Digital
Vestager distances Commission from option of ‘Big Tech Breakups’
The EU has the power to execute a potential breakup of global Big Tech giants, but it is not currently the "right thing to do," the EU's Vice-President for Digital Affairs, Margrethe Vestager, has said.
Italy vetoes 5G deal between Fastweb and China’s Huawei: sources
Italy has prevented telecoms group Fastweb from signing a deal for Huawei to supply equipment for its 5G core network, three sources close to the matter said, the clearest sign yet Rome is adopting a tougher stance against the Chinese group.
Startups call for ‘proactive measures’ to screen content as part of Digital Services Act
EU policymakers should put forward provisions as part of the forthcoming Digital Services Act that would permit platforms to screen uploaded content for both illegal and harmful content, a paper published by an international startup association has said.
France wants broad Digital Services Act rules on content, documents reveal
France believes that regulation on online content as part of the upcoming Digital Services Act (DSA) should not be restricted solely to illegal material, but should also cover areas such as disinformation and harmful content, documents obtained by EURACTIV reveal.
Poland rejects Presidency conclusions on Artificial Intelligence, rights
EU Council presidency conclusions on Artificial Intelligence and human rights failed to secure unanimous backing from member states last week after Poland refused to support a text due to opposing inclusion of the term 'gender equality,' EURACTIV has learned.
Transport leaders go in search of safe data spaces
The coronavirus is likely to accelerate transport’s shift towards digitalisation and help the sector decrease both its environmental footprint and its costs. But in order for digital solutions to work, trust has to be built first, top industry voices have warned.
Bulgaria joins US coalition against Huawei
In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about the Czech Health Minister being forced to resign after breaching his own COVID-19 rules, the hacking of a private psychotherapy centre in Finland leading to cyber criminals holding the data of tens of thousands of clients to ransom, and so much more.
Digital Brief, powered by Google: DSA Votes, EU cyber sanctions, EPP-Renew on TERREG
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU.
EU lawmakers call for measures to close digital gap in education deepened by COVID-19
EU lawmakers called on the member states on Thursday (22 October) to increase efforts to close the digital gap in education across the bloc, which has been deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Incoming Portuguese Presidency calls for ‘significant’ investment into e-Government
The incoming Portuguese Presidency of the EU says that one of its priorities for its six-month stint chairing the EU Council is to foster the uptake of digital tools for governments across the bloc and that 'significant' funds from the EU's recovery package should be allocated to this field.
US slaps Google with antitrust suit, eyes possible breakup
The US government filed a blockbuster lawsuit accusing Google of maintaining an "illegal monopoly" in online search and advertising in the country's biggest antitrust case in decades -- opening the door to a potential breakup of the Silicon Valley titan.
Parliament adopts ambitious stance on EU’s future regulation of digital platforms
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly backed a series of reports which could have a profound impact on the future of the platform economy, supporting a possible ban on targeted advertising, reporting procedures for illegal content, and better detection of fraudulent vendors.
EU cyber resilience pushed ‘to limit’ amid Coronavirus, report says
The European Union's cybersecurity resilience has been pushed to the limit of its capacities as an indirect result of the ongoing public health crisis, warned a new report from the EU's cybersecurity agency ENISA, published on Tuesday.
European coronavirus tracing apps are crossing borders
The German Corona-Warn-App now also works in Italy and Ireland, and vice versa, and more countries will be added soon. However, some are being excluded from the outset, because they use a central system, such as France. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Irish regulator probes Facebook’s handling of children’s data on Instagram
Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has launched two inquiries into Facebook after concerns were raised about the social network giant's handling of children's personal data on Instagram.
Fifteen EU countries raise alarm on Europe’s ‘anti-5G movement’
A contingent of EU nations has pressed the European Commission to urgently develop a strategy to counter disinformation related to 5G telecommunications networks, amid concerns that the bloc may miss legally-binding targets for the rollout of new infrastructure.
Google sweetens Fitbit concessions, EU okay in sight – sources
Google has tweaked concessions aimed at allaying EU antitrust concerns about its $2.1 billion purchase of Fitbit, people familiar with the matter said, putting it on course to secure EU approval for the deal.
Digital Brief, powered by Google: Gaia-X, Huawei troubles, DSA
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. “At the end of the day, when Gaia-X becomes operational, it will be possible for American or Indian or...
US and Chinese tech giants welcomed into ‘EU sovereign’ cloud project
Global technology giants including Google, Microsoft, and IBM, in addition to Chinese players in the market, are welcome to take part in the EU's ambitious cloud infrastructure project Gaia-X, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Thursday (15 October).
French and Dutch call for ‘regulating access to users’ for Big Tech giants
Forthcoming EU rules to rein in the dominance of the Big Tech giants should include measures to regulate Big Tech from accumulating too many users at the disadvantage of smaller competitors, a position paper from France and the Netherlands says.
EU antitrust regulators may narrow Amazon investigation – sources
EU antitrust regulators may narrow the scope of their year-long investigation into Amazon to speed up the case against the U.S. online retail giant, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
German copyright bill includes upload filters, despite government’s promises
As Germany gears up to transpose the European Copyright Directive into national law by the summer of 2021, the new draft tabled by Justice Minister Christine's Lambrecht (SPD) provides for upload filters, although the government promised to do without them. EURACTIV Germany reports.
UK government under pressure to prove data adequacy to EU
The UK government is coming under increasing pressure to convince Brussels regulators that the country's data protection landscape is fit for EU personal data, amid wider concerns that UK surveillance practices compromise the security of EU standards.