Digital
Greece shocked by cold-blooded assassination of journalist
A famous Greek journalist covering police-related issues was assassinated on Friday in a mafia-style cold-blooded execution in front of his house, causing shock in Greek society.
The challenge of protecting European privacy from Uncle Sam’s snoopers
The findings of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) in the two cases arising from complaints against Facebook by Austrian privacy campaigner Max Schrems highlight the fundamentally opposed approaches towards data and personal privacy in the EU and the US, writes Dick Roche.
EU regulators urged to ‘intervene immediately’ into suicide games on TikTok
EU regulators have been urged to 'intervene immediately' into the operation of video-sharing app TikTok, following the trend of 'Blackout Challenges' across social media, which have led to a series of deaths among young people.
New UK regulator to curb big tech’s power over news publishers
Britain’s new regulator for tech giants Facebook and Google launched on Wednesday (7 April) with an initial remit to see if a code of conduct could improve the balance of power between the platforms and news publishers.
Google Maps on track to have ‘100 AI-powered improvements’
US digital giant Google unveiled on Tuesday (30 March) new features for its Google Maps app that will make use of artificial intelligence (AI). EURACTIV France reports.
French data watchdog to start checking cookie policy compliance
France's data protection watchdog CNIL will from Thursday (1 April) begin conducting checks to ensure websites are in compliance with new guidelines on advertising trackers after the deadline it granted expired. EURACTIV France reports.
MEPs urged to reject Commission’s ‘anti-free speech’ proposal to monitor terror online
The European Commission is seeking to offer some comfort and reassurance after 61 organisations urged EU lawmakers in an open letter to reject the proposed EU regulation on preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online, which is due to be voted on in Parliament on 28 April.
EU data watchdog has ‘critical concerns’ with Parliament’s biometric register
The European Union's institutional data protection watchdog has voiced 'critical concerns' about the European Parliament's plans to install a biometric register that will allow EU lawmakers to collect their daily allowance and sign in for hearings on the Brussels premises.
Moria 2.0: The EU’s sandbox for surveillance technologies
The three camps of Lesvos, Old Moria, Moria 2.0 all tell a story of the multi-layered ecosystem which gives rise to the allure of quick fixes facilitated by technology. Yet the complexity of human movement is nothing but simple, writes Petra Molnar.
Google to contribute €25 million to new EU fund to fight fake news
Alphabet unit Google will contribute 25 million euros to the newly set up European Media and Information Fund to combat fake news, the company said on Wednesday (31 March), amid criticism tech giants are not doing enough to debunk online disinformation.
Netflix, ‘Lupin’ and EU rules spark a TV revolution
"Lupin", a French reboot set in postcard Paris, has made Omar Sy a global star and fulfilled a long-lost dream for Europeans: the confidence to take on Hollywood.
EU nations scold Commission on plans to exclude UK from research groups
A contingent of EU nations has locked horns with the European Commission over plans to exclude third-countries from involvement in quantum and space research projects, in a move that could see the UK's involvement significantly downgraded due to concerns over intellectual property.Editor's picks
Airbnb welcomes common tax framework for digital platforms
Airbnb has welcomed the agreement reached among EU member states to create a common tax reporting framework for digital platforms, which will require sales to be reported to the tax authorities.
Von der Leyen assures MEPs: We’ll ‘go further’ on AI that harms fundamental rights
The European Commission may "have to go further" on introducing more robust rules for Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies that pose a risk to fundamental rights, a letter written by President von der Leyen to MEPs, obtained by EURACTIV, states.
Facebook urges Ireland to hold off on political ads rules until EU legislation
Facebook has told Irish lawmakers that proposed new rules in the country to regulate online political advertising should be held off until the European Commission presents its own legislation in the field.
MEPs call for greater regulation of AI discrimination
The European Parliament's culture and education committee endorsed on 15 March an opinion calling for a framework to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) in order to "reduce gender, social or cultural bias in technology", and the European Commission is expected to propose a legislative framework for the matter in April. EURACTIV France reports.
EU SMEs in bid for greater interoperability in Digital Markets Act
Forty pan-European tech companies have penned a letter to MEPs calling for support for bolstered interoperability requirements in the Digital Markets Act (DMA) while stressing the importance of keeping the rules aligned to developments in the area across EU nations.
Orbán’s influence on the media is without rival in Hungary
The state of Hungary’s media has become the focus of intense public debate at home and across Europe after the national Media Council, run exclusively by people from the ruling Fidesz party, revoked the opposition Klubrádió’s frequency in February. EURACTIV's media partner Telex takes stock of the country's media landscape.OpinionPromoted content
Earning Public Trust
We welcome the EU Transparency Regulation that came into force on 27 March. Court records, land deeds, company financial statements and now a wealth of scientific research are easily accessible to the public online. Society is increasingly interested in having access to information – which includes access to research and scientific data.
Digital Brief, powered by Facebook: Europol’s decryption platform, Bundeskartellamt Vs Facebook, Section 230
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. “The Irish data protection authority generally closes most cases with a settlement instead of a sanction.” – European Parliament...
MEPs rue lack of GDPR sanctions issued by Irish data authority
MEPs have said that "a lack of political will and resources" had resulted in a laggard approach to enforcement of the EU's general data protection regulation (GDPR), singling out in particular the lack of sanctions dished out by the Irish data protection authority.
The EU needs to allow companies to detect online child abuse
As tough inter-institutional negotiations continue in Brussels, Maud de Boer Buquicchio says that the EU must continue to allow companies to detect and report child sexual abuse online - both known and new images - as well as instances of grooming.
German legal dispute over Facebook data use sent to European Court of Justice
The European Court of Justice has been asked to clarify whether Germany's competition authority was right to order Facebook to halt its data collection practices, due to concerns over alleged abuse of its dominant market position and violations of EU data protection law.