Ben Charny

Cue the Google Video Ads

As expected, Google’s begun letting businesses based in the United States, Canada and Japan place video advertisements on Internet sites. Businesses are more apt than ever before to try an Internet video ad, so this is a natural step for Google and any other company that earns its keep selling ads. In so doing, Google’s […]

Google News Bootings: Real Extremism or Just Bad Taste?

In the last few weeks, Google’s Google News feature has banned at least three news sources that focus on ultra-conservatism and Islamic extremists, according to those running the sites. Predictably, dropping the sites has spurred debate about hate versus free speech on the Internet. The content Google cites is sure to be offensive to some, […]

$90M Click Fraud Settlement in Google Advertisers’ Hands

Google has begun notifying its AdWords advertising clients about the recent $90 million settlement of a click fraud lawsuit, signaling the start of the month-long period in which advertisers can seek to claim a piece of the money. The notices come via e-mail, have in the subject line “Important Legal Notice Regarding Your Google AdWords […]

Google Pads Search Lead, Again

In April, Google continued to pull away from competitors Yahoo and Microsoft in terms of how often people use its search engine, according to new research from ComScore Networks. ComScore reported May 22 that some 43.1 percent of all Internet searches in April went through one of Google’s search engines. That means Google’s share of […]

Domain Wars: The U.S. Versus .xxx

Newly released e-mails allege U.S. government officials pressured a leading Internet authority into voting against creating a kind of red-light district for adult Web sites. The apparent involvement of the U.S. Department of Commerce, President Bushs chief political operative Karl Rove and others is significant. If true, it means the U.S. government violated terms of […]

U.S. Accused of Unfair Dominance in .xxx Wrestle Match

Newly released e-mails allege U.S. government officials pressured a leading Internet authority into voting against creating a kind of red-light district for adult Web sites. The apparent involvement of the U.S. Department of Commerce, President Bushs chief political operative Karl Rove and others is significant. If true, it means the U.S. government violated terms of […]

Google Responds to Orkut Child Porn Allegations

In response to growing criticism of its Orkut social network, Google recently said it takes any number of precautions to police the feature, including on occassion turning over Orkut abusers’ account information to police. There’s been lots of recent pressure to clean up Orkut, mainly from government authorities in Brazil, where Orkut is wildly popular. […]

Pearl Jam for Free at Google Video

Google Video now features a free version of a new video by the rock band Pearl Jam. Fans can watch the 3 minutes-plus “Life Wasted” track for free here until next Wednesday, Google said. The video’s only available to Googlers located in the United States.

Google Un-Packs Trillian

Cerulean Studios’ Trillian instant messenger manager is no longer included in Google Pack, a free bundle of desktop software programs that Google’s been making available since last January. “Our goals are seemingly no longer perfectly aligned with those of Google,” Cerulean Studios wrote on its blog. “Their reasons for removing Trillian are their own and […]

Google Dates Its Blog Search

Google’s blog-searching feature has been upgraded to let people search blogs according to when the blogs were posted. Searches can be conducted based on a range of hours or days. Google says here it has also improved the search quality’s sharpness.