Privacy Digest 20/23
Google’s Deals Lock Up 50% of US Searches, DOJ Expert Says
Google's exclusive agreements as the default search engine on various platforms obstruct competitors like Bing and DuckDuckGo, preventing them from accessing up to half of US search queries, revealed Justice Department's expert, Michael Whinston, during an antitrust trial. These deals, costing Alphabet Inc. over $10 billion with firms like Apple and Samsung, effectively uphold Google's search monopoly. Whinston stressed the notable influence of default settings on user preferences, confining rivals to a small fraction of US searches. His data-driven analysis, reflecting global instances where providing search engine options significantly shifted market shares, underscores the anticompetitive concerns tied to Google's dominant stance in the search engine market.
bloomberg.com
What's Happening with YouTube Ads?
YouTube has instated new measures against adblockers, prompting users to disable them for video playback. This article summarises what we know until now and offers a few tips to prevent adblock detection from becoming worse.
ghostery.com
Google Steps Up Its Push to Kill the Password
Google is making passkeys, the emerging passwordless login technology, the default option for users as it moves to make passwords “obsolete.”
wired.com
"Chat Control" has been postponed for a second time
The Council of the European Union has once again delayed the vote on the contentious "chat control" proposal, now rescheduled for December. Disagreement among member states persists due to concerns regarding the invasive nature of the law, which poses significant threats to privacy.
tutanota.com
Young people are increasingly worried about privacy in the AI age
According to a new study by Cisco, younger consumers are more likely to exercise their Data Subject Access Rights, with nearly half (42%) of individuals aged 18-24 having done so, compared to just 6% of those aged 75 and older.
techradar.com