assumptions about muscle activation[^4]. This passive mechanism reduces power consumption compared to motorized alternatives, making it promising for environmental monitoring and search-and-rescue applications[^3].

[^1]: WebProNews - UC Berkeley's Rhagobot: Water Strider Robot Harnesses Surface Tension for Speed

[^2]: Heise - Inspired by water striders: self-unfolding fans make the 'Rhagobot' agile

[^3]: Future Tech on Instagram

[^4]: New Atlas - Robotic water strider rows itself forward by fanning feathery feet

[^5]: Heise - Inspired by water striders: self-unfolding fans make the 'Rhagobot' agile

Robotic water strider rows itself forward by fanning feathery feet

Although we've seen many robotic water striders over the years, scientists are still finding new aspects of the insects to replicate. Recently, for instance, researchers created a strider-bot that zips across the water's surface via fans on its feet.

^{Ben Coxworth (New Atlas)}