Balancing Accuracy and Caution: How Google Handles AI Overviews for Sensitive Subjects

A new study is shedding light on Google’s AI Overviews and how the Android maker likes to take on a conservative approach to all AI content in search.

As per the data obtained, any sensitive themes like mental health, politics, legal, and health will be limited. The company makes it a point to restrict Overviews related to these domains with results showing up only 50% of the time.

Meanwhile, other interesting findings spoke bout how AI Overviews related to topics like finance and medicine will feature disclaimers as warnings. The goal is to discourage heavy reliance on the results and focus more on consulting a professional from the field.

As a whole, Google likes to avoid any AI Overviews for mental health, elections, and specific drugs. In this new study rolled out by SE Ranking, how the company handles AI content is on display, especially those deemed sensitive like Your Money Your Life matters.

The study also took into consideration nearly 1,200 keywords related to sensitive domains and found how careful Google has become when rolling out overviews. It’s great to see that, especially after the massive amount of criticism it’s gotten over time.

Legal questions were the most frequently encountered by the search engine while health followed up closely behind. Finance saw moderate results while politics had the least number of AI Overviews getting generated. Clearly, this shows Google’s efforts to curb misinformation online linked to the upcoming elections.

There appears to be a balanced approach in terms of providing correct data and motivating users to get expert advice. This must always be encouraged because everyone likes to rely on Google as their only savior.

The research also goes to show how often Google rolls out disclaimers in terms of AI Overviews when it thinks warnings are necessary. Other sensitive topics where AIOs are avoided include COVID-19, abortions, substance abuse, and eating disorders.

Going back to Google and its hands-off approach for AIOs on politics, the study showed how specific key terms had zero overviews generated for them. These words include election, president, and presidential. This method is different from that seen on other search engines like SearchGPT which does generate responses to such matters.

The take-home message here is that Google wants only well-sourced material to be published online with refined keywords and diversified content.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Security Researcher Claims Latest Pixel Smartphones Send Location Data To Google Servers Even With GPS Disabled

If the constant fear of your smartphone device spying on you or tracking your location is worrisome, you might want to read on.

A new report by researcher from Cybernews is raising the curtain on a new form of Google surveillance on the rise, even with GPS disabled. Yes, it’s always like you cannot get rid of a feature that sends secret data to Google servers from your device.

What is even more worrisome is how the device routinely tries to download new codes and that gives rise to more security risks.

Thanks to Ernestas Naprys, a study was carried out with Google’s new Pixel 9 pro XL which entailed default settings and new Google accounts. Traffic was proxied and a customized security certificate examined all the activities and chats. Rooting the device did disable a few features.

Since the testing arose with new accounts set to default, no effect were seen in terms of changes done to privacy and security. Every 15 minutes or so, Naprys saw packets of data sent from the phone to Google servers. Moreover, the device shared location, numbers, status of the network, and even email IDs.

To be more specific, the data was traced to endpoints at Google including its Face Grouping and Policy Enforcement. While we agree that some clear sensitivities do exist in terms of other private information, location data is very sensitive. Remember, someone could be tracking your data including your live location.

Above all, it’s being done without user consent and without them being aware. Now experts are looking down deep at the several reasons why collection of this information might be needed to get certain features up and running. But the fact that communication is arising with servers that users have zero consent to is eyebrow-raising.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Meta Says It’s Aware Threads Has An ‘Engagement Bait’ Issue

Instagram boss Adam Mosseri is reassuring Threads users that the company is aware of the app’s engagement bait problems.

If you’re an avid user of the app, we’re sure you must have seen plenty of clickbait content popping up, time and time again. The good news is you’re not the only one and Meta is working to fix the problem.

The news comes after a flood of comments by users regarding the problem made its way to the comments section. People did everything to ensure Meta was aware of the issue and now, Mosseri says the tech giant is working to bring things under control.

This type of post usually entails posts featuring invites, chats, or banal questions. The main goal is to get people to interact more. Remember, the platform’s algorithm is quite like Instagram. You’ll see more algorithmic feeds and that would get more reactions and before you know it, simple posts get viral.

Remember, Zuckerberg already stated in December last year how comment engagement is the way to go and that’s what makes X and Threads so similar.

However, the Instagram CEO feels not every comment or reply on a post is always good. For instance, bait posts feature AI-based pictures. Sometimes, replies go as far as 17K in no time and for no good reason. This might be used to abuse the app’s algorithm.

Any post that has the greatest number of comments will be given top priority when compared to those that have more shares or likes. This plays to the app’s tactics of playing with the algorithm, which rewards creators depending on how their posts are doing. So even if the post is fake, it’s still racking up comments.

One rep from Meta who chose to keep their identity hidden says post replies are always considered to see which posts should be recommended to users’ feeds. Now the question is when the issue will be resolved as no final data was revealed for now.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Google Play May Be Forced To Make Huge Changes After Judge Calls Out Its Illegal Monopoly Behavior
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Google Play May Be Forced To Make Huge Changes After Judge Calls Out Its Illegal Monopoly Behavior

An American judge is ruling against Google Play Store, calling it an illegal monopoly.

The Android App Store may now be forced to make some major changes after the ruling, including opening up to other app stores owned by third parties. This was always frowned upon by Google but now it seems like it may have no other choice.

The list of controversial changes entails allowing so many third-party app stores to be present on Google Play in the next couple of years as per a new injunction rolled out on Thursday. Additionally, third-party Android stores will get permission to access its catalog of applications. This would break down any of the app ecosystem which guards it from others.

Other changes that might come into play include promoting healthy competition. By this, we mean enabling other app stores on Android to emerge. Previously, the company had contracts in place to stop this from happening.

"The Epic verdict missed the obvious: Apple and Android clearly compete. We will appeal and ask the courts to pause implementing the remedies to maintain a consistent and safe experience for users and developers as the legal process moves forward.", expressed Google in a blog post.

The court has similarly ruled against any form of deals that comprise revenue sharing linked to Google Play. Amongst those will include contracts with device manufacturers at Android that force pre-installing of Google Play on any device.

The news comes as the Epic Games antitrust lawsuit picks up the pace against the search engine giant, going as far back as 2020. During this time, Google removed Fortnite from its Play Store after Epic put another mode of payment. As a result, Google was denied a share of the revenue.

Thankfully, the court ruled against Google and Epic won the battle. The next couple of months were spent on finding out a solution. Now, the latest court order means forcing Google to open new in-app systems for payment on the Play Store. To be more exact, for three years, Google hasn’t prevented developers from interacting with users about the pricing of apps outside the Play Store.

As far as when the changes will come into play, the court says it’s giving Google three years. They want to see the tech giant become a team player by leveling the playing field. This means saying hello to competition and new rivals in the tech industry.

Many experts are questioning why only three years. In response to that, the court says that it does not wish to burden or constrain Google as a competitor.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Say Goodbye to YouTube Ads: Top Solutions for an Ad-Free Experience

Youtube offers monetization on videos in the form of ads which appear and reappear throughout videos with a gap of a few minutes. These ads are just like TV commercials, interrupting videos, making the experience of watching videos on Youtube full of annoying interruptions. Only not-monetised videos do not have ads on them, but quality content on Youtube is mostly monetised.

But you can stop these ads from appearing on videos you want to watch. The following are the best available options, you may choose the most convenient to you, that you can use to make videos ads-free on Youtube:

Use Premium Version of Youtube

Start using the premium version of Youtube if you do not want ads to appear on videos. You can enjoy the first one or two months without paying any money, and reasonable charges would be paid after the first two months.

Follow the steps to subscribe to Youtube Premium:

1) Type Youtube premium on Google and open the link.

2) Click on Try 1 or 2 months for 0 to subscribe for the monthly offer by adding details of your payment method. After your first two months, you will be charged affordable PKR 479 or $1.72 monthly which can be different depending on your location.

uBlock Origin Extension

Available on Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Opera, uBlock Origin and "Adblock Plus - free ad blocker" extensions block all ads on the web. Add this extension to one of the browsers mentioned, and then follow the following steps to successfully run it to block Youtube ads.

1) Add the extension to your browser by downloading it from your browser web store.

2) Once uBlock Origin extension is added, go to Youtube. Click on the uBlock Origin icon in the address bar. Then open its settings.

3) Then go to Filters Lists to uncheck any customer configuration if it was done by you previously.

4) Disable any other ad blocker running to make uBlock Origin effective.

Because Youtube is regularly updating its anti-ad-blockers script, you must also update the filters of uBlock Origin to remain updated, when required.

5) Go to its Filter Lists and type down ‘quick fixes’ in the search bar. Click on the clock icon just below, and click on Update Now.

Now close your browser and then reopen Youtube for the best experience.

Do remember that uBlock Origins filters are updated after some period to block Anti-Adblock script ID, so make sure before that they are updated. Otherwise, the result will not be the expected one.

Brave Web Browser

Brave web browser comes in with a built-in ad blocker, which hinders any ads from appearing on Youtube videos by default. So all you just have to do is the following:

1) Download the app from Play Store or App Store.

2) Open Youtube on the browser for ads-free videos.

Moreover, it is also available for Windows or Macs.

Disable Ads on Your Videos

You can call it the ‘indirect way’ of blocking ads. You do not block any ads following this method: you just do not let them appear on your own videos. If you are the owner of a Youtube channel (AKA content creator), you can demonetize your own videos. Which means your subscribers will not be interrupted by any ads while watching your videos. But this takes away the whole idea of creating a Youtube channel.

Follow the guide to disable ads on your videos:

1) Go to your Youtube Studio by clicking on the profile icon at the top-right corner on your Youtube page and then clicking on Youtube Studio.

2) Select Content from the options at the left side of the page.

3) Then select the specific video you want to demonetize, and choose monetization by the video name. Then turn off monetization on this video by choosing off.

But again, remember that this is for the owners who are running a monetized channel, not just a channel. Learn more about how to remove ads from your created videos in this vlog:


Read next: Frequent Screen Use Impacts Language Skills in Children, Study Reveals

by Ehtasham Ahmad via Digital Information World

ChatGPT Earns $37M in September, Surpasses $300M in Total Revenue

ChatGPT is growing faster on Google Play Store and Apple App Store and has become one of the fastest-growing apps. September 2024 was one of the most important months for ChatGPT in terms of revenue, just like this whole quarter was. ChatGPT is quickly catching up after seeing some decline last year.

According to estimates by Appfigures Intelligence, ChatGPT earned $37 million in net revenue in September, which means it is the revenue that ChatGPT has earned after paying App Store and Play Store fees. This marks ChatGPT’s 19% month-over-month growth, which isn’t its highest but still good considering ChatGPT’s past numbers.

This growth of ChatGPT is mostly seen on the US App Store, where ChatGPT is currently the 27th top-grossing app. September was a big milestone for ChatGPT, as its total revenue has crossed $300 million since its release. ChatGPT generated $177 million in Q2 and $315 million in Q3, marking a 78% increase in revenue from Q2 to Q3.

A few days ago, OpenAI also revealed its Realtime API, which will help users build apps using OpenAI’s advanced voice mode. This could also help increase OpenAI’s revenue even though the Realtime API is very costly. However, this likely won’t stop some users from trying it out, and it seems like OpenAI is expecting positive results from this launch.

Read next: Frequent Screen Use Impacts Language Skills in Children, Study Reveals
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Frequent Screen Use Impacts Language Skills in Children, Study Reveals

Scientists in Estonia conducted a study on 421 children to determine if screen usage impacts their language development. The study was published in Frontiers in Developmental Psychology, and it found that homes with a lot of screens, where children frequently use these screens, show signs of delayed speech. The lead author of the study, Dr. Tiia Tulviste of the University of Tartu, says that most children learn languages and everyday behaviors while interacting with adults. However, nowadays, many children are actively involved in watching screens, which affects how they develop language and speech.

For the study, the researchers gathered families of 421 children between the ages of 2 and 4 years. They asked the parents how much their children typically use screens and what types of screens are used on an average day. The parents were also asked how much they use screens as a family, such as for watching a movie. They were then handed a questionnaire that included questions about their child’s speaking abilities.

The researchers then divided the children and adults into three groups according to screen use—low, moderate, and high. They found that parents who used screens a lot also had children who used screens frequently. On the other hand, parents with low screen usage had children with similarly low screen usage. The children who were not using screens frequently had better grammar and vocabulary. However, regardless of how low or high the screen time was, it had some negative effects on a child's language skills.

If the parents or children were using screens for gaming, there were more negative effects on the child’s learning abilities. Games in foreign languages didn’t provide learning opportunities for children. The authors of the study stated that more research is needed to determine how family members' screen time impacts children's learning and language development.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World