E-Business
Google AI: New Ways to Search in 2024

By Elizabeth Reid, Vice President, Search
For more than two decades, we’ve continuously redefined what a search engine can do — always guided by our mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
This has gone hand in hand with our ongoing advancements in AI, which help us better understand information in its many forms — whether it’s text, audio, images or videos.
As part of this evolution, we’ve made it easier to express what you’re looking for in ways that are more natural and intuitive. For instance, you can search with your voice, or you can search with your camera using Lens. And recently, we’ve been testing how generative AI’s ability to understand natural language makes it possible to ask questions on Search in a more natural way.
Ultimately, we envision a future where you can search any way, anywhere you want. Now, as we enter 2024, we’re introducing two major updates that bring this vision closer to reality: Circle to Search and an AI-powered multisearch experience. Let’s take a look at what’s ahead.
Circle (or highlight or scribble) to Search
Today we unveiled Circle to Search, a new way to search anything on your Android phone screen without switching apps. With a simple gesture, you can select images, text or videos in whatever way comes naturally to you — like circling, highlighting, scribbling or tapping — and find the information you need right where you are.
When something grabs your interest (like these adorable dog goggles!), it can be disruptive to stop what you’re doing and use another app or browser to start searching for information. But now, whether you’re texting friends, browsing social media or watching a video, you can search what’s on your screen right when your curiosity strikes.
Circle to Search is launching globally on select premium Android smartphones on January 31, starting with the Pixel 8, the Pixel 8 Pro and the new Galaxy S24 Series. And as we’ve shared, Search and Shopping ads will continue to appear in dedicated ad slots throughout the results page.
Point your camera, ask a question, get help from AI
In 2022, we pioneered multisearch in Lens as a new way to search multimodally, with both images and text. Since it launched, multisearch has been best for refining visual queries — like searching for a photo of red sneakers with Lens and adding the word “blue” to find them in your preferred color. But now, thanks to our recent breakthroughs in generative AI, multisearch makes exploring the world easier than ever before.
Starting today, when you point your camera (or upload a photo or screenshot) and ask a question using the Google app, the new multisearch experience will show results with AI-powered insights that go beyond just visual matches. This gives you the ability to ask more complex or nuanced questions about what you see, and quickly find and understand key information.
For example, imagine you’re at a yard sale and you come across a strange-looking board game. There’s no box or instructions, so immediately some questions spring to mind: What is this game and how is it played? This is where the new multisearch experience can help.
Just take a picture of the game, add your question (“How do you play this?”), and you’ll get an AI-powered overview that brings together the most relevant information from across the web. This way, you can quickly find out what the game is called and how to win. And with the AI-powered overview, it’s easy to dig deeper with supporting links and get all the details.
AI-powered overviews on multisearch results are launching this week in English in the U.S. for everyone — no enrollment in Search Labs required. To get started, just look for the Lens camera icon in the Google app for Android or iOS. If you’re outside the U.S. and opted into SGE, you can preview this new experience in the Google app. You’ll also be able to access AI-powered overviews on multisearch results within Circle to Search.
Continuing to boldly experiment with generative AI in Search
This week’s launch of AI-powered insights for multisearch is the result of testing we began last year to see how gen AI can make Search radically more helpful, with our Search Generative Experience (SGE) in Search Labs. We’ve gotten lots of useful feedback from people who’ve chosen to join this experiment, and we’ll continue to offer SGE in Labs as a testbed for bold new ideas.
But our goal is to make AI helpful for everyone, not just early adopters. So moving forward, as we continue to experiment and uncover which applications of gen AI are most helpful, we’ll introduce them into Search more broadly, like we’re doing now with multisearch results.
Today’s updates will make Search even more natural and intuitive, but we’ve only just scratched the surface of what’s possible. To try out the latest capabilities we’re testing, enroll in Search Labs (where available) and opt into the SGE experiment. We hope you’ll join Labs as we continue reimagining the future of Search.
E-Business
Firm Finds Leaked Netflix, Roblox and Discord Accounts Registered on Corporate emails

Employees may also use corporate emails to register for personal accounts on marketplaces and social media, increasing the risk of account theft and corporate security breaches, according to a study by Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence.
Kaspersky shares these findings and suggests key cybersecurity practices to mitigate the risks of credential leaks.
Kaspersky experts analysed compromised credentials leaked on the dark web between 2019 and 2024 for three popular entertainment platforms: Roblox, Discord and Netflix. The analysis revealed that, on average, 7% of users whose accounts were leaked had registered on these platforms using a corporate email address.
“Registering on various services for personal use with a work email is not best practice. First, you may lose access to these accounts if you change jobs. Second, it can pose security risks for both you and your company.
“If your passwords follow a predictable pattern across different services – for example, ‘Word2025!’, where ‘2025’ is a recurring part – it increases the likelihood of other accounts being compromised, including your work account, should your corporate email be exposed in a dark web leak,” explains Sergey Shcherbel, expert at Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence.
Kaspersky experts also found that bank employees most commonly registered their work email addresses on streaming services, marketplaces and social networks. In a few cases, corporate emails were also used as logins on gaming platforms and adult content websites.
Corporate email usage on entertainment platforms: statistics from a sample of 50 banking sector companies.
To conduct this study, experts compiled a sample of 50 banking sector companies and examined compromised credentials leaked on the dark web, identifying those linked to the corporate domains of these companies across five categories of popular platforms.
Learn more in the report. In light of this growing infostealer threat, Kaspersky has launched a dedicated landing page to raise awareness of the issue and provide strategies for mitigating associated risks.
If you encounter a data leak through infostealers, the following steps should be taken immediately:
- Change compromised account passwords and monitor for suspicious activity associated with those accounts.
- Run full security scans on all devices, removing any detected malware.
- Companies are recommended to monitor dark web markets proactively to detect compromised accounts before they pose risks to customers or employees. A detailed guide on setting up monitoring can be found here. Leverage Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence to track what cybercriminals know about your company’s assets, identify potential attack vectors, and implement protective measures in a timely manner.
- As an enterprise, implement a security awareness program for employees, including regular training and performance assessments. Enforce a strict password policy for all corporate resources to reduce the risks of encountering credential-related cyber threats.
E-Business
NDPC, Mastercard Partner to Strengthen Data Protection

Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mastercard to enhance data protection in Nigeria.

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, commissioner, NDPC and Derek Ho,deputy chief privacy officer, Mastercard
The agreement was sealed during a workshop where 150 Data Protection Officers (DPOs) were trained on Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs).
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, commissioner, NDPC, said the event kicks off activities for the 8th NADPA conference, highlighting government efforts to train more certified DPOs.
Olatunji also disclosed the Federal Government’s commitment to increasing the number of certified DPOs with the required skills to manage data protection.
He noted that Nigeria’s digital-savvy youth are key to driving this agenda.
“Human capital is really key to us, and the ecosystem we are regulating is very special. It is still new, still emerging, and we need all we can to build the capacity of officers.
“We want to build the capacity of our people so we can be able to deliver on our mandate and fully deepen privacy in Nigeria.
“We are targeting to build the capacity of 250,000 DPOs annually, and we are working with partners like Mastercard to achieve that,” he said.
Derek Ho,deputy chief privacy officer, Mastercard, also stressed the need for collaboration to build trust in the digital economy and urged participants to embrace training as data protection keeps evolving.
E-Business
CSCS Launches *7270#, USSD Code Service

Central Securities Clearing System PLC (CSCS) has announced the launch of *7270#, its Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code service, set to go live on May 8th, 2025.
The USSD code service is an innovative solution designed to enhance the ease and accessibility of investment services for all users.
Also, this service leverages the network capabilities of MTN Nigeria to bring unparalleled convenience to investors.
Driven by a relentless commitment to innovation, CSCS aims to revolutionize information access within the Nigerian capital market through this USSD code service.
As the Central Securities Depository (CSD), CSCS focuses on enhancing investor experiences and providing deeper market insights with unparalleled convenience.
The CSCS USSD code service offers seamless access to essential market information directly from mobile phones, eliminating the need for internet connectivity or specialized trading platforms.
Investors can now effortlessly retrieve Clearing House Number (CHN), check Direct Cash Settlement (DCS) status, view stock positions, account balances, and account status confirmations.
Haruna Jalo-Waziri, managing director/chief executive officer of CSCS, said ” We are excited to launch the *7270# USSD code service, a significant step in leveraging mobile technology to democratize access to account and portfolio information.
“This service empowers every investor, regardless of their location or resources, to stay informed about their investments. At CSCS, we believe that financial inclusivity is key to driving economic growth.
“Our partnership with MTN Nigeria on this project represents a significant leap toward a more inclusive financial landscape, leveraging the spread of the MTN network.
“This collaboration enhances the investing experience, reinforcing our shared commitment to empowering individuals with the tools they need to manage their financial futures effectively.” he added.
The CSCS USSD code service will initially be available to MTN users only. However, CSCS plans to expand this service to other networks soon.
This innovative service offers investors streamlined and secure access to critical market information at their fingertips.
Aisha Umar Mumuni, chief digital officer of MTN Nigeria, said, “This collaboration with CSCS on the *7270# USSD service underscores MTN’s commitment to harnessing the power of mobile technology to simplify complex processes for our users.
“By making critical investment information available at the touch of a button, we are helping to democratize access to the capital markets and, in the process, enhance investor engagement and market transparency,” she said.
CSCS continues to lead the way in technological advancements, reinforcing its position as a pivotal player in the Nigerian capital market ecosystem.
This initiative underscores our dedication to enhancing market efficiency and empowering investors with the tools they need for informed decision-making.
- E-Business2 days ago
Expert Urges FG to Leverage Digital Assets to Drive Diversification Goal
- General News2 days ago
SeamlessHR, AOPN Push Payroll Innovation for Nigeria’s Outsourcing Growth
- General News2 days ago
FG Faults AfDB’s Adesina on Nigeria’s GDP Per Capita Figures
- News2 days ago
Cabals Still Fighting our Refinery – Dangote
- Telecom2 days ago
Telcos Plan Zero Tariff in Some Regions with Low Opex
- E-Financial2 days ago
First Asset Management Surpasses ₦1 Trillion in Assets Under Management
- Telecom2 days ago
AVEVA Appoints Sébastien Ory as EMEA VP Partners & Channels
- News1 day ago
ABoICT Lecture 2025 to Focus on Governance, Standardization in Artificial Intelligence Era