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A U.S. special forces soldier involved in the military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been charged with using classified information about the mission to win more than $400,000 in an online betting market, federal officials announced Thursday. Gannon Ken Van Dyke was part of the operation to capture Maduro in January and used his access to classified information to make money on the prediction market site Polymarket, the federal prosecutor’s office in New York said. He has been charged by the Justice Department with unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud and making an unlawful monetary transaction. He could face years in prison. Van Dyke, 38, was involved in the planning and execution of capturing Maduro for about a month beginning Dec. 8, 2025, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. Even though he signed nondisclosure agreements promising to not divulge “any classified or sensitive information” related to the operations, prosecutors say the Army soldier used this information to make a series of bets related to Maduro being out of power by Jan. 31, 2026. “This involved a U.S. soldier who allegedly took advantage of his position to profit off of a righteous military operation,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post to social media. A telephone number listed for Van Dyke in public records was not in service. There was not yet an attorney listed for him in court documents. Polymarket, one of the largest prediction markets in the world, said it had found someone trading on classified government information, alerted the U.S. Department of Justice and “cooperated with their investigation.” “Insider trading has no place on Polymarket,” the company said in a statement. Second complaint filed against the soldier The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency that regulates prediction markets, announced Thursday it had filed a parallel complaint against Van Dyke. That complaint alleges that Van Dyke moved $35,000 from his personal bank account into a cryptocurrency exchange account on Dec. 26 — a little over a week before U.S. forces would fly into Caracas and seize Maduro. Van Dyke used more than $32,500 to make a series of bets on when Maduro might be removed from power, according to the complaint. He placed those bets between Dec. 30 and Jan. 2, with the vast majority occurring the night of Jan. 2 — just hours before the first missiles would fall on Caracas. In the early hours of Jan. 3, President Donald The President posted on his social media platform a photo of the now-captured Venezuelan leader, wearing a gray sweatsuit, headphones and a blindfold. The bets Van Dyke made on Maduro leaving power resulted in “more than $404,000 of profits,” the complaint said. Bets on three other Venezuela-related contracts netted the solider more than $5,000, according to the document. “The defendant was entrusted with confidential information about U.S. operations and yet took action that endangered U.S. national security and put the lives of American service members in harm’s way,” said Michael Selig, the commission’s chairman. The massive profits from the well-timed bets aroused public attention days after the raid and brought bipartisan calls for stricter regulation of the markets where people can wager on just about anything. Officials allege that shortly after the operation, Van Dyke put most of the money he won in a foreign cryptocurrency vault and then into a new brokerage account. He also asked Polymarket to delete his account, saying he had lost access to his email associated with the account, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. The President, when asked about the case Thursday, drew parallels between the embattled soldier and late professional baseball player Pete Rose, who was banned from the sport amid accusations that he placed bets on his own team. “The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino, and you look at what’s going on all over the world and Europe and every place, they’re doing these betting things,” The President told reporters. The The President administration has been a key ally of the growing prediction market industry in a critical legal fight with states seeking to ban the platforms. The president’s eldest son is an adviser for both Polymarket and its competitor Kalshi, and a Polymarket investor. The President’s social media platform Truth Social is also launching its own cryptocurrency-based prediction market called Truth Predict. Nearly two decades in the Army Van Dyke joined the Army in 2008 and, in 2023, was promoted to the rank of master sergeant, the second-highest enlisted rank in the Army, according to the indictment. Federal prosecutors said he was part of the special forces community and was stationed at Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, North Carolina, but their indictment offered little other details about his military service. The document said Van Dyke was photographed following the raid on the deck of a ship “wearing U.S. military fatigues, and carrying a rifle, standing alongside three other individuals wearing U.S. military fatigues.” The Pentagon referred questions on the case to the Army and the Justice Department. Army officials declined to provide Van Dyke’s service record. Typically, the military services are reticent to offer details about members of the special forces and take measures to keep their identities secret. Bets on geopolitical tensions draw scrutiny The high-profile indictment comes as bipartisan lawmakers are considering legislation to ban prediction markets from allowing bets on war, assassinations or terrorist attacks. Earlier this month, The Associated Press reported that a group of new accounts on Polymarket made highly specific, well-timed bets on whether the U.S. and Iran would reach a ceasefire on April 7, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits for the new customers. On the same day the AP published the report, the White House warned staff against using private information to trade on prediction markets. On Wednesday, Kalshi fined and suspended three congressional candidates who the company said wagered on the outcome of their own elections. —Hallie Golden, Konstantin Toropin and Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press View the full article

NASA is looking not to the stars but back to our planet for inspiration. In honor of Earth Day, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center shared an interactive digital tool turns satellite images of the planet’s landscapes into a typeface. “The planet can spell your name—literally,” the Kennedy Space Center’s X post says. Using a feature called “Your Name in Landsat,” users can type in whichever word they choose into the generator’s textbox. The site will then generate the phrase using landscapes from Earth, like rivers, lakes, farmland, and more. When hovering over each “letter,” users can learn more about where the landscape is located and even its coordinates. NASA first unveiled the tool in August of 2024 for Camp Landsat, a virtual summer camp the agency runs. The letters are part of an extensive record of satellite images from Landsat—the longest ongoing series of Earth observing missions—which spans more than 50 years. The Landsat mission was first launched on July 23, 1972 and has since successfully launched eight satellites that have photographed the planet. The project has not only awarded earthlings with high-resolution imagery for fun visualizations like “Your Name in Landsat”; it has also provided valuable data for scientists and policy makers alike to make decisions regarding the environment and natural resources. The images that feed into the word generator are part of the satellite program’s Alphabet Image Gallery, with images sourced from the NASA Earth Observatory, NASA Worldview, USGS EarthExplorer, and the ESA Sentinel Hub. Some letters get more than one iteration depending on how complex and prevalent the shape is in nature. Take the “A” which has five different options, with landscapes ranging from Yukon Delta, in Alaska, to Lake Guakhmaz, in Azerbaijan. The “G” in comparison, is somewhat rarer, with only one option currently available in the gallery: an image from Fonte Boa, a municipality in the Amazonas state of Brazil. People love the tool. The social media post received over 22 million views and more than 1,300 people posted their creations in the comments. (Even brands like Xbox got in on the fun.) “I’m here for this,” one user replied. Another added, “that’s cool as hell, are you kidding me.” Beyond serving as a delightful interactive feature, Your Name in Landsat is also a powerful visualization that reminds us of how vast the world is and why its natural landscapes are worth saving. View the full article

April is shaping up to be yet another brutal month for job cuts in the technology sector. But the announcements may not have the immediate effect that many companies are hoping for. Here’s the latest on the situation. Microsoft to offer buyouts to 7% of its US workforce While Microsoft hasn’t announced another round of layoffs, the Windows giant is planning job reductions of another kind. As Fast Company reported yesterday, the Redmond, Washington, company is expected to offer buyouts to 7% of its U.S. workforce by the end of June. A buyout is when a company offers an employee a financial incentive to resign. Buyout helps companies avoid being forced to choose which employees to let go, while still reducing their workforce and achieving their goal of lowering operational costs. An employee who accepts the buyout loses their job, but generally gets a significant financial incentive for the voluntary move. Buyouts typically target employees who are closer to retirement age. As for the reason for the buyouts, it’s the same reason driving most of the tech industry’s recent layoffs: the drive to cut labor costs so more money can be spent on building out the huge data centers needed for AI training and services. Meta to lay off 10% of its workforce While Microsoft is giving some of its employees the option of voluntary buyouts, Meta isn’t providing its employees an option at all. Yesterday, the company told its employees that it will lay off about 8,000 of them—roughly 10% of its workforce—on May 20. An additional 6,000 currently open roles will not be filled. Meta’s latest layoff comes after the company has committed $135 billion in capital expenditure to its latest round of AI initiatives. Much of that expenditure will go to building massive data centers that the company needs to run its AI systems. As Fast Company reported yesterday, Meta says the job cuts aim to boost efficiency while also offsetting its “heavy spending on artificial intelligence.” Nike announces 1,400 tech job layoffs Also yesterday, shoe giant Nike announced it was laying off around 2% of its workforce, or about 1,400 employees. While the company is primarily known as a maker of apparel and footwear, the job cuts will mostly hit Nike’s technology roles. But while Nike’s job cuts will primarily target its tech workforce, the company is one of the few to not suggest that AI is behind the layoffs. Instead, Nike says the job cuts are part of its “Win Now” strategy, which aims to modernize its manufacturing, merge parts of its supply chain, and reshape its technology division. Nike’s layoffs will reportedly impact employees globally, including in North America. Snap to lay off 16% of its global workforce The trifecta of tech job cuts announced yesterday aren’t the only ones in April. On April 14, Snapchat maker Snap Inc. announced it would cut 16% of its global workforce. As CNBC reported, that equates to about 1,000 jobs, while another 300 currently empty roles will remain unfilled. The primary driver behind the job cuts is the desire to cut costs by leveraging AI instead of a human workforce. “We believe that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence enable our teams to reduce repetitive work, increase velocity, and better support our community, partners, and advertisers,” CEO Evan Spiegel wrote in a letter announcing the job cuts. GoPro to reduce its workforce by 23% Finally, earlier this month, on April 7, wearable camera maker GoPro announced that it planned to lay off 145 workers. But while that may seem small in comparison to the other companies on this list, it represents a staggering 23% of the company’s workforce. According to the Wall Street Journal, GoPro’s job cuts come as the company struggles with profitability amid macroeconomic pressures, including increased memory costs as AI demand drives prices higher and tariffs add costs. The company reportedly hopes to reduce operating costs in order to help it return to profitability by the end of the year. Company stock prices react to layoffs While layoffs are devastating to the affected workers and their families, investors usually cheer the news of job cuts. That’s because reducing the workforce is usually the fastest way for a company to cut costs. It’s why share prices tend to increase after a company announces major job cuts. But this time, investor response has been a mixed bag. Since GoPro, Inc. (Nasdaq: GPRO) announced its job cuts, the stock has climbed an impressive 73%. Likewise, Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP) stock rose immediately after it announced its job cuts. After the announcement, SNAP stock was up about 7%. However, as of yesterday’s close, the stock had given back some of those gains, now up only about 4.3% since the layoffs were announced. But the other companies’ stock prices have hardly reacted. Shares in Meta Platforms Inc. (Nasdaq: META) fell more than 2% yesterday, and are barely up half a percent in premarket trading this morning, as of the time of this writing. Shares in Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) fell nearly 4% yesterday and are up only about 1.3% in premarket trading today. Nike Inc (NYSE: NKE) shares fell nearly 2% yesterday and haven’t even recovered half of that this morning. In other words, announcing major job cuts no longer seems guaranteed to get investors excited about a stock—and that’s something the tech giants are likely taking note of this morning. View the full article

Airlines worldwide have begun canceling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel supplies and pushes up prices — but the disruption doesn’t end there. For travelers, it can mean having to navigate a confusing web of passenger protections that vary widely depending on where they’re flying. And the timing is amplifying the impact. “These pressures are arriving at a time when summer travel demand is ramping up, with major events such as the World Cup expected to put additional strain on airports,” said Eric Napoli, chief legal officer at AirHelp, a company that helps travelers secure compensation for flight disruptions and advocates for passenger rights. Here’s what to know if your flight is canceled. Are these cancellations happening at the last minute? In most cases, no. At least for now, fuel-related cuts are often being made days or weeks in advance. Lufthansa Group, for example, said this week it is cutting 20,000 short-haul flights across its network through October. That gives you more time to adjust plans than you’d typically get with weather-related disruptions, which tend to trigger last-minute cancellations. My flight was canceled. What should I do first? Check your airline’s app or website immediately for rebooking options. If you’re flying on a U.S. carrier, that’s often the fastest and easiest way to secure a new seat, according to Tyler Hosford, security director at International SOS, a global risk management and travel security company. Non-U.S. carriers tend to have fewer digital tools, Hosford said, so it’s worth trying multiple channels, including the airline’s customer service lines or airport desks. Do I have the right to a refund or a new flight? In most cases, yes. Airlines typically offer either a refund or a rebooking on the next available flight. The exact rules vary by country, but those are the baseline options you can expect. In the U.S., for example, if your flight is canceled and you choose not to travel, the airline must refund you, regardless of the reason. Airlines may offer travel credits instead, but you’re entitled to a full refund for airfare and any extras you didn’t use, such as baggage fees or seat upgrades. Are passenger rights the same everywhere? No, and protections vary widely by region — from the Montreal Convention, which governs airline liability across more than 140 countries, to specific consumer protection laws in the U.S., Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Brazil. Europe has some of the strongest protections, including compensation in certain cases. And they apply to any flight departing from an EU airport, regardless of the airline, as well as to passengers flying on an EU-based carrier into the EU — even if the journey starts outside Europe. The United Kingdom maintains a similar framework. The U.S. and Canada offer more limited protections. Policies vary widely across Asia, and in some cases travelers may need to rely more on airline policies than formal regulations. To get a clearer picture, experts recommend searching the name of the country you’re departing from and “passenger rights” before your trip. What protections apply? It depends. Airlines may cite fuel shortages or rising fuel costs as the reason for cancellations. But whether you’re entitled to compensation often comes down to if the disruption is considered within the airline’s control under local laws. Regardless of the cause, Napoli said, airlines in the European Union, for example, still have a “duty of care,” meaning they must provide “necessary support” to travelers, including rebooking. “While airlines are citing fuel shortages as a reason for upcoming cancellations, travelers need to know that this does not automatically waive their rights” under EU laws, Napoli said. How can I prepare before a trip to avoid headaches? A few steps can make disruptions easier to manage. Sign up for flight alerts to stay informed, and book directly with the airline when possible — it’s much easier to resolve issues with the carrier directly than through a third-party booking site. Knowing your options ahead of time and having a backup plan can make a significant difference if plans change. What do I need for a claim or complaint? Documentation is critical. Save everything: boarding passes, receipts, cancellation notices and any communication from the airline. Take screenshots of app or website updates and any communication taking place online, and jot down key details from phone calls. Napoli also recommends asking the airline for written confirmation of a flight disruption, including the stated reason. Should I accept the first alternative flight the airline offers? Not necessarily. Experts say one of the most common mistakes travelers make is taking the first option without checking alternatives. Look at other flights, routes or even nearby airports because you may find a faster or more convenient way to reach your destination. Can I book a different flight myself? Yes, but proceed carefully. If the airline’s rebooking option doesn’t meet your needs — especially if your new flight isn’t for several days — you can look for alternatives and request a refund instead. Just be aware you may need to pay any fare difference up front, and you might not be reimbursed later. Any other tips to avoid getting stuck? — Book flights earlier in the day so you have more rebooking options if something goes wrong. — Set up flight alerts through tracking apps such as Flighty to get early notice of cancellations or delays. In some cases, Hosford said, notifications arrive before the airline’s. — Consider nearby airports as backup options. — Be kind. Airline agents may be more willing to help when interactions stay calm and respectful. “Ultimately, the shortage is squeezing the entire system, from travelers to airlines, and is something to watch as the industry looks for any relief ahead of the summer travel season,” Napoli said. —Rio Yamat, AP Airlines and Travel Writer View the full article

Google documents deep link best practices and signals robots.txt doc expansion. The EU proposes Google share search data with rivals and AI chatbots. The post Google’s Robots.txt Docs Expand, Deep Links Get Rules, EU Steps In – SEO Pulse appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Earlier this week, in a live interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, President Donald The President was asked for his reaction to reports that Apple, Amazon, and some other companies had not filed refund requests for tariffs they paid over the past year—tariffs the Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional. “I think it’s brilliant if they don’t do that,” The President replied. “If they don’t do that, I’ll remember them.” To be clear, this wasn’t negotiation posturing. This was the president openly signaling that companies who forfeit money to which they are entitled will be “remembered” for a symbolic display of loyalty. The government has collected a combined $166 billion or so from U.S. importers; an act the Supreme Court ruled an overstep of presidential power. The companies in question are in effect taking the administration’s side despite the court’s ruling. Left unspoken but clearly implied is that those who exercise their legal rights may find themselves remembered, too, but certainly not for being “brilliant.” Given the Iran war, as well as the panoply of controversies and alleged scandals swirling around the administration, this incident was easy to miss. But it’s worth pausing over and paying attention to what companies affected by the illegal tariff scheme ultimately do. The tariffs, imposed last year and affecting U.S. trade with practically every country on earth, were struck by way of a 6-to-3 Supreme Court ruling in February, resulting in the $166 billion forced refund. Despite this lack of ambiguity, it’s not hard to imagine why a company might at least ponder whether it’s worth trying to stay on the president’s good side. The The President administration has not been shy about involving itself in the actions of private commerce, taking an unusually active stance over mergers, regulation, even bailouts or direct ownership stakes. Nevertheless, The President’s not-so-veiled threat is one that companies should firmly resist. It amounts to betraying shareholders and customers alike. For starters, the board members and executives of publicly traded companies obviously have fiduciary obligations to their shareholders. Shrugging off millions (or even billions) of dollars in legally recoverable refunds does not square with those duties. Moreover, it’s a bad look for a brand. Many companies passed along tariff costs through higher prices. Declining to pursue refunds in effect tells customers: We raised your prices because of costs we are now choosing not to recover, because the president said he’d be impressed if we didn’t. As a contrast, consider Costco, which has been among those striking an aggressive stance on the refunds. In November 2025, well before the high court’s ruling, the discount club chain filed a federal lawsuit challenging the tariffs as unlawful, asking the courts to order full refunds including interest on all tariffs paid. Costco executives have told investors the company would in effect pass along the refunds to its customers through “lower prices and better values.” Admittedly, that sounds a bit vague, but the company has said it will be open about the process. And compared to speculation about ignoring the refunds to curry favor with the administration, Costco’s simple clarity about adhering to the rule of law practically sounds like a profile in courage. Plenty of businesses have shown no hesitation about collecting refunds, particularly smaller enterprises. And shipping businesses FedEx, DHL, and UPS have all indicated they’ll be passing along refunds to customers who were billed to cover tariff fees. For many others, the process will admittedly be more complex. The payout fund is designed to reimburse entities that paid directly to import the tariffed goods—not the end consumers who may have ultimately absorbed those costs in the form of higher prices. Unlike the case of shipping, there’s usually not a clean paper trail to quantify what an individual customer might be owed. (Class action lawsuits are already coming together to challenge how the money is being distributed.) Still, this seems like a moment for companies to at least make clear their intent. The Costco response is a handy and straightforward example: Collect the refund and be vocal about returning value to customers. Treat this as an opportunity to demonstrate loyalty to shoppers. At the very least, signaling a greater interest in pleasing the administration than in pleasing your own shoppers seems like a shortsighted way to treat consumers, particularly in a moment when affordability is in the zeitgeist. “I’ll remember” cuts both ways. View the full article

Google updated its spam report page for the second time in the past week or so, this time to say that if you include personally identifying information, the spam report will not be processed or used. This comes just a week after Google said that information would be used and passed along to the reported site. What changed. Google posted on its spam report page a new highlight box which says two points: (1) Don’t include personally identifying information in your spam report. (2) If you do include personally identifying information, then Google won’t process your submission. The text block reads: “Don’t include any personally identifying information in your submission. To comply with regulations, we must send the submission text to the site owner to help them understand the context of a manual action, if one is issued. Because of this, we won’t process your submission if we determine it contains personally identifying information to protect privacy. Not including such information fully ensures your information is safe and prevents your submission from being discarded.” What was before. As we covered about a week ago, Google said then: “If we issue a manual action, we send whatever you write in the submission report verbatim to the site owner to help them understand the context of the manual action.” This caused a lot of concern in the industry, not just from fear of being caught calling out your competitors or spammers. But also for legal concerns. Google’s new wording above says this is now to “comply with regulations” where I guess it can’t share personally identifying information. Why we care. If you want to submit a successful spam report, make sure to not include any personally identifying information. And if you do include personally identifying information by accident, you do not have to worry that the information will be passed along to the reported site. The spam report will just not be processed at all and you can resubmit it. View the full article

Professional service firms appear to be braced for flatlining growthView the full article

This week, we covered new heated Google search ranking volatility. Google's Danny Sullivan spoke about commodity versus non-commodity content. Google now wont use spam reports with personality identifiable...View the full article

The fallout from an ambassadorial appointment like no other threatens even worse procedural ‘sludge’ in WhitehallView the full article

Whether you lead a scaling brand or an established global enterprise, you already know the frustration. You’re watching massive digital budgets yield diminishing returns, while agile disruptors consistently beat you to the punch. When you audit the citations within AI Overviews, ChatGPT responses, and Claude summaries, the reality is stark. Smaller, faster competitors are claiming more of the most lucrative, bottom-of-funnel commercial queries. It’s time to challenge the outdated assumption that legacy domain authority is enough to protect your pipeline. We’ve entered an era where operational agility often beats legacy brand equity. AI models demand rapid, machine-readable data to establish a verifiable consensus. Enterprise red tape, what we call the “bureaucracy tax,” is actively preventing established brands from deploying these assets. You didn’t build this red tape intentionally. As your business scaled, stability simply choked out agility. Why legal approves data faster than marketing claims When deployment speeds are slow, marketing teams inevitably blame legal, risk, or compliance. However, in highly regulated sectors, rigorous compliance is completely non-negotiable. The operational failure isn’t the legal team; the failure is what marketing is sending them. To win the AI search race, you must completely decouple your factual data from your marketing narrative. Here’s the human truth of corporate risk: Lawyers argue over adjectives, not APIs. Legal departments take months to review creative copywriting and subjective marketing claims (e.g., “We are the fastest, most innovative solution”). On the other hand, they can review a static, factual data table, a product specification sheet, or a pricing index in a matter of days. Consider a global payments company trying to capture AI search traffic for enterprise payment gateways. Legal will immediately block a 2,000-word marketing post titled “The most secure way to process payments” — it’s a compliance nightmare. But if that same marketing team builds a “Transaction fee and API uptime matrix” that simply aggregates factual processing costs and server SLAs into a structured table, legal signs off in 24 hours. When a CFO asks Perplexity, “Compare enterprise payment gateway fees,” the AI bypasses the competitor’s blocked blog post and cites your factual matrix as the definitive answer. Dig deeper: Why most SEO failures are organizational, not technical Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with How much does the bureaucracy tax actually cost? The bureaucracy tax is a measurable, devastating hit to your P&L. Consider the standard deployment cycle for an established enterprise. A new strategic initiative requires a brief, creative production, legal review, compliance sign-off, and an IT staging ticket. This often results in a sluggish 180-day cycle from ideation to publication. When a major industry shift occurs, such as a sudden change in regional shipping tariffs, the AI consensus is entirely up for grabs. Imagine you’re a global shipping company. While your 1,500-word thought leadership piece on “Navigating APAC supply chain changes” is sitting in a three-week IT staging queue, an agile mid-market logistics disruptor publishes a simple, structured “Current freight delay and tariff matrix.” The LLM scrapes the matrix, establishes it as the consensus, and instantly captures the most lucrative, high-intent logistics leads of the quarter. They get the revenue, while you get a Jira notification saying your staging ticket has been updated. To quantify this, we analyzed the AI citation share of top global brands across ChatGPT-4, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. By tracking the original publish dates of their digital assets against the AI’s preferred recommendations for high-value commercial queries, a brutal algorithmic truth emerged: recency can beat relevancy. When a market shift occurs, disruptors who deploy structured data within 14 days capture, on average, a 32% higher share of AI voice than legacy competitors who take 180 days to publish similar insights, even if the legacy brand has a higher traditional domain authority. For the slower enterprise, this isn’t a temporary dip in traffic. That deficit takes an average of nine months and $120,000 in defensive paid media to win back. You’re bleeding capital every single day your content sits in an approval queue. Dig deeper: How to build an enterprise SEO strategy that actually gets buy-in Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. The technical bypass: The schema-locked GEO template To understand why established brands are losing this race, you must look at the underlying technology. Many marketing teams are trapped on monolithic, legacy CMS platforms. Generative engine optimization (GEO) requires the constant, rapid deployment of complex JSON-LD schema markup and proprietary data tables. If your marketing team has to submit an IT ticket just to update an author tag, the disruptor has already won. The solution isn’t to go rogue and build insecure shadow IT. Instead, you must negotiate a schema-locked GEO template. Go to your CIO or lead developer and negotiate one single IT sprint to build a rigid, unbreakable CMS template designed exclusively for data. What does a schema-locked template actually look like? Picture a proprietary “comparison engine” for a consumer electronics brand. IT builds the template once, stripping out all design flexibility. Marketing never touches the code. Instead, a marketer simply fills in three backend text boxes: [Competitor TV model]. [Our refresh rate]. [Their refresh rate]. The template automatically wraps those inputs in perfect JSON-LD schema, specifically injecting Dataset, SoftwareApplication, and ItemList markup that LLMs actively hunt for, and renders a clean HTML table. IT loves it because marketing can’t break the site architecture. Marketing loves it because they can spin up 50 competitor comparison pages in a single afternoon, feeding LLMs exactly what they need. Don’t try to change your entire corporate culture; just build a fast track. Create an AI-readiness pod. This is a cross-functional alignment consisting of one technical SEO lead, 10% of a developer’s sprint capacity, and a dedicated compliance liaison who only reviews data, not copy. Dig deeper: Why governance maturity is a competitive advantage for SEO From compliance to consideration in record time You must engineer workflows that satisfy your risk officers and your CTO while radically accelerating your speed to market. Use these strategic frameworks to protect your AI consensus: If you’re an enterprise CMO bottlenecked by legal, then pivot your GEO strategy entirely. Publish pre-approved, proprietary data tables that require zero narrative oversight to capture the AI citation immediately. If you’re a mid-market founder with zero dev resources for marketing, then mandate the creation of the one-time “schema-locked GEO template” so your marketing team can operate autonomously for the rest of the year. If your traditional analytics show stable organic traffic, but your pipeline velocity is dropping, then immediately audit your LLM visibility. You’re likely being actively replaced by a disruptor in the AI research phase. See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with Agility is the new authority The rules of digital acquisition have fundamentally changed. The biggest budget doesn’t guarantee victory. The fastest route to machine-readable consensus wins. You can no longer afford to let legacy infrastructure and misaligned compliance workflows dictate your market share. The bureaucracy tax is an unforced error that’s quietly draining your bottom-line revenue. Ruthlessly audit your deployment timelines tomorrow morning. Stop treating GEO as a traditional marketing campaign, and start treating it as a high-velocity data operation. Dismantle your own red tape and empower your teams to become the undeniable, cited authority at the exact moment the consumer asks the machine a question. View the full article

British pension schemes will soon be forced to support my portfolioView the full article

Here is another interview from Google's head of search, Liz Reid. This one was done on the Odd Lots Bloomberg podcast and is titled "Google's Liz Reid on Who Will Own Search in a World of AI."View the full article

Google is working to fix a bug in AI Mode where it is changing the title links and citations. This bug was spotted by Lily Ray who wrote on X, "Google is changing title links / citations in AI Mode - just the name of the person, with a link to the place they were mentioned."View the full article

There is an “unprecedented degree of change in the business environment,” as one CEO in the latest Fortune/Deloitte CEO survey put it. If you’re struggling to scale your company, you’re not alone. Growth is harder and fatigue is everywhere. This volatile environment makes focus all the more important. I have worked with over a hundred VC or Private Equity backed startups through scaleups, and there are consistent barriers that every CEO and C-Suite, no matter your industry or business model, must overcome in order to grow successfully. As my old boss at Cisco, John Chambers, used to say “Concentrate on what you can control, not on what you can’t.” As a leader, here are five common factors that you can control that could be holding you back: 1. Confusion brings you down As an organization grows and scales, teams often lose sight of their core objectives. This leads to confusion, misalignment, and diluted motivation. When people are unclear why they are doing what they’re doing, their engagement and performance drop. Many leaders fall into the trap of chasing too many opportunities or reacting to the latest market noise, rather than sticking to a clear, differentiated strategy. Without radical focus, energy and resources are watered down. Scaling requires a disciplined plan—knowing exactly what you want, why it matters, and how you’ll get there, and then saying “no” to distractions. Regularly revisit your strategy and ruthlessly prioritize your core purpose and values. 2. Measure what matters Many companies mistake activity for progress, but it’s not just about having a plan for growth—it’s about working that plan with discipline. In scaling organizations, it’s common for teams to operate without clear, shared metrics for success. But without visible progress markers and regular, disciplined check-ins, accountability wanes. This makes it easy for priorities to drift and for mediocrity to creep in. Ask yourself, are you tracking the right metrics, measuring outcomes, and iterating based on what you learn? If you’re not measuring execution at a granular level, you risk drifting or burning out while making little real progress. Track everything and celebrate small wins to fuel momentum. 3. What got you here will not get you there What worked when your organization was smaller often breaks when you try to scale. As complexity increases, teams often lack robust ways of processing information, making decisions, and solving problems. If these old, informal methods persist, teams get bogged down in confusion, judgment, and finger-pointing rather than curiosity and shared learning. Processes that were once efficient become bottlenecks. In order to overcome this, technology, workflow, and decision-making structures must evolve. If your infrastructure, from sales processes to financial controls, can’t handle growth, execution will falter. Don’t be afraid to rebuild core systems to support the next stage of scale. 4. People don’t scale, teams do No amount of ambition or capital can compensate for the wrong team or a lack of alignment. Scaling exposes weaknesses in team leadership, skills, and coordination. Ask yourself: do you have the right people in the right seats? Are your team leaders and teams aligned, and does everyone understand the goals and the urgency? Invest in hiring and developing talent density in teams. Ensure the team’s incentives (care why) and goals are in sync with the business’s direction (know why). 5. Have clear values, structure, and role definition Scaling brings new people, changing structures, and evolving roles. When new employees are added to an organization, it can create friction with existing employees if their values don’t align. A study by Columbia Business School found that the tipping point for shaping existing employees’ values is when 20-40% of new employees have different values—this can be positive, but can also lead to a negative impact on company culture. It’s also true that without clear definition and communication about who is responsible for what, teams become inefficient, drop balls, and experience internal friction. This lack of structure undermines performance and accountability. With rapid change, new joiners, shifting priorities, and changing values, team cohesion and psychological safety can break down. When people don’t feel safe to speak up, take risks, or admit mistakes, trust erodes and collaboration suffers. This leads to siloed behavior and stunted learning. All this needs to be taken into account in order to ensure your employees are contributing to growth, not hindering it, and have opportunities to reach their full potential. The key to successful scaling Successful scaling isn’t just about increasing revenue—it’s about building the durable systems, culture, and relationships that make growth sustainable. If you’re stuck in your scaling plans, step back and diagnose your organization across these five areas. Often, the real obstacle is not just one thing, but a combination that needs clarity and focused action. View the full article

A couple of weeks ago, Google stunned many by saying that they updated their spam report to pass along all information to the site that you enter in the spam report. There was a lot of backlash to that and Google reverted, now saying if there is personally identifying information, it won't process the spam report at all.View the full article

Microsoft’s AI ad strategy looks different from Google’s. Here’s what PPC managers may be missing and which updates deserve a closer look. The post Why Microsoft’s AI Ad Strategy Deserves More Attention From PPC Managers appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Using a self-employment tax calculator can simplify your tax preparation, but you need to comprehend a few key concepts first. Start by gathering all relevant income documentation, such as 1099 forms, and accurately determine your total net earnings after deducting business expenses. Then, input this information into the calculator, which will help you calculate your tax liability. Grasping these steps is essential, as they set the foundation for estimating your quarterly payments and leveraging tax deductions effectively. Key Takeaways Gather all relevant 1099 forms to report total gross earnings from self-employment and freelance work. Deduct allowable business expenses from your gross income to determine net business income. Enter your total self-employment income into the calculator, applying the 15.3% self-employment tax rate on 92.35% of your net earnings. Estimate your quarterly payments by dividing your total self-employment tax liability by four, considering due dates. Ensure the calculator accounts for additional Medicare tax if your income exceeds $200,000 for single filers. Understanding Self-Employment Tax When you’re self-employed, grasp of self-employment tax is fundamental to managing your finances and meeting your tax obligations. This tax includes Social Security and Medicare, totaling 15.3% on net earnings exceeding $400. To calculate it accurately, you’ll use Schedule SE attached to your Form 1040, applying the tax rates to 92.35% of your net profit from Schedule C or Schedule F. Remember, income above $176,100 incurs only the Medicare tax rate of 2.9%, and an additional Medicare tax applies to higher earners. It’s vital to make self-employment tax payments quarterly, with specific deadlines to keep your tax status compliant. Utilizing a self-employment tax calculator can simplify this process, helping you determine your tax liability effectively. In addition, knowing how to figure out 1099 taxes can aid in managing your tax responsibilities as a self-employed individual. Determining Your Total Net Earnings Determining your total net earnings is crucial for accurately calculating your self-employment tax, as it forms the basis of your tax liability. Start by compiling all income sources, including your 1099 forms, which reflect your gross earnings from self-employment activities. Then, subtract allowable business expenses—like advertising, insurance, and travel—from your gross income. This gives you your net profit, the amount subject to self-employment tax. Don’t forget to include specific income types, such as rental income or royalties on 1099-MISC, as they can impact your total net earnings. Remember, only 92.35% of your net earnings is considered for self-employment tax; multiply your net profit by this percentage. To answer the question, “how much should I set aside for taxes 1099?” you’ll need to know how much of 1099 income is taxed to guarantee you’re prepared for your tax obligations. Keep thorough records to support your calculations. Inputting Your Income and Expenses After you’ve calculated your total net earnings, the next step involves inputting your income and expenses into the self-employment tax calculator. Start by gathering all relevant 1099 forms that report your income, as these will provide the basis for your total earnings. Input your total gross income, including all freelance work and contract jobs. Next, deduct qualifying business expenses like advertising costs, supplies, and home office expenses to determine your net business income. If you have additional sources of income, such as net farm income or church employee income, be sure to enter those as well. This thorough input will help you understand how much you should set aside for taxes 1099. The calculator will then apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% to your adjusted net earnings, giving you an accurate estimate of your self-employment tax liability, which is crucial for completing your self-employment tax form 1099 accurately. Calculating Your Tax Liability To calculate your self-employment tax liability, you’ll start by inputting the necessary information into the calculator. This includes your net earnings, which you find by subtracting your business expenses from your total income. Once you have that, the calculator will help you estimate your tax obligation based on the self-employment tax rate and any applicable deductions. Input Required Information When calculating your self-employment tax liability, you’ll need to gather specific information to confirm accuracy. Start with your net business income, which is your total earnings from self-employment minus any allowable business expenses. Don’t forget to include any additional income types, such as net farm income or church employee income, if applicable. You should likewise provide details about any employer-paid income, like wages or tips, already taxed under Social Security. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4O-JNRIvXg The calculator will ask for the total amount of self-employment income for the year, crucial for determining the 15.3% tax rate. If you’re wondering how much should I set aside for taxes 1099, make sure the calculator reflects both Social Security and Medicare taxes accurately on your self employed tax form 1099. Calculate Net Earnings Calculating your net earnings is vital for determining your self-employment tax liability, as it directly affects how much you owe. To calculate net earnings, start with your total income from all 1099 forms and subtract qualifying business expenses to find your net profit. Remember, self-employment tax applies to 92.35% of your net earnings, reflecting the 15.3% tax rate. If your net profit exceeds $400, you must file and pay self-employment tax using Schedule SE with your annual tax return. Grasping these figures helps you determine how much should I set aside for taxes 1099, ensuring you avoid underpayment penalties and comply with IRS regulations regarding your self-employment tax obligations. Accurate calculations are fundamental for financial planning. Review Estimated Tax Obligation Comprehending your estimated tax obligation is crucial for managing your finances effectively, especially if you’re self-employed. To determine how much you should put aside for taxes 1099, use the self-employment tax calculator. Input your net business income, which is your total income minus qualifying expenses. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, applied to 92.35% of your net earnings. If your net earnings exceed $400, you must report this on Schedule SE. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you visualize your obligations: Income Range Self Employment Tax Rate Additional Medicare Tax $0 – $400 0% N/A $400 – $200,000 15.3% N/A $200,000 + 15.3% 0.9% Regularly reviewing this can help you avoid underpayment penalties. Estimating Quarterly Payments Estimating quarterly payments for your self-employment tax is crucial to staying compliant with IRS requirements and avoiding potential penalties. To figure out how much you should set aside for taxes, use a 1099 calculator to determine your expected net self-employment income for the year. Apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% on 92.35% of that income. Once you have your total estimated self-employment tax, divide it by four to determine what you need to pay each quarter. Remember, payments are typically due on January 15, April 15, June 15, and September 15. If your income exceeds $200,000 as a single filer, include the additional Medicare Tax of 0.9%. Finally, factor in qualifying deductions, like half of your self-employment tax, to guarantee your quarterly payments accurately reflect your actual tax liability and help you understand how much do I pay in taxes on a 1099. Utilizing Tax Deductions to Lower Your Tax Bill As you plan your quarterly payments, it’s equally important to contemplate how tax deductions can greatly lower your overall tax bill. Self-employed individuals can deduct half of their self-employment tax from their income on Form 1040, which helps reduce your taxable income. In addition, the Qualified Business Income deduction allows you to deduct up to 20% of your qualified business income, providing significant tax relief. Business expenses like advertising, insurance, and work-related travel can likewise be deducted, lowering your net profit reported on Schedule C, ultimately impacting your self-employment tax calculations. If you have a dedicated space for business use, consider claiming a home office deduction. Moreover, you can deduct health insurance premiums if they’re not provided by an employer. Frequently Asked Questions How to Calculate Your Taxes if You Are Self-Employed? To calculate your taxes as a self-employed individual, start by determining your net earnings. Subtract allowable business expenses from your total income reported on Schedule C. Apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% to 92.35% of your net earnings. If your earnings exceed $400, file Schedule SE with your Form 1040. How Does the IRS Calculate Self-Employment Tax? The IRS calculates your self-employment tax at a rate of 15.3% on your net earnings. This includes 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare, applicable if your net earnings exceed $400. To find your taxable income for this tax, you multiply your net earnings by 92.35%. You report this tax on Schedule SE, which you must include with your Form 1040 when filing your taxes. What Are Common Tax Mistakes for Self-Employed? Common tax mistakes for self-employed individuals include failing to track all income sources, especially cash payments, which can lead to underreporting. Not deducting eligible business expenses, like home office costs and mileage, can inflate taxable income. Misunderstanding the self-employment tax calculation, including the 92.35% factor, is another issue. Moreover, neglecting quarterly estimated tax payments and the Additional Medicare Tax for high earners can result in unexpected liabilities and penalties. How Much Should I Set Aside for Taxes 1099 Calculator? When calculating how much to set aside for taxes using a 1099 calculator, aim for about 15.3% of your net earnings. This percentage covers self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare. If your income exceeds $400, it’s crucial to calculate this tax to comply with IRS regulations. Furthermore, if your total income surpasses $200,000 for singles or $250,000 for joint filers, consider an extra 0.9% for Medicare on income above those thresholds. Conclusion In summary, using a self-employment tax calculator simplifies the process of determining your tax liability. By accurately inputting your total income and allowable expenses, you can effectively calculate your net earnings and tax obligation. Remember to take into account any additional taxes that may apply based on your income level, and don’t forget to estimate your quarterly payments. With careful tracking of your finances and utilizing available deductions, you can manage your tax responsibilities more efficiently. Image via Google Gemini This article, "How to Use a Self Employment Tax Calculator for Your Taxes" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Using a self-employment tax calculator can simplify your tax preparation, but you need to comprehend a few key concepts first. Start by gathering all relevant income documentation, such as 1099 forms, and accurately determine your total net earnings after deducting business expenses. Then, input this information into the calculator, which will help you calculate your tax liability. Grasping these steps is essential, as they set the foundation for estimating your quarterly payments and leveraging tax deductions effectively. Key Takeaways Gather all relevant 1099 forms to report total gross earnings from self-employment and freelance work. Deduct allowable business expenses from your gross income to determine net business income. Enter your total self-employment income into the calculator, applying the 15.3% self-employment tax rate on 92.35% of your net earnings. Estimate your quarterly payments by dividing your total self-employment tax liability by four, considering due dates. Ensure the calculator accounts for additional Medicare tax if your income exceeds $200,000 for single filers. Understanding Self-Employment Tax When you’re self-employed, grasp of self-employment tax is fundamental to managing your finances and meeting your tax obligations. This tax includes Social Security and Medicare, totaling 15.3% on net earnings exceeding $400. To calculate it accurately, you’ll use Schedule SE attached to your Form 1040, applying the tax rates to 92.35% of your net profit from Schedule C or Schedule F. Remember, income above $176,100 incurs only the Medicare tax rate of 2.9%, and an additional Medicare tax applies to higher earners. It’s vital to make self-employment tax payments quarterly, with specific deadlines to keep your tax status compliant. Utilizing a self-employment tax calculator can simplify this process, helping you determine your tax liability effectively. In addition, knowing how to figure out 1099 taxes can aid in managing your tax responsibilities as a self-employed individual. Determining Your Total Net Earnings Determining your total net earnings is crucial for accurately calculating your self-employment tax, as it forms the basis of your tax liability. Start by compiling all income sources, including your 1099 forms, which reflect your gross earnings from self-employment activities. Then, subtract allowable business expenses—like advertising, insurance, and travel—from your gross income. This gives you your net profit, the amount subject to self-employment tax. Don’t forget to include specific income types, such as rental income or royalties on 1099-MISC, as they can impact your total net earnings. Remember, only 92.35% of your net earnings is considered for self-employment tax; multiply your net profit by this percentage. To answer the question, “how much should I set aside for taxes 1099?” you’ll need to know how much of 1099 income is taxed to guarantee you’re prepared for your tax obligations. Keep thorough records to support your calculations. Inputting Your Income and Expenses After you’ve calculated your total net earnings, the next step involves inputting your income and expenses into the self-employment tax calculator. Start by gathering all relevant 1099 forms that report your income, as these will provide the basis for your total earnings. Input your total gross income, including all freelance work and contract jobs. Next, deduct qualifying business expenses like advertising costs, supplies, and home office expenses to determine your net business income. If you have additional sources of income, such as net farm income or church employee income, be sure to enter those as well. This thorough input will help you understand how much you should set aside for taxes 1099. The calculator will then apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% to your adjusted net earnings, giving you an accurate estimate of your self-employment tax liability, which is crucial for completing your self-employment tax form 1099 accurately. Calculating Your Tax Liability To calculate your self-employment tax liability, you’ll start by inputting the necessary information into the calculator. This includes your net earnings, which you find by subtracting your business expenses from your total income. Once you have that, the calculator will help you estimate your tax obligation based on the self-employment tax rate and any applicable deductions. Input Required Information When calculating your self-employment tax liability, you’ll need to gather specific information to confirm accuracy. Start with your net business income, which is your total earnings from self-employment minus any allowable business expenses. Don’t forget to include any additional income types, such as net farm income or church employee income, if applicable. You should likewise provide details about any employer-paid income, like wages or tips, already taxed under Social Security. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4O-JNRIvXg The calculator will ask for the total amount of self-employment income for the year, crucial for determining the 15.3% tax rate. If you’re wondering how much should I set aside for taxes 1099, make sure the calculator reflects both Social Security and Medicare taxes accurately on your self employed tax form 1099. Calculate Net Earnings Calculating your net earnings is vital for determining your self-employment tax liability, as it directly affects how much you owe. To calculate net earnings, start with your total income from all 1099 forms and subtract qualifying business expenses to find your net profit. Remember, self-employment tax applies to 92.35% of your net earnings, reflecting the 15.3% tax rate. If your net profit exceeds $400, you must file and pay self-employment tax using Schedule SE with your annual tax return. Grasping these figures helps you determine how much should I set aside for taxes 1099, ensuring you avoid underpayment penalties and comply with IRS regulations regarding your self-employment tax obligations. Accurate calculations are fundamental for financial planning. Review Estimated Tax Obligation Comprehending your estimated tax obligation is crucial for managing your finances effectively, especially if you’re self-employed. To determine how much you should put aside for taxes 1099, use the self-employment tax calculator. Input your net business income, which is your total income minus qualifying expenses. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, applied to 92.35% of your net earnings. If your net earnings exceed $400, you must report this on Schedule SE. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you visualize your obligations: Income Range Self Employment Tax Rate Additional Medicare Tax $0 – $400 0% N/A $400 – $200,000 15.3% N/A $200,000 + 15.3% 0.9% Regularly reviewing this can help you avoid underpayment penalties. Estimating Quarterly Payments Estimating quarterly payments for your self-employment tax is crucial to staying compliant with IRS requirements and avoiding potential penalties. To figure out how much you should set aside for taxes, use a 1099 calculator to determine your expected net self-employment income for the year. Apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% on 92.35% of that income. Once you have your total estimated self-employment tax, divide it by four to determine what you need to pay each quarter. Remember, payments are typically due on January 15, April 15, June 15, and September 15. If your income exceeds $200,000 as a single filer, include the additional Medicare Tax of 0.9%. Finally, factor in qualifying deductions, like half of your self-employment tax, to guarantee your quarterly payments accurately reflect your actual tax liability and help you understand how much do I pay in taxes on a 1099. Utilizing Tax Deductions to Lower Your Tax Bill As you plan your quarterly payments, it’s equally important to contemplate how tax deductions can greatly lower your overall tax bill. Self-employed individuals can deduct half of their self-employment tax from their income on Form 1040, which helps reduce your taxable income. In addition, the Qualified Business Income deduction allows you to deduct up to 20% of your qualified business income, providing significant tax relief. Business expenses like advertising, insurance, and work-related travel can likewise be deducted, lowering your net profit reported on Schedule C, ultimately impacting your self-employment tax calculations. If you have a dedicated space for business use, consider claiming a home office deduction. Moreover, you can deduct health insurance premiums if they’re not provided by an employer. Frequently Asked Questions How to Calculate Your Taxes if You Are Self-Employed? To calculate your taxes as a self-employed individual, start by determining your net earnings. Subtract allowable business expenses from your total income reported on Schedule C. Apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% to 92.35% of your net earnings. If your earnings exceed $400, file Schedule SE with your Form 1040. How Does the IRS Calculate Self-Employment Tax? The IRS calculates your self-employment tax at a rate of 15.3% on your net earnings. This includes 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare, applicable if your net earnings exceed $400. To find your taxable income for this tax, you multiply your net earnings by 92.35%. You report this tax on Schedule SE, which you must include with your Form 1040 when filing your taxes. What Are Common Tax Mistakes for Self-Employed? Common tax mistakes for self-employed individuals include failing to track all income sources, especially cash payments, which can lead to underreporting. Not deducting eligible business expenses, like home office costs and mileage, can inflate taxable income. Misunderstanding the self-employment tax calculation, including the 92.35% factor, is another issue. Moreover, neglecting quarterly estimated tax payments and the Additional Medicare Tax for high earners can result in unexpected liabilities and penalties. How Much Should I Set Aside for Taxes 1099 Calculator? When calculating how much to set aside for taxes using a 1099 calculator, aim for about 15.3% of your net earnings. This percentage covers self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare. If your income exceeds $400, it’s crucial to calculate this tax to comply with IRS regulations. Furthermore, if your total income surpasses $200,000 for singles or $250,000 for joint filers, consider an extra 0.9% for Medicare on income above those thresholds. Conclusion In summary, using a self-employment tax calculator simplifies the process of determining your tax liability. By accurately inputting your total income and allowable expenses, you can effectively calculate your net earnings and tax obligation. Remember to take into account any additional taxes that may apply based on your income level, and don’t forget to estimate your quarterly payments. With careful tracking of your finances and utilizing available deductions, you can manage your tax responsibilities more efficiently. Image via Google Gemini This article, "How to Use a Self Employment Tax Calculator for Your Taxes" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

About a year ago, Google announced you can opt in, within Search Labs, to see Audio Overviews within the Google Search results. But now, I saw two different people say they saw it without opting into the experiment. So Google may be testing this in the wild.View the full article

Google Business Profiles lets you upload photos of your business to your Business Profile. Those photos can be viewed on Google Search and Google Maps. And now, these photos are reportedly sorted by most recently uploaded.View the full article

Why traditional frameworks fall short, and how the DIRHAM framework helps marketers build trust, relevance, and measurable impact in today’s content ecosystem. The post Localized Distribution In The AI Era: The DIRHAM Framework appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Note: This article discusses sensitive topics like suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know is in danger, please call the national suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. LLM-powered chatbots have brought humans and technology closer together than ever before–but at what cost? Many people have begun turning to LLMs for advice, seeking guidance on anything from fitness plans to interpersonal relationships. But for society’s most vulnerable minds (e.g., adolescents, the elderly, and those with mental health conditions), this intimacy presents a hidden danger. These tools can descend into something darker: enablers for suicide and self-harm (SSH). Chatbots have been known to reinforce SSH ideation, even encouraging users to self-harm. Most (if not all) LLMs have policies surrounding SSH, but they often don’t go far enough. To keep users safe, the industry cannot merely write better policies; we must build systems capable of executing clinical nuance at scale. We need a clinically and technically sound approach to successfully prevent harm. Here’s what that looks like. Medical Misalignment: How current models fall short What’s currently missing from chatbots’ underlying models is a demonstrated clinical understanding of how SSH and other harm types (e.g., delusions or dementia, etc.) actually present. Currently, conversations are only flagged and escalated to a human reviewer if the user inputs explicit language like “I want to kill myself. How many pills should I take?” But that’s almost never how it happens. In reality, conversations involving SSH often start benignly, with a teenager asking for homework help or an elderly person asking for scheduling assistance. Over the course of several sessions, the user might express that they feel lonely, like a burden, or misunderstood. The danger lies in how standard LLMs process conversational timelines. While modern LLMs have memory and can recall previous prompts, they suffer from context deficit when it comes to safety evaluation—they fail at cumulative risk synthesis. If a user hints at hopelessness in prompt one and asks about painkillers in prompt four, the LLM evaluates the safety of the latter largely in a vacuum. It remembers the words, but it fails to connect the psychological dots to recognize the escalating threat. What does this lack of clarity and nuance mean? Classic warning signs get missed and vulnerable users may follow through on their SSH ideations. To improve user safety, LLMs must be trained to better evaluate user risk over time. As part of their risk assessment, clinicians continuously monitor the below factors: Biopsychosocial history: The deep context provided during intake. Non-verbal and presentation cues: Changes in affect, mood, tone of voice, or even physical presentation (e.g., appearing disheveled). Behavioral shifts: Changes in life engagement, activity levels, and evolving symptomology that shift a diagnostic perspective. While LLMs will never be able to provide the degree of care and attention clinicians do, we can use savvy engineering to move the needle substantially in the right direction. Technical Targeting: How clinically grounded engineering can make a difference Standard LLMs are essentially language predictors. They generate responses based on the statistical probability of one word following another. Because of this, when tasked with evaluating user safety, an out-of-the-box LLM defaults to generalized assumptions, scanning for explicit danger words (e.g., “suicide” or “kill”) rather than subtle behavioral shifts. Pairing AI systems design with clinical psychology can swap this probabilistic modeling for clinical precision. Embedding strict clinical rubrics into the model’s architecture, we force the AI to evaluate intent, situational stressors, and vulnerability like a clinician would. This means translating clinical guidelines into an operational scoring matrix with a dynamic, dimensional framework built on definitions for: Acute risk: The immediate presence of a plan, intent, and the means to carry out SSH. The mathematical baseline for a user’s danger level. Contextual multipliers: The overall weight of a user’s stressors. Are they in a cycle of chronic ideation? Have they recently experienced a severe setback like a job loss or eviction? These act as risk escalators. Protective factors: A critical clinical component often ignored by standard AI. Does the user mention dependents, a desire for therapy, or use recognized harm-reduction techniques? These mitigate the immediate risk score. Improper facilitation: A common flaw in LLM safety is permitting users to extract harmful instructions by disguising them as fiction, roleplay, or research—this is one of the main vectors for enabling off-platform harm. Regardless of whether a request is framed as screenplay or a school project, the LLM must refuse to provide actionable details such as dosages, injury methods, or concealment tactics. When physical harm is at stake, stated context never outweighs real-world safety. Rather than relying on basic keyword identification as a trigger for escalation, the engine weighs a user’s acute risk and contextual vulnerabilities against their protective factors to determine a final total risk acuity score, radically outperforming legacy filters. But building a clinically sound model is just the first step. Human moderators have a big role to play, too. They are the ones who review the cases escalated by LLMs. To help prepare these teams, engineers and clinicians can work together to build training modules that help moderators understand cumulative risk acuity, recognize user danger, and protect their own mental health as they navigate emotionally impactful scenarios. If left unaddressed, SSH will become increasingly prevalent in LLM interactions. Getting prevention and intervention right requires collaboration—between clinicians and engineers, and between chatbots and moderators. A true “two sides of the same coin” approach. The good news is, we’re seeing some momentum in the field, and technology companies have begun seeking expert, clinical counsel on how they can enrich their AI offerings to double down on user safety. Safe Strategy: A smarter, better future for AI This dual strategy, built on both mental health practices and technological savvy, should be the standard for all AI tools. Any technology company that builds conversational AI tools (or white-labels tools for systemic integration) has a vested interest here; they are potentially liable for their tool’s behavior. We can no longer afford to treat SSH as an afterthought; it must be treated as a critical safety vector. We need to engineer protections for high-acuity crises into the foundation of our AI tools. While SSH incidents may represent a smaller fraction of total traffic, they are the highest severity interactions a model will ever handle. The ramifications of failure are enormous, resulting in lasting emotional and physical damage or loss of life. This work is the ultimate “yes, and.” It’s advanced technology and evidence-based psychological health. It’s work that’s difficult and profoundly good for humanity. It’s how we protect the mental health of vulnerable users and the human moderators who intervene. It’s how we all stay safe together. View the full article

Google updated their spam reporting tool to warn they won't process reports that contain personal information. The post Google Won’t Act On Spam Reports If They Contain Personal Information appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

The modern email inbox can be disorganized and unwieldy. Important emails get lost under spam and receipts, and the search function doesn’t always work like you hoped it would. Many of us gave up on inbox zero long ago. If that sounds like you, this new smart email client might be exactly what you’re looking for. Extra is an email inbox app designed by Build Forever, a software company founded by a trio of former Pinterest employees. The app intriguingly reimagines the entire user experience of the inbox from one of stacked, accumulating, text-only subject lines to an image-rich interface that surfaces the most important emails for you using AI. Build Forever promotes their email client like a personal assistant (“Your entire inbox. Handled for you.”), and it works by analyzing emails before they’re opened and organizing them in order of urgency. There’s a Today Tab that shows your most important emails at a glance, and they’re classified by terms like “Needs action” and “Happening today” to get to now, or “Good to know” and “More to browse” for emails you can get to later. Demo screenshots of the app, which is available now only through a waitlist, shows an interface that’s much more visual, digestible, and welcoming than text-only subject lines. Instead, Extra gives the inbox the look of an AI chatbot and digital magazine. Extra’s Today Tab spits out a summary that tells you things like upcoming events, people who emailed you and why, and when a package you ordered is expected to arrive. Its output is formatted like a ChatGPT response, with bullet points, bold text, and emoji, and users can write back and ask it questions. The app’s smart categories feature auto-organizes your inbox into sections like news, shopping, and travels, and email is illustrated with full images, turning the interface into something more like a personalized newspaper. Emails live or die by their subject lines in an all-text inbox, but with Extra, editorial illustrations, photojournalism, and product photography can drive clicks now too. Extra has a voice composer and the app can also assist in writing emails in your tone, while the sender feature auto-cleans your inbox by noticing which emails you never open and unsubscribing from them for you. The inbox is ripe for a redesign as it’s gotten tougher to manage, and email platforms like Gmail and Proton Mail have experimented with AI features to try and improve and personalize it. There’s a functional incentive to improve the inbox, but Extra shows there’s also a chance to redesign the interface for reading emails entirely. As social media has homogenized into short-form video feeds, it’s left an opening for a better text-based alternative that email could evolve to fulfill. Email fatigue is real, but redesigning the inbox could change the experience for good, making it both more actionable and more fun to look at. View the full article