Latest news with #CrisTurner
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Google offers to blur sensitive sites on its map amid Seoul's security concerns
SEOUL: (Bernama-Yonhap) Google said Tuesday (Aug 5) it will blur sensitive sites on its map and satellite image services to address Seoul's national security concerns ahead of its decision this week on whether to allow the overseas transfer of high‑precision map data, Yonhap News Agency reported. "Just like in other countries, we respect national security and are working closely with the Korean government to protect it," Google Korea said in a statement posted on its blog, citing Cris Turner, vice‑president for government affairs and public policy at Google. "We have already confirmed our commitment with the Korean government to blur satellite images as required, and will be exploring acquiring imagery from approved Korean third parties where appropriate," the company added. The post came just days before a government panel is set to decide whether to approve Google's request to export South Korea's 1:5,000‑scale high‑precision map data. The panel meeting is slated for Friday. In February, the US tech giant submitted an application to the state‑run National Geographic Information Institute (NGII), seeking approval for the transfer of 1:5,000‑scale map data to its data centres abroad. The proposal has sparked a heated debate due to concerns that the export of detailed map data could expose military bases and other sensitive facilities. South Korea remains technically at war with North Korea, as the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Google emphasised that the 1:5,000‑scale map data is a public "national base map," approved by the NGII and already used by most domestic mapping services in Korea. "To handle the millions of simultaneous requests from users worldwide, including those researching travel from outside Korea, Google must rely on its globally distributed data centres for smooth, real‑time processing," the company said. "This technological necessity is why we are applying for permission to run the 1:5,000‑scale national base map through our distributed data centres." Google previously made similar requests in 2007 and 2016, but both were rejected by the South Korean government due to security concerns. The issue had also surfaced in recent trade negotiations between Seoul and Washington, with the map data restrictions cited as a potential non‑tariff barrier against US companies. - Bernama-Yonhap
Axios
20-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: Google wants to help cities build AI strategies
Google is releasing a playbook on Friday to help mayors across the country adopt city-wide AI strategies, per an announcement shared exclusively with Axios. Why it matters: Cities are approaching the technology wildly differently and with varying levels of resources, interest and need. But the "AI divide" — like the "digital divide" that came before it with internet access — is projected to deepen tech access disparities. "Building Your City's AI Strategy," released in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors, is meant to serve as a framework for mayors and other municipal leaders to assess and implement AI. What's inside: The guide has chapters on identifying staff to participate in an "AI workshop," conducting surveys on AI usage and needs, and drafting an AI strategy document. The survey asks questions like how staff are currently using AI tools and which areas of city services could use AI the most. The guide states that AI offers cities "significant advantages" and "can automate certain tasks while freeing up city staff for complex, human-centric work." What they're saying: "Whatever problem you've been dealing with that you've inherited from your predecessors, that you can't figure out the way to fix, AI is the once in a generation tool that gives you a shot at fixing it," Cris Turner, vice president of government affairs at Google, told Axios. By the numbers: 96% of 100 mayors across the globe surveyed by Bloomberg Philanthropies in 2023 said they were interested in using generative AI, but only 2% surveyed were actively implementing it and 69% said they were exploring it. The bottom line: Companies like Google depend on people using their generative AI products for profit. But more users help the models get better, Turner noted.
Washington Post
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Mexico awaits new response from Google on dispute over Gulf of Mexico name before filing lawsuit
MEXICO CITY — Mexico said Monday it's awaiting a new response from Google to its request that the tech company fully restore the name Gulf of Mexico to its Google Maps service before filing a lawsuit. President Claudia Sheinbaum shared a letter addressed to her government from Cris Turner, Google's vice president of government affairs and public policy. It says that Google will not change the policy it outlined after U.S. President Donald Trump declared the body of water the Gulf of America.
