Digital
Huawei redoubles efforts to rebuild trust as it enters critical period
Chinese telecom giant Huawei praised Europe’s handling of data and cybersecurity as it seeks to partner with the EU to set global standards to dispel concerns about espionage.
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.
Flagship study exposes decline of press freedom in Europe
Reporters Without Borders published their flagship annual ‘World Press Freedom Index’ on Thursday (18 April), revealing that worldwide, authoritarian regimes continue to tighten their grip on the media, while in Europe, decline of press freedom goes hand in hand with...
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.
Huawei CEO: EU doing a ‘great job’ in cybersecurity
Amid growing pressure from the US on European governments to reject Chinese tech firms, Huawei’s rotating CEO Ken Hu said on Tuesday (16 April) that the EU was doing “a great job” on cybersecurity.
European Parliament backs rules to protect whistleblowers
The European Parliament on Tuesday (17 April) overwhelmingly voted for rules aimed at protecting whistleblowers from reprisals following corporate scandals such as Dieselgate and Cambridge Analytica.
Belgian cybersecurity agency finds no threat from Huawei, as US increase pressure
Belgium’s centre for cybersecurity has found no evidence that telecoms equipment supplied by Huawei Technology could be used for spying. The news comes as US authorities renew their campaign in Europe against the Chinese telecoms giant.
German bosses urge government to stop EU proposal on connected cars
The bosses of BMW and Deutsche Telekom have urged the German government to take action to block a European Commission proposal that would set a Wi-Fi-based standard for 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.
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.
Austria plans to force social media to identify users as bar to hate speech
Austria’s right-wing government plans to force large social and traditional media to verify their users’ identity so that individuals can be tracked down if they post hate speech online anonymously, it said on Wednesday. The measure, part of a bill...
EU Parliament failed to address sexual harassment, says outgoing Pirate Party star
Last week, Julia Reda of the Germany Pirate Party and most known critic of the controversial EU copyright directive, left politics altogether. The reason: allegations of sexual harassment against her former colleague and current candidate of the Pirate party for the 2019 EU elections. In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, Reda spoke of sexual harassment in the EU Parliament and the implementation of the copyright reform.
‘Five Star’ guru bets on blockchain to fix party’s e-voting platform
Blockchain technologies could help to ensure transparency on the controversial voting platform where Five Star Movement's activists make decisions, said the software owner's Davide Casaleggio in Brussels on Tuesday (9 April).
EU, China agree on joint statement as Beijing makes last-ditch concessions
EU leaders were set to sign a joint declaration with Chinese leadership on Tuesday (9 April), after Beijing made last-minute concessions to bolster the rules-based international order and to tackle industrial subsidies, European officials told EURACTIV.com.
EU’s Vestager says Europe must lead the way with a digital tax
Europe needs to decide on a digital tax and should lead the way if there is insufficient consensus globally, the EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager, said on Monday (8 April)
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.
Google meets Commission to discuss data access in energy markets
Google’s global chief for Energy Market Development will on Tuesday (9 April) meet with senior European Commission officials to stress the importance of data access in the digital transformation of the energy sector, as stricter EU rules entered into force last December.
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.
Russia responsible for massive satellite system spoofing, study finds
Targeted manipulation of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) by Russia is a threat to aviation and maritime safety and underscores the country’s growing expertise in electronic warfare, a new study has found. The report by the US Center for Advanced Defense...
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.