Tag Archives: chrome

Google Proposes Alternative Remedies For Search Monopoly

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Google has filed a proposal outlining how it would remedy the antitrust violation it’s been accused of by the Department of Justice, after the DOJ called for Google to sell off Chrome and face restrictions that would prevent it from favoring its own search engine in Android, Engadget reported.

Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in August that Google has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act, and called Google “a monopolist.” 

Google said in the proposal filed on Friday night that it disagreed with the ruling but suggested ways to make its contacts with browser companies and Android device makers more flexible.

In a blog post summarizing the filing, Google’s VP of regulatory affairs Lee-Ann Mulhollalland wrote that the proposal would let browser companies like Apple and Mozilla “continue to offer Google Search to their users and earn revenue from that partnership,” while allowing them to have “multiple default agreements across different platforms (e.g., a different default search engine for iPhones and iPads) and growing modes.” 

Google says it plans to appeal the judge’s decision ahead of a hearing in April, and will submit a revised proposal on March 7. 

Google posted on The Keyword: We strongly disagree with and will appeal the decision in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) search distribution lawsuit.

As the Court found, Google achieved its popularity and success through innovation: by building the best search engine and making smart investment and business decisions, like our early investment in mobile. People don’t use Google because they have to — they use it because they want to.

And what’s more, the landscape the Court evaluated is highly dynamic. Since the trial ended over one year ago, AI has already rapidly reshaped the industry, with new entrants and new ways of finding information making it even more competitive.

Today, we filed our own proposal based on the actual findings in the Court’s decision. This was a decision about our search distribution contracts, so our proposed remedies are directed to that.

TechCrunch reported: Google has offered up its own proposal in a recent antitrust case that saw the US Department of Justice argue that Google must sell its Chrome browser.

US District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August that Google had acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search, with the DOJ then proposing a number of remedies, including the sale of Chrome, the spinoff of its Android operating system, and a prohibition on entering into exclusionary search agreements with browser and phone companies.

As an alternative, Google proposes that it still be allowed to make search deals with companies like Apple and Mozilla, but they should have the option to set different defaults on different platforms (for example, iPhone vs iPad) and in different browsing modes.

In my opinion, it sounds like the U.S. Department of Justice wants Google to sell off Crome. I suspect this is going to be an interesting court case.

Chrome Begins Disabling uBlock Origin

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If you’re a fan of uBlock Origin, don’t be surprised if it stops functioning in Chrome. The Google-owned browser has started disabling the free add blocker as part of the company’s plan to phase out older “Manifest V2” extensions, PCMag reported.

On Tuesday, the developer of uBlock Origin, Raymond Hill, retweeted a screenshot from one user showing the Chrome browser disabling the ad blocker. “These extensions are no longer supported. Chrome recommends that you remove them,” the pop-up from the Chrome browser told the user.

In response, Hill wrote: “The depreciation of uBO in the Chrome Web Store has started.”

This occurs when the Chrome Web Store has already been discouraging users from downloading uBlock Origin, or even delisting the extension, with a warning that says “it doesn’t follow best practices for Chrome extensions.” That said, PCMag was still able download and use the extension over Chrome.  So the disabling and delisting may not be as wide-scale at the moment. Google didn’t immediately respond for a request for comment.

PCWorld reported: The writing is almost literally on the wall for Chrome’s most popular ad blockers. After months of warnings that extensions like uBlock Origin would be removed after Chrome’s Manifest V3 extension update, Google is now telling Chrome users who try to download it from the Chrome Web Store that it “may no longer be supported.”

On a more recent Chromebook review unit, the download button is fully disabled. uBlock Origin cannot be installed at all. 

The new warning that uBlock Origin “doesn’t follow best practices for Chrome extensions” was spotted on Twitter and reported by Bleeping Computer. While the most popular commercial ad blocking solutions have been updated for Manifest V3 compatibility, the solo, unpaid developer of uBlock Origin has kept the extension on Manifest V2 as a way to highlight the issues with the updated standard.

An alternative version called uBlock Original — less capable but compatible with the newer standard —has also been released. The original uBlock Origin has 39 million users according to the Chrome Web Store (and there are many more when you count Firefox and alternative Chromium-based browsers) while the newer uBlock Origin Lite extension currently only shows 700,000 users.

Ghostery CEO Jean-Peal Schmetz recommends that users who care about ad blocking effectiveness should switch to Firefox, the only major third-party browser left that isn’t based on the open-source Chromium project controlled by Google. The original, unhobbled uBlock Origin is still working on Firefox, though developer Raymond Hill has run into some issues with Mozilla as well.

BoingBoing reported Manifest V3 is the new extensions framework for Google Chrome browser, and one notable outcome is that ad blockers can’t block so many ads. After years of delay, Google is reportedly “purging” such extensions and accelerating the framework’s rollout.

According to user reports, uBlock Origin is quickly disappearing from the Chrome Web Store. The official page for the ad-blocking extension now states that it is unavailable because it doesn’t comply with Chrome’s “best practices” for add-ons. However, we can confirm that the page is still accessible from our EU Windows client.

In my opinion, it appears that Google is very interested in removing uBlock Origin. It is not clear why the Google is doing this, or if it will put out an updated version.

 

 

Chrome Address Bar Gets Smarter Autocomplete

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Google is rolling out a series of updates to the address bar (or Omnibox) in Chrome that improvises the accuracy of autocomplete across the desktop and mobile browser, 9to5Google reported.

Instead of an autocomplete only working if you typed the beginning of a URL correctly, the Chrome address bar on desktop will complete “based on any word you’ve previously used to search for a website.”

For example, “flights” would autocomplete to google.com/travel/flights instead of you needing to first enter google.com.

Misspelled URL names will now be detected and return suggestions based on previously visited websites on Chrome for Android, iOS, and desktop.

Google provided more information on The Keyword blog, titled: “5 Chrome address bar updates to speed up your search”. It was posted by Jesse Lee, Product Manager, Chrome.

Chrome can help you quickly find the website you’re looking for, even if you made typos, can’t remember the URL, or need suggestions.

As the days get shorter this fall, you might be looking for ways to maximize your time. Luckily, five improvements are coming to Chrome’s address bar to help you browse even faster.

1 Smarter autocompletion

Previously, Chrome would only autocomplete URL’s in the address bar if you typed the beginning of one correctly. So you had to know, for instance that the Google Flights site started with google.com. Starting in Chrome on desktop, the address bar will now autocomplete URL’s based on any word you’ve previously used to search for a website. So now, if you simply type “flights,” Chrome will autocomplete to “https:/.www.google.com/travel/flights.”

2 Automatic typo corrections

If you misspell a URL name in the address bar, Chrome can now detect those typos and immediately show you suggestions based on your previously visited websites. This new feature is available today for Chrome on desktop, Android and iOS.

3 Searches within bookmark folders

You can now search within your bookmark folders right from the Chrome address bar on desktop and mobile. Just include the folder name in your search, and you’ll see suggestions from that collection.

4 Suggestions for popular sites

It can be hard to remember the name of a website your friend recommended. Starting today on desktop and mobile, Chrome will suggest popular sites even if you’ve never visited them or mistyped the URL. So, say your friend mentioned checking out Google Earth to scout the difficulty of a hiking trail, but it’s your first time visiting the site. As you begin to type “Google Earth” in Chrome’s address bar, Chrome will suggest the Google Earth website in the drop-down.

5 Faster, easier-to-read results

Thanks to an improved visual layout, the Chrome desktop address bar is now easier to read. It’s also more responsive, so you’ll get even faster results as soon as you start typing.

TechCrunch reported that the address bar will now suggest popular sites even if you haven’t visited them before, or if you have mistyped the URL. Now, when you start typing the name of a popular website, the address bar will show you the website’s URL in the list of suggestions. From there, you can select it to go there directly without having to first search the name and then click on the search results.

Personally, the only thing I use Chrome for is to see maps and character sheets online when playing TTRPG games with my friends. As a Mac user, I would prefer not to have to use Chrome, but there often is no better alternative for TTRPG online gaming.

Chrome Adds New Features To Save Battery And Improve Browsing

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Chrome posted information on The Keyword, written by Group Product Manager, Chrome, Mark Chang. It is a short post that focuses on Chrome’s new features that are optimized for your device’s battery and system memory.

From the post:

With the latest release of Chrome on desktop, we’re introducing two new performance settings so Chrome uses up to 40% and 10GB less memory to keep your tabs running smoothly, and extend your battery when it’s running low. We’ll be rolling out both Memory Saver and Energy Saver modes over the next several weeks globally for Windows, macOS and ChromeOS.

…Memory Saver mode frees up memory from tabs you aren’t currently using so the active websites you’re browsing have the smoothest possible experience. This is especially useful if you’re running other intensive applications, like editing family videos or playing games. Any inactive tabs will be reloaded when you need them.

Energy Saver maximizes battery life. Running low on battery and don’t have a laptop charger nearby? When you’re browsing the Web with Chrome and your device batter level reaches 20%, Chrome will save battery by limiting background activity and visual effects for websites with animations and videos.

TechCrunch reported that Google’s announcement comes a day after Microsoft announced that its Edge Browser put 1.38 billion tabs to sleep in September alone. According to Microsoft, sleeping a tab in Edge typically saves 83% of the memory it would normally occupy.

According to TechCrunch, Microsoft rolled out its version of these features, which can automatically put tabs to sleep after five minutes of inactivity (and can bring this down all the way to 30 seconds of inactivity), a couple of years ago and then once again improved it with the release of Edge 100 earlier this year. Edge also features a gaming mode, which can automatically reduce CPU usage when it detects that you are playing a game on your PC.

Engadget reported that these new features will be available as part of the m108 Chrome for desktop build. Google says all users will have access to them in the coming weeks and that it’s starting to roll out the build. You’ll be able to turn off these modes in the settings and make certain sites exempt from Memory Saver.

I think that people who use Chrome will make use of these new features, especially people who tend to have a whole lot of tabs open all the time.

The bigger picture, though, is what these features can do for people who have older computers. The memory saver feature that frees up tabs the person isn’t currently using could be a big improvement for those who have computers that freeze after too many tabs have been opened.

Chrome’s Ad Blocker will Expand to Target Disruptive Video Ads

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Google announced on their Chromium Blog that they have been working on a common complaint among Chrome users: annoying, intrusive ads. In 2018, they started removing the ads from websites that continually show intrusive ads that violate industry standards. Google also updated their own advertising to ensure they are not selling or serving the kind of ads that users find the most annoying.

Today, the group responsible for developing the Better Ads Standards, the Coalition for Better Ads, announced a new set of standards for ads that show during video content, based on research from 45,000 consumers worldwide.

The Coalition found that three ad experiences that people find to be particularly disruptive on video content that is less than 8 minutes long. They include: long, non-skippable pre-roll ads or groups of ads longer than 31 seconds that appear before a video and that cannot be skipped within the first 5 seconds; Mid-roll ads of any duration that appear in the middle of a video, interrupting the user’s experience; and image or text ads that appear at the top of a playing video and are in the middle 1/3 of the video player window or cover more than 20 percent of the video content.

The Coalition has announced that website owners should stop showing these ads to their site visitors in the next four months. Beginning August 5, 2020, Chrome will expand its user protections and stop showing all ads on sites in any country that repeatedly show these disruptive ads. Google wants people to know that YouTube.com, like other websites with video content, will be reviewed for compliance with the Standards.

Google points those who operate a website that shows ads to the Ad Experience Report. It is a tool that you can use to review your site for compliance with the new ad protections, and that helps publishers to understand if Chrome identified any violating ad experiences on your site.

Overall, I think this change will likely have an effect on those who have ads on their YouTube videos, which could potentially affect their earnings. That said, it appears that these changes are designed to enhance the experience of people want to watch a video – on any website – without being annoyed by intrusive ads.

Chrome to Give Users More Control over Audio

Chrome

People who use Chrome as their go-to browser are about to get more control over the audio that autoplays on the websites they visit. Software Engineer Mounir Lamouri posted on the Chromium Blog information about “Unified autoplay”.

Users watch and listen to a lot of media, and autoplay can make it faster and easier to consume on the web. However, one of the most frequent user concerns is unexpected media playback, which can use data, consume power, and make unwanted noise while browsing. To address this, Chrome will be making autoplay more consistent with user expectations and will give users more control over audio.

Chrome 63 will add a new user option to completely disable audio for individual sites. The site muting will persist between browsing sessions. This allows users to customize when and where audio will play.

Starting in Chrome 64, autoplay will be allowed when either the media does not include any audio, or when the user has indicated an interest in the media. These changes will allow autoplay to occur when users want media to play, and will respect users’ wishes when they don’t want media to play.

The Chromium blog post says: “These changes will also unify desktop and mobile web behavior, making web media development more predictable across platforms and browsers.” It sounds to me like these changes will make visiting websites less annoying for people who have not yet started using ad blockers.

Google Puts One More Nail Into Flash’s Coffin

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Chrome logoAdobe Flash may be dying the slowest death of any software platform that’s ever existed. And it’s about to move even closer to its demise, based on a recent announcement from Google. The search engine and internet services giant has announced that it will stop Flash from loading by default for most websites in its popular Google Chrome web browser.

Google won’t be completely removing or blocking Flash in Chrome. The new default state for the browser will keep Flash from automatically running when a website tries to load a Flash-based player. Instead, Chrome will force websites properly configured with HTML5 players to load those players first. Users will be able to configure the browser to use Flash first if they really want to. Some sites, such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and Amazon will still have Flash enabled by default. But that exemption will only last for one year.

The tech community at large has been watching the slow decline of Flash popularity for about a decade now. In its heyday, Flash was used for everything from in-browser video games and online applications to web-based audio and video players. But when Apple launched its first iPhone, the company was adamant that the device would never, ever support Flash natively. This decision may have led to quicker and wider adoption of HTML5, a web standard that made it easier to deliver rich content thru the internet.

Flash is often derided for its many security issues and its need for constant updates. This move by Google will surely put another nail into Flash’s coffin. I doubt anyone will really be disappointed.