Samuel Stolton
MEPs back plans to quell online terrorist content, but one-hour timeframe is criticised
The European Parliament has backed plans to force online hosting services to remove terrorist content within one hour of reporting, in a move aimed at quelling the spread of extremist propaganda online. However, there was no shortage of those in the industry criticising the timeframe.
Commission ‘assessing complaints’ against Nokia connected car patents, as MEPs back WiFi plans
The European Commission has revealed that is it looking into antitrust complaints levelled against the Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia, for the company's alleged refusal to license mobile components that could be used in next-generation connected cars.
Censorship fears linger as copyright directive overcomes final hurdle
A "censorship of the internet" could be in store as a direct result of the EU's new rules on Copyright protection, a Polish government minister said on Monday (15 April), as EU member states approved the controversial plans after more than two years.
Commission warns of connected cars delay if draft EU rules are rejected
Plans to get connected cars on Europe's roads could face a setback of "two or three years" should the Delegated Act on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) be rejected by MEPs this week, Commission officials have said.
The Brief, powered by CEN-CENELEC – The biggest election in the world
The European Commission is looking forward to advancing "the strong and broad EU-India partnership across all areas of our bilateral and multilateral agenda," an EU spokesperson told EURACTIV after the Indian elections began on Thursday (11 April).
US issue extradition request as Assange is arrested after seven-year asylum
The US justice department has issued an extradition request for the indictment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, after he was arrested by British authorities on Thursday (11 April). The arrest followed a decision by the Ecuadorean embassy to revoke his seven-year asylum status.
Huawei admit Chinese law obliges companies to work with government, under conditions
Chinese State Security Law forces companies based in the country to "provide assistance with work relating to State Security," a senior Huawei official in Brussels has said, in comments likely to heighten cybersecurity concerns about the Chinese tech giant.
UK will become ‘Trojan horse’ inside EU, British MP threatens
The UK will become a “trojan horse” inside the EU should the country fail to withdraw from the bloc, prominent Pro-Brexit MP Mark Francois has claimed.
EU lawmakers back one-hour deadline to remove online terrorist content
Lawmakers in the European Parliament's Justice Committee have backed measures to clamp down on the spread of online terrorist content, including an obligation for platforms to remove offending content within one hour of reporting or face fines of up to 4% of their global turnover.
Artificial Intelligence presents ‘black swan’ ethical issues, Commission report says
A series of 'critical concerns' in the development of Artificial Intelligence may have future unforeseen "high-impact" ramifications, a European Commission-led project has suggested.
EU tests cyber resilience ahead of May elections
EU institutions have put their cyber systems to the test in a bid to assess the efficiency of responses to attacks against critical network infrastructure ahead of European elections in May.
Bulc pleads with European Parliament: Support WiFi for connected car security
WiFi should be deployed in connected vehicles rather than 5G due to safety concerns that may result in an increase in the EU's 25,000 annual road deaths, a letter written by EU's Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc to the European Parliament states.
Finland raises concerns in 5G vs WiFi connected vehicle debate
Finland has hit out at European Commission plans to develop cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS), saying the measures are "not technically neutral," according to a letter obtained by EURACTIV.
Gibraltar is a ‘colony,’ MEPs say
MEPs in the European Parliament's justice committee have backed a regulation that refers to the British Overseas Terrority Gibraltar as a 'colony.' The main purpose of the text put forward by the EU member states is to offer visa-free access to the EU for UK citizens after Brexit, but has caused controversy over its choice of language.
‘Regulation will not solve Facebook’s problems,’ Commission says
Better regulation won't divert attention away from Facebook's shortfalls in other areas, European Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová told EURACTIV.com, criticising Mark Zuckerberg's recent call for tighter regulatory frameworks on internet services.
Facebook says political ads fix brings ‘unprecedented levels of accountability’
Facebook has unveiled a raft of measures to prevent foreign campaigns from interfering in national elections. But the plans will also make it more complicated for pan-European parties to advertise in countries where they are not directly represented.
EPP has ‘lost all credibility’ after Orbán scandal, Verhofstadt says
The European People's Party has “lost all credibility and moral authority to lead the EU,” ALDE's leader Guy Verhofstadt has said, following the EPP's decision to suspend but not expel Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party.
Commission rolls out 5G recommendations, has ‘specific concerns’ about Huawei
The European Commission has laid out plans for a coordinated EU approach towards the next generation of mobile broadband networks, 5G, following concerns about China aired by member states during last week's European Council summit.
Nokia in damage-control mode following Chinese data-leak probe
Nokia "mistakenly" sent customer data to China, the European telecoms giant has admitted, following the announcement of an investigation into the allegations by the Finnish data protection watchdog.
5G not part of Italy-China agreement, Di Maio says
Chinese investments into the development of 5G communications networks are not included in the agreement between China and Italy set to be signed tomorrow, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Thursday (22 March).
EU institutions at loggerheads over online terrorist content
MEPs are seeking to "delay and time-out" the adoption of the regulation against online terrorist content, the EU's security chief Julian King said on Wednesday (21 March). His comments came as the Commission criticised online platforms for dragging their feet in removing graphic video footage following the Christchurch attacks.
Commission urges platforms to take action on fake accounts before EU elections
Online platforms need to step up their attempts to quell the spread of fake accounts but also provide greater independent access to their content for fact checkers, as part of their wider efforts in compliance with the code of practice against disinformation, the European Commission said on Wednesday (20 March).
Gabriel on cybersecurity: ‘The world is watching us’
The EU's cybersecurity strategy is under the scrutiny of global actors, the EU's Digital Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said on Tuesday (19 March). Her comments came at the European Court of Auditors criticised the 'fragmented' nature of cybersecurity policy across the continent.