New privacy and cheaper phones from Google | Calamatta Cuschieri

The Maltese market closed in the green on Tuesday, with MSE Equity Total Return Index ending the session 0.45% higher, to 9,698.938 points. Best performer was Malta International airport plc. It jumped 2.94% to close at 7.00, followed by RS2 Software plc which added 2.53% to close at 1.62. BMIT Technologies plc and Trident Estates plc also finished on a positive note with 0.93% and 0.71% increase to close at 0.54 and 1.41 respectively, followed by PG plc and Bank of Valletta plc. Both closed in the green by adding 0.6% and 0.37 to 1.67 and 1.34 respectively. The biggest fall was seen from Malita Investment plc. It shed 2.3% to close at 0.85, followed by GO plc, which fell 1.35% to close at 4.40. Medserv plc was active but closed unchanged.

European shares slid on Tuesday as risk appetite took a hit from the European Commission trimming euro zone growth forecasts and pessimism among investors on the path ahead for U.S.-China trade talks. The pan-European STOXX 600 slid 1.37% to close at 381.64, while Germany’s DAX fell 1.58% to close at 12,092.74. London’s FTSE 100 Index shed 1.63% to 7,260.47 and France’s CAC 40 Index was down 1.6% to close at 5,395.75.

U.S. stocks posted their worst one-day performance in weeks Tuesday, building on the previous day’s decline after U.S. officials confirmed that tariffs on imported goods from China could be raised by the end of the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 473.39 1.8%, to 25,965.09, while the S&P 500 index dropped 1.7%, to 2,884.05. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 2%, to 7,963.76.

Google unveils new privacy tools

Google announced new privacy tools Tuesday intended to give people more control over how they’re being tracked on the go or in their own home, part of a broader effort by big tech companies to counter increasing scrutiny of their data collection practices. The company also announced updates for its artificially intelligent voice assistant as well as a cheaper Pixel phone and a rebranding of the smart-home products.

Google announced smaller but tangible changes across many of its products. The company makes billions of dollars annually by selling digital ads that are targeted at the interests people reveal through their search requests and data collected by Google apps and services.

The latest version of Google’s Android phone software will also alert users when apps may be exploiting access to phone location data. Android Q, as the new operating system is currently known, will also let users restrict apps’ access to location more generally — for instance, by only allowing apps currently in use to gather the data. Location data has been a sore subject for Google. In 2018, an Associated Press investigation found that Google continued storing phone location data even when users turned off a “location history” setting in Android.

The company also revealed plans to overhaul Chrome to let users rein in so-called tracking cookies, which are bits of software that follow people around on the web. The move, which could have major repercussions for the digital advertising industry, would require companies to identify cookies used by third-party websites and advertisers to track users. In coming months, Google said that change will enable users to clear most of those tracking cookies without disturbing others that keep users logged into sites or that personalize website settings. Chrome currently only allows people to clear all cookies.

Google also announced a new, cheaper Pixel phone and a larger smart home display called the Nest Hub Max. Both are packed with AI capabilities, including many that take place on-device without sending information to servers.
 

This article was issued by Nadiia Grech, Junior Trader at Calamatta Cuschieri. For more information visit, www.cc.com.mt.http://www.cc.com.mt. The information, view and opinions provided in this article are being provided solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be construed as investment advice, advice concerning particular investments or investment decisions, or tax or legal advice. Calamatta Cuschieri Investment Services Ltd has not verified and consequently neither warrants the accuracy nor the veracity of any information, views or opinions appearing on this website.