Digital

EU antitrust ruling on Microsoft buy of GitHub due by 19 October

EU antitrust regulators will decide by 19 October whether to clear US software giant Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of privately held coding website GitHub.

Hungary media sale fuels new press freedom fears

The latest shake-up in Hungarian media since Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's election win in April sparked fresh fears Tuesday (18 September) about increasing government control over the sector.

From transport to street lighting: The emergence of smart city platforms

Uber and Airbnb have shown how city services can be transformed by platform offerings. Developing the right platforms will be key for cities to ensure that their economies, environment, and services are fit for the future, writes Eric Woods.

EC should not rush connected car proposals

DG MOVE has a very important decision to make this autumn. Under its own timetable, it is due to release fast-track proposals to define the technical solutions connected cars will be bound by for years to come.

UK guilty of human rights abuse, ECHR finds in groundbreaking surveillance case

GCHQ, the British government's intelligence and security organisation, has breached human rights in its mass surveillance programme, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said in a landmark ruling on Thursday (13 September).

Tweets of the Week: State of the Union, Orban, and Copyright

This week, the State of the Union puts us to sleep, Viktor Orban is the EU’s black sheep, and the copyright vote makes free-speech activists weep.

French applaud EU copyright reform vote

Whether they are citizens, politicians, businesses or civil society, the European copyright reform approved in Strasbourg has received unwavering support in France. EURACTIV France reports.

‘This is not censorship’ says King, amid online terrorist content crackdown

Security commissioner Julian King assured EU citizens on Thursday (13 September) that plans to tackle the spread of terrorist content online do not amount to "anywhere near censorship."

German Angst of smart robots

The scary thing about AI is that it is hard to predict how far technology can go - and whether it manages to politically control them in such a way that in the end mankind retains the upper hand. Skepticism prevails among Germans. EURACTIV Germany reports.

EU lawmakers call for global ban on ‘killer robots’

The European Union took a stance against "killer robots" on Wednesday when the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for an international ban on the development, production and use of weapons that kill without a human deciding to fire.

Drama strikes hemicycle as European Parliament backs copyright bill

The European Parliament backed the controversial copyright bill on Wednesday (12 September), drawing cheers of jubilation and howls of disapproval from MEPs in the Strasbourg hemicycle.

Juncker goes to war against disinformation and online terrorist content

The European Commission is set to pursue a crackdown on the spread of online terrorist content and disinformation, its president Jean-Claude Junker announced in his State of the Union address on Wednesday (12 September). 

The copyright bill: Explained in under 2 minutes

The European Parliament will vote on its controversial Copyright bill on Wednesday, September 12. The directive aims to ensure that producers of creative content are remunerated fairly online.

EU copyright war ‘a shame’, says big tech lobby

Tech giants and open-internet activists, not always natural bedfellows, are fighting a proposed copyright law that returns for approval at the European Parliament on Wednesday (12 September).

Legislating with blinkers: the EU’s copyright reform is up for the vote

Europe’s creative sector is without doubt very important to our economy. Over the past decades, it has grown, mainly due to what is arguably Europe’s (and the world’s) most valuable shared economic asset: the internet. Ursula Pachl explains.

Russia: Master of information manipulation

Fake news is proliferating, carried by the virality of the internet and the crisis of confidence in democracies. However, nobody manipulates information as well as Russia does, according to a French study. EURACTIV France reports.

Google in France’s firing line as right to be forgotten hearing arrives at ECJ

It may be your right to be forgotten, but that doesn't mean you can't be found. That is the big issue on the cards on Tuesday (11 September) as France's data regulator locks horns with Google in a hearing on the global application of the EU's right to be forgotten ruling.

Europeans want to give authors better protection against GAFA companies

Various lobby groups are bringing out the big guns ahead of this week's second vote on copyright reform in the European Parliament. According to a Harris Interactive poll, the overwhelming majority of European citizens want to give authors better protection.

Autonomous weapons, AI are future of defence but require ethical debate, says expert

Should a computer be allowed to take decisions over life and death? As artificial intelligence is playing an increasing role, many issues still need to be discussed in parliament and by the general public, Ulrike Franke told EURACTIV about the ongoing autonomous weapons debate and the future of warfare.

Europe’s tech industries are booming, but can it last?

The latest figures show that European technology industries are growing fast: turnover is up an impressive 5.0% in 2017, and 2018 is set to mark the fifth consecutive year of growth. Malte Lohan looks at the challenges ahead.

Germany cautious on EU tech tax as France adds ‘sunset clause’

A European Union tax overhaul to raise levies on large digital firms needs a thorough debate although an agreement could still be found by the end of the year, Germany's Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Saturday.

Blood and soil: How hate speech is destroying political discourse

Anybody with an internet connection and a social media profile will have seen examples of hate speech against migrants and refugees in recent years. And we’re not talking about legitimate criticism of globalisation or Europe’s current migration policy – rather, dehumanising and violent language, calling for the sinking of refugee boats or the gassing of migrants.

Germany rocks the European consensus on the ‘Google tax’

The “Google tax” will return to the EU finance ministers’ agenda on 7 September. However, whereas France and Spain are arguing in favour of the European plan, Germany seems to be hindering its adoption. EURACTIV France reports.