Digital
The Brief – Trump and the gatekeepers
In the world we used to know, Donald Trump was a Twitter fan and a big champion of this social media channel. In the last two days, the world is no longer as we knew it.
Georgia targeted by fake stories of US secret labs spreading COVID-19
EU foreign ministers are discussing China on Friday (29 May), as the country started to back Russian narratives of Washington-led biological weapon development in Georgia and other post-Soviet countries. One widely circulating allegation in the internet during the pandemic claimed...
Commission sets sights on digital-savvy citizens
The European Commission has reiterated the importance of up-skilling adults and young people across the bloc, in order to make European workers more agile in the post-coronavirus digital economy. Speaking as part of an event hosted by Digital Europe on...
Coronavirus delays Europe’s space rocket plans
The European Space Agency (ESA) will not launch its new generation of space rocket, the Ariane 6, in 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Travel restrictions and lockdown measures have put paid to the agency’s original schedule.
NSA warns of ongoing Russian hacking campaign against US systems
The US National Security Agency on Thursday (28 May) warned government partners and private companies about a Russian hacking operation that uses a special intrusion technique to target operating systems often used by industrial firms to manage computer infrastructure.
Digital Brief: Trump Vs Twitter
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. “This does not make us an arbiter of truth.” – Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO. Trump Vs Twitter. As...
Germany calls in Russian envoy, seeks sanctions over hacking
Germany's foreign ministry on Thursday (28 May) called in the Russian ambassador to discuss possible sanctions over a 2015 hacking attack on the German parliament, in an escalating diplomatic row.
French contact-tracing app approved by lawmakers, to launch this weekend
The French government’s contact-tracing app project was approved by the lower house of parliament on Wednesday (27 May), paving the way for a weekend launch of a tool developed independently of the more widely used Apple/Google platform.
Commission mulls digital tax to fund Europe’s multi-billion euro recovery
The European Commission is considering bringing back Europe-wide plans for a digital services tax in order to finance the bloc's €750 billion recovery fund, the executive said on Wednesday (27 May).
Cédric O defends French COVID-19 app ahead of crunch vote
France's Secretary of State for Digital, Cédric O, defended the rollout and use of the country's planned coronavirus contact tracing app, StopCovid, ahead of a National Assembly vote on the technology today (27 May).
EU police forces to employ anti-drone guns ‘illegal’ in the US
EU police forces are set to roll out Australian-made anti-drone weaponry, in order to help eliminate national security threats. However, the technology in question is prohibited by federal law in the United States.
Irish data protection authority under fire over Facebook case
In an open letter, online privacy activist Max Schrems has criticised the Irish data protection commission's handling of a complaint against social media giant Facebook and called on the European Union to step in. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Breton renews calls for a single European patent system
The EU should speed up plans to create a single European patents system because the current setup is "too expensive and fragmented," Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has said.
GDPR enforcement held back by lack of resources, report says
Enforcement of EU data privacy rules is being stifled by a lack of resources across national authorities, according to a new study published today (25 May), on the second anniversary of the EU's landmark general data protection regulation (GDPR).
Huawei faces potential UK backlash in new probe
Bolstered US sanctions against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei have prompted UK authorities to launch a fresh probe into the company, a government spokesperson said on Sunday (24 May).
Irish regulator reaches preliminary decision in Twitter privacy probe
Twitter may be the first big technology firm to face a fine by the EU’s lead regulator under the region’s tougher data protection rules after it submitted a preliminary decision in a probe into the social media firm to other member states.
Estonia starts testing digital immunity passport for workplaces
Estonia has started to test one of the world's first digital immunity passports, created by a team including founders of global tech startups Transferwise and Bolt, seeking a safer return to workplaces following the coronavirus lockdown.
Zuckerberg appeals for European leadership on platform regulation
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has called upon the European Union to take the lead in establishing a legal framework for the regulation of online platforms, in order to resist other models of online governance, like China's, which do not appeal to Western values.
EU data watchdog ‘very worried’ by Hungary’s GDPR suspension
The European Data Protection Board, the EU's umbrella organisation overseeing the application of EU data protection rules on the bloc, has voiced its concern over the suspension of EU data protection rights in Hungary.
France to impose digital tax this year regardless of any new international levy
France will tax big digital businesses this year whether there is progress or not towards an international deal on a levy, its finance minister said on Thursday (13 May), adding such a tax had never been more legitimate or more necessary.
Digital Brief: Your union needs you (to use apps)
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. “The largest possible participation of EU citizens is necessary to exploit the full potential of tracing apps.” – ...
Gabriel: Women ‘continue to face obstacles’ in tech sector
Tech firms in Europe are 'losing out' on a wide range of talent and diversity due to their reluctance to hire women across all levels of management, the EU Commissioner for Innovation and Research, Mariya Gabriel has said.
In Germany’s new 5G security criteria, SPD sees a “blunt sword”
The German Interior Ministry wants to check whether manufacturers of 5G components are trustworthy. For SPD digital politician Falko Mohrs, this does not go far enough. He demands a political security check, fed with secret service information. EURACTIV Germany reports.