In my #blog
Two of the web’s worst brands wind up in a #scam

https://jackyan.com/blog/2025/09/two-of-the-webs-worst-brands-wind-up-in-a-scam/ #Google #Semrush

Alt...

A screenshot from a fake Semrush website.

@mlanger sadly, you can thank #Google for that not working (#ManifestV3 was introduced to prevent #AdBlockers!) and #Apple for cockblocking #Firefox on #iOS!

• I guess #TorBrowser isn't an option for you either...

Google Secretly Handed ICE Data About Pro-Palestine Student Activist

Google handed over Gmail account information to ICE before notifying the student or giving him an opportunity to challenge the subpoena.

https://theintercept.com/2025/09/16/google-facebook-subpoena-ice-students-gaza/

#google #gmail #meta #ice #privacy #surveillance #enshittification #dystopia #technology

Von @de #EuropeSays:

"#Google kündigt Milliardeninvestition in #Großbritannien an"

Jedoch:
#KI konkurriert mit den Grundbedürfnissen des Menschen #Rechenzentren
#Energie

Von #TheGuardian:
@theguardianrss

"👉#Googles riesiges neues #Rechenzentrum in #Kent wird jährlich 570.000 Tonnen #CO2 ausstoßen👈

Exklusiv: Planungsunterlagen zeigen die Auswirkungen der „#Hyperscale”-Einheit in #Thurrock, während #Großbritannien versucht, seine KI-Kapazitäten auszubauen..."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/15/google-datacentre-kent-co2-thurrock-uk-ai

I've just had an email from Google saying they're changing my location from United Kingdom to United States - South Carolina. I can't think of any reason on my side why this would be, and there isn't a way of changing it until it's actually been changed. I use Google as little as possible but I don't really want that. Has anyone else from the UK had this (there seem to be a few people on Reddit saying the same thing)? Seems a bit dubious. #google #relocation

@TheGuardian

#AI's competition for human's basic needs #Datacenters
#Energy

👉#Google’s huge new #Kent #datacentre to emit 570,000 tonnes of CO2 a year👈
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#GoogleMEWS #AlphabetMEWS #TechnologyMEWS #TechnologySectorMEWS #BusinessMEWS #GreenhouseGasEmissionsMEWS #EnvironmentMEWS #UkNewsMEWS
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Exclusive: Planning documents show impact of #Thurrock ‘#hyperscale’ unit as #UK attempts to ramp up AI capacity...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/15/google-datacentre-kent-co2-thurrock-uk-ai

#Google #Chrome is now popping up a "let us help you cheat on your school work" popup in the URL bar when it thinks you're on a school site. OK, actually it says "homework help" but it amounts to the same thing. It's driving schools crazy because it's even popping up on quizzes and tests. There appears to be no way to reasonably disable it, and responses from Google suggest they don't give a damn as long their horrific AI gets used more. It's even popping up on sites that have NOTHING to do with schools -- I'm getting it on technical sites that happen to have the word "tutorial" in their URL. More nightmare sauce from #Google.

Or, you could just, you know, eat my shorts, GOOG.

Man, they used to let you search without JS.

Nerfherders.

#NoJS #Google #DilloBrowser

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Dillo browser screenshot of a google search page saying: Turn on JavaScript to keep searching The browser you’re using has JavaScript turned off. To continue your search, turn it on. Learn how for Google Chrome 1. Click on the then Settings. 2. Click Privacy and Security. 3. Click Site Settings. 4. Click JavaScript. 5. Select Sites can use JavaScript. (You may instead enable JavaScript only for google.com) Learn how for Microsoft Edge 1. Click on the More menu then Settings. 2. Select Cookies and site permissions. 3. Select JavaScript. 4. Select Allowed (recommended).

Google's getting downright surly that I'm not interested in sharing my information with them. Isn't "Say yes or I'll just keep asking you every three days until you do." Considered stalker level behavior?

#Google #Tech #Privacy

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Screenshot of a modal whining that I'd like Google to respect my privacy, even a little bit. It reads: You're not getting a more personalized search With Web and App activity off, you don't get - More relevant search results - More tailored discover stories - Shopping recommendations for you Followed by two options Ask me in 3 days Continue

***** Google's plans to restrict sideloading on Android are an authoritarian wet dream come true *****

Let me be really clear about how horrifically dangerous #Google's plans are to restrict #Android sideloading to "verified developers" (that is, entities for which Google has full verified identity and associated information that they could hand over to authorities on demand).

This means that even though you own your Android device, you cannot install apps obtained from ANY source (except perhaps apps you build yourself that will only be permitted to run on your own device) unless Google knows pretty much everything about who created that app.

The ways that this could be abused are so numerous I won't even start listing them here, other than to note that it is absolutely horrific overreach by Google and at least appears to be Google bending over for abusive government demands, and could put already vulnerable individuals and groups at even more risk.

Absolutely disgusting.

L

The situation with regards to Nova and Branch are mind blowing to me in a way.

What I'm referring to here is the fact that it's been 13 months(yesterday) since I got laid off from Branch/Nova after having spent the previous 9 years working for them.

When that huge layoff happening, and I was included with 220+ others who also lost their jobs, I was included in several news articles around the internet because of it. Mainly because I was the publicly facing person for Nova in a lot of ways for a lot of years, even though Kevin did all the work so to speak.

Now, again, 13 months later, Kevin leaves Branch and Nova, and yet I'm the one who gets included in several different news articles around the internet and have various news reporters reaching out to me to get my comments on the situation.

While it's cool and flattering, this is NOT about me in any way at all. This is about trying my hardest and my best to bring attention to the situation in hopes that Branch will do the right thing and open source Nova Launcher and give it back to the community, which is where it belongs!

#NovaLauncher #Nova #NL #Branch #OpenSource #FOSS #Apps #Android #Google #News #Tech

Great write up by Jay Peters of The Verge with regards to the Nova Launcher/Branch situation that I wrote about this morning.

Dominic reached out to me via LinkedIn this morning and asked some questions to get some insight.

You can read that here:

https://www.theverge.com/news/773937/nova-launcher-founder-left-kevin-barry-branch-open-source-android

#NovaLauncher #NL #Android #Apps #Google #Branch #BranchMetrics #News #Tech #TechNews

I'm writing this post here today in hopes to bring some attention to something that is near and dear to my heart, and that's an update to the current situation with Nova Launcher, that I worked for and with for nine years up until August of 2024.

For those that haven't seen the news, Kevin Barry, the founder and developer of Nova has left Branch which in turn means he's now no longer involved with Nova Launcher in any way going forward.

https://teslacoilapps.com/nova/solong.html

For the past year or so Kevin has stated that he was working on the open source version of Nova Launcher so that if/when this time came, it would be out in the open and the community could take it over and contribute to it and have it continue being developed.

However, it seems that Harish Thimmappa and others at Branch had told him to stop working on that effort as they didn't want him to continue doing that for unknown reasons. This is sad news because this was something that former CEO, Alex Austin, had promised both via a contract and publicly that if Kevin were to ever leave Branch, Nova Launcher would become open source. You can find that quote here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/w2q6al/comment/igzoniu/

and another very similar quote with similar conversation here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/w2q6al/comment/ih25ntz/

The reason for this post is to try and draw some attention to the folks at Branch, specifically folks like Harish Thimmappa to do the right thing and honor these promises and any writings in the contracts from 2022 and to fully focus on releasing Nova Launcher as an open source app.

The community deserves this more than anything, since that was something that Kevin was very adamant about when he allowed Branch to acquire Nova Launcher back in 2022. Plus, this is just something that Branch should do since it is something that has been promised.

There is currently a petition on Change.org to try and get Branch to do this as well. After only 3 days of it being posted to Change.org, it sits at almost 1,500 signatures, and that's with very little to no press coverage at this time, which is something that would be super useful to bring full attention to this situation. You can find the petition here:

https://www.change.org/p/make-nova-launcher-open-source-let-the-community-continue-its-development

I ask that everyone who sees this post can share it with their followers as I would love to see Branch do the right thing and follow through with their promises that were made back in 2022 when they acquired Nova Launcher and release it fully as an open source app now that Kevin is no longer working for Branch and not involved in Nova Launcher.

I'm going to tag some folks below that I worked with at Branch in hopes of getting this post seen by as many folks there as possible.

#NovaLauncher #Nova #Branch #BranchMetrics #OpenSource #OpenSourceNova #Petition #Android #Apps #Google

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A banner image for the Android app Nova Launcher.

Google deletes net-zero pledge from sustainability website

> In June, Google’s Sustainability website proudly boasted a headline pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030. By July, that had all changed.
https://archive.is/2025.09.04-120358/https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/09/04/investigations/google-net-zero-sustainability #GlobalWarming #ClimateChange #Google #AI #Sustainability

Google is never evil.
Don't you know?
/s

@Robgbysea
#Google #Sarcasm

Google is in the middle of a six-month $45 million contract with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office to promote government messages.

A  spokesperson for the Israeli army said at the time that authorities should launch a digital campaign "to explain that there is no hunger ..."

https://trtworld.com/world/article/538017f344e5

#Google #Palestine #Israel

@truhe Warte bis wir alle #Jailbreaking machen müssen weil #Google @fdroidorg hasst und #App-Verteilung #monopolisieren will!

I emailed the EU (COMP-DMA@ec.europa.eu) explaining why I think #Google's new anti #sideload measures are problematic.

They responded stating they "welcome feedback from interested parties", noting that the #DMA does allow "strictly necessary and proportionate measures to ensure [3rd party apps/stores] do not endanger the [hardware or OS] or to [allow users to effectively protect security]".

May be worth sending an email explaining your opinion on the necessity and proportionality :)