Digital & Media

Telekom Srbija: Vucic’s weapon to stifle media freedom

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić bases his power largely on media influence. In this respect, state-owned cable and broadband provider Telekom Srbija is used as a political weapon, writes Darko Čačić.

The Brief – Big brother is watching you (again)

The Pegasus Project's revelations remind us that journalists, officials and activists all over the world are still closely being watched by national and foreign intelligence services.

How to make Digital Services Act future-proof?

It’s time to set a clear, fair and universal base law for the internet, writes Dita Charanzová. Balance is key, or we risk harming our economy. Fixing an issue for one sector in the DSA may tilt the playing field for everyone else. We need a horizontal framework, she argues.

Game on for the Premier League in Serbia?

Luring them with football, Serbia’s leadership want to lock Balkan audiences into their favoured TV channels carrying anti-western narratives, which correspond with the country’s growing ties to the likes of China, Russia and Hungary, writes Marko Milosavljevič.

New European laws must protect children’s data

As education becomes increasingly reliant on technology, the need for regulation and oversight of the EdTech industry becomes more urgent and Europe should lead in the efforts to protect children’s data and futures, write Velislava Hillman, Ioanna Noula, and Ben Wagner.

The Brief, powered by ESA – Plugging Italy’s digital shortfall

When the pandemic forced most people to work from home, Italy suddenly found itself facing a conundrum: the employed struggled to adjust to remote work, whereas an epidemic of youth unemployment meant that those who had digital skills mostly did not have a job.

DMA: We need to talk about breaking up all-too powerful firms

With great concern, we have been observing the rising power of digital platforms such as Google, Facebook or Amazon. These platforms control central areas of the digital economy and use their market power to their own advantage, write Ulrich Müller and Max Bank.

Don’t throw out the Digital Services Act’s key accountability tools

The Digital Services Act’s provisions on risk assessment and audit must stay and be improved if we are to hold tech companies accountable for harmful business models and rights violations, write Nienke Palstra, Emma Ruby-Sachs, Claudia Prettner, and Jesse Lehrich.

How Europol’s reform enables ‘NSA-style’ surveillance operations

“More than 100 million”. That’s the number of encrypted messages that French and Dutch law enforcement announced they had collected after infiltrating Encrochat in 2020, a company selling encrypted communication services and devices.

Europe needs ambitious roaming

EU lawmakers must stay ambitious about roaming, and that means keeping caps as low as possible, writes Miapetra Kumpula-Natri.

The Brief – Wifi by the sea

Sitting on the beach with an overpriced cocktail in the Montenegrin resort town of Budva while furiously typing away stories on EU affairs would sound like a dream if it was not preceded by a desperate tour-de-ville looking for a stable wireless connection.

How can Europe become a global digital champion?

The global digital race is on and the EU is on the list of participants. Do we dare bet on winning? Three European lawmakers explain how Europe should proceed.

Trouble for Facebook and major challenge for Europe

The 14 May rejection by the Irish High Court of an appeal by Facebook against the proposals by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (IDPC) spells trouble for Facebook and poses real challenges for the EU, writes Dick Roche.

The Brief, powered by GIGAEurope – Slapping down democracy

A series of alarm bells about media, journalism, and democracy have been set off across Europe recently, for those who wanted to listen.

The Duopoly – How platforms are killing the press

From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the media have been accused of creating a false image of the situation and fuelling the negative mood in our society. The word “media” has been used to paint all with the same brush, the criticism is aimed at everyone, and the guilt is collective, writes Libuše Šmuclerová.

Education can empower the future of Europe

Establishing a European Education Area will enable Europe to lead the green and digital transformations, write Mariya Gabriel and Victor Negrescu.

Media freedom in the Western Balkans is a geopolitical issue

The decline in media freedom in the Balkans is eroding the European values of democracy and rule of law and creating a climate ripe for disinformation that is cultivating anti-EU and anti-western sentiment across the region, writes Peter Horrocks.

Industry must align with the climate neutrality objective

The European Commission's updated industrial strategy continues to set out more and more tools to provide larger and larger sums of money to industry for a vague green and digital transition, but with no framing on how to get there, writes Wendel Trio.