Business news in brief

WhatsApp privacy concerns mount in EU

European Union privacy chiefs said Facebook Inc. must stop processing user data from its WhatsApp messaging service while they are investigating the privacy-policy changes the company announced in August.

The Article 29 Working Party, made up of privacy chiefs from across the 28-nation EU, told Facebook it had "serious concerns" about the sharing of WhatsApp users' data for purposes that were not included in the terms of service and privacy policy when existing users signed up to the service, according to a statement emailed on Friday.

"We're working with data protection authorities to address their questions," WhatsApp said in an emailed statement. "We've had constructive conversations, including before our update, and we remain committed to respecting applicable law."

European privacy watchdogs don't shy away from targeting big U.S. technology firms, as previous probes into Facebook, Alphabet Inc.'s Google or Microsoft Corp. have shown. Only their fining powers still lack teeth, which is going to change under new EU rules that will take effect across the bloc in 2018 with possible penalties of as much as 4 percent of a company's global annual sales.

-- Bloomberg News

Aerospace firm grows in Oklahoma town

GROVE, Okla. -- An aerospace manufacturing company is expanding its operation in Grove, potentially bringing 60 new jobs to the area.

The Grove Sun Daily reports that Missouri-based Orizon Aerostructures signed a development agreement with Grove city officials last week. Formally known as Precision Aero Group, Orizon employs 149 people at its Grove plant.

The $45 million investment will expand the existing 140,000 square-foot building by an additional 80,000 square feet. The company also plans to install six Ecospeed machines used to manufacture parts for the F-35 jet.

-- The Associated Press

China puts new emphasis on hybrid cars

China's government is pivoting after years of promoting plug-in vehicles, elevating the importance of conventional hybrids and setting its first sales targets for the segment in a move that could benefit Toyota Motor Corp. and suppliers such as Hunan Corun New Energy Co.

The government wants one in four vehicles to be hybrids that run on both gasoline and electricity by 2030, according to a transcript of comments made recently by Ouyang Minggao, who leads a group China's auto industry regulator commissioned to set targets for energy-saving autos.

Before reaching the 2030 goal, hybrid sales should account for 8 percent of total passenger vehicle sales by 2020 and rise to 20 percent by 2025, according to the Technology Roadmap for Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicles, drafted for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The targets represent a significant shift after years of China's government policies excluding conventional hybrids from subsidies offered to reduce tailpipe emissions and dependence on imported oil. The industry regulator has focused on plug-in vehicles and downplayed the importance of hybrids, to the detriment of automakers including Toyota, which argues the technology could be more widely accepted by consumers as a solution.

-- Bloomberg News

Amazon Fire to get Alexa voice assistant

NEW YORK -- Amazon's Fire tablets are getting the Alexa voice assistant.

The previously announced feature will start rolling out to customers this week. It's meant to complement what users get on other Alexa devices, such as the Echo speaker. Through voice commands, users can get the news read out to them or listen to music from services such as Amazon Music or Pandora.

The Fire tablets will go beyond Echo by offering full-screen cards with additional details. For those with both Fire and Echo, making a request on Echo will trigger the Fire's screen to turn on and present the detailed cards, as long as a Voicecast feature is enabled through the Alexa app.

Amazon says Alexa will differ from Apple's Siri and Google's Assistant in being designed for tablets first, rather than phones.

Although the overall tablet market has been slumping, Amazon.com Inc. has managed to stay strong by slashing prices and encouraging people to buy more than one. Its bare-bones base model costs just $49. Last month, Amazon introduced a new 8-inch tablet for $90, down from $150 for similar models in the past.

-- The Associated Press

Google troubleshooter to oversee Fiber

When Google's robotics division hit trouble in early 2015, co-founder Larry Page brought in a trusted company veteran to steer the group. Now Page, chief executive officer of Google parent Alphabet Inc., has recruited the same person to helm the Google Fiber unit.

Jonathan Rosenberg, a longtime Google product executive who advises Page, was recently appointed as a counselor to Alphabet's Access unit, which oversees the Fiber broadband operations, according to two people familiar with the decision.

That comes after Access Chief Executive Officer Craig Barratt stepped down earlier this week. Rosenberg's assignment suggests another move by Alphabet to impose fiscal discipline and improve corporate governance at Other Bets businesses such as Fiber and Nest. An Alphabet spokesman declined to comment.

Barratt announced his departure at an all-hands Access meeting last week. Simultaneously, Google Fiber said it was pulling back fiber-to-the-home expansion plans in eight major urban markets and shedding 9 percent of its staff. Alphabet said a trio of Fiber executives would run the division temporarily but did not appoint a direct replacement for Barratt.

-- Bloomberg News

SundayMonday Business on 10/31/2016

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