4,000 cyber attacks on users per month: Alphabet

Google parent company Alphabet has said it is notifying customers of the 4,000 state-sponsored cyber attacks that occur on users per month.

SVP of Alphabet's Google unit and Alphabet board member Diane Greene mentioned the figure at a tech conference in Aspen, Colorado, on Monday while highlighting Google's security prowess.

The internet search provider has led the way in notifying users of government spying, and previously said that it issues tens of thousands of warnings every few months, with customers upgrading their security in response.

Google's privacy removal requests went from 30 million to 65 million in the space of 14 months between 2014 and 2015. The company continues to disclose government requests for data in six-monthly transparency reports, which now include a page on its HTTPS encryption efforts.

Question marks have arisen over augmented reality game app Pokémon Go, and the extent to which it gains access to a user's Google account on iPhones and iPads without express permission.

Instead of explicitly asking permission for full account access, the app skips straight to terms of service, meaning it has access to your inboxes, personal information, Google Drive, and search and location history, and could also read and modify data.

Based on information given in the game's privacy policy, it could also acquire and sell your personal data.

Pokémon Go was developed by Google spinoff Niantic, and funded by The Pokémon Company, Google, and Nintendo.

Google filed umbrella company Alphabet with the US Securities and Exchange Commission last August, dubbed as a collection of companies by its CEO Larry Page, to both consolidate and scale its multiple businesses. Alphabet's first quarter financial results published in April showed revenue of $16.469 billion, just missing targets.

With AAP