Internet governance
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s website blocked by regulator before election
Russian authorities blocked access to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's website on Monday (26 July) in the run-up to a parliamentary election, their latest attempt to sideline his allies cast by the Kremlin as US-backed trouble-makers.
Germany’s push for tighter tech regulation
German lawmakers are making the case for tighter obligations for online platforms in the upcoming EU legislation, as they fear that it could produce weaker rules than their current national framework, EURACTIV Germany reports.
French law on content moderation risks ‘fragmenting’ EU digital market, says Commission
A French bill with several obligations for online platforms similar to a draft EU law poses a "risk to the single market in digital services and to Europe's prosperity", the European Commission has warned. EURACTIV France reports.
Germany’s online hate speech law slammed by opposition, Commission
Civil rights activists and opposition politicians have slammed a recently approved amendment to Germany's law regulating online communications, saying it encroaches on freedom of expression and fragments the European legal space. EURACTIV Germany reports.
French government launches platform to help parents protect kids from online porn
French authorities have launched a new platform to help parents protect their children from exposure to online pornography. EURACTIV France reports.
Portugal vies to push ahead with new EU digital regulation
Portugal's minister for economic affairs said on Thursday (7 January( that Portugal intends to take forward negotiations on the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Law during the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).
Thousands of EU domains registered to UK users ‘suspended’ after Brexit
Over 80,000 internet domain names assigned to UK registrants have been suspended by the EU registry, EURid, following the end of the Brexit transition period at the close of 2020.
Commission vies to ‘put order into chaos’ with new digital crackdown
Online platform giants will be forced to abide by a broad range of obligations as part of ambitious new plans laid out by the European Commission in its Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA) on Tuesday (15 December).
Revealed: Commission ushers in new era of digital regulation
The European Commission will today (15 December) unveil a broad set of regulatory measures clamping down on global digital giants, as part of two landmark texts that will overhaul the operation of the platform economy in the EU.
New cross-border online terrorist content rules sparks rights concerns
EU lawmakers from the European Parliament and the Council signed off on new rules to police online terrorist content Thursday (10 December), in a move that will see pan-European removal orders issued from competent authorities of any EU member state.
Make Big Tech accountable, Austria says in Digital Services Act recommendations
Austria has called on the European Commission to make online platforms more accountable for the hosting of illegal content in a series of recommendations for the EU's Digital Services Act, citing the country's Communication Platforms Act as an example for the EU to follow.
Breton reveals details on gatekeeper criteria in Digital Markets Act
The EU's Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has disclosed details on the forthcoming criteria for the definition of so-called 'gatekeeper platforms' as part of the hotly-anticipated Digital Markets Act, set to be proposed by the EU executive in early December.
Tech groups’ services could face bans if they breach rules, EU industry chief says
Technology companies’ services could be banned from the European market if they do not heed EU regulation, Europe’s industry chief Thierry Breton told German weekly Welt am Sonntag, as the European Commission finalizes rules on internet companies.
In protecting Europe’s data, can EU regulation keep up with Chinese tech?
Europe's strategic autonomy and its ability to protect its citizens’ data privacy could depend on whether the Digital Services Act can keep up with China's influence over the technologies that shape our daily lives, writes Nicolas Tenzer.
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.
‘Five Eyes’ alliance demands ways to access encrypted apps
The "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance demanded Sunday that tech companies insert "backdoors" in encrypted apps to allow law enforcement agencies the access they say they need to police online criminality.
Breton: Online platforms are no longer just ‘hosts’ in the digital economy
Online platform giants may no longer be defined merely as 'hosts,' the EU's Internal Market Chief Thierry Breton suggested on Monday (28 September), as the bloc is making a concerted effort to regulate the digital economy.
Press association raps von der Leyen for ‘too much English’ communication
The French section of the Association of European Journalists has complained to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the EU executive uses the English language “out of proportion” in its official communication.
Von der Leyen charts Europe’s ‘digital decade’, evades platform economy challenge
Commission President von der Leyen has laid out her vision for the development of digital policy in the EU, with an accelerated commitment to innovation in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stakeholders jockey for influence in EU’s bid to regulate digital services
A broad spectrum of stakeholders have spoken out on EU plans to regulate the online ecosystem as part of its forthcoming Digital Services Act package, with fierce jockeying over the extent to which the EU will introduce new rules for the digital economy.
Commission to present mandatory rules for platforms to ‘detect, report, and remove’ online abuse
The European Commission will propose legislation later this year and in 2021 that will force online platforms to undertake measures to stop the spread of online child abuse, the EU's home affairs chief Ylva Johansson announced on Friday (24 July).
Austria’s online hate speech law prompts question marks about ‘overblocking’
In the fight against illegal online content, the Austrian government wants to make platforms more accountable. Many details are still missing, but the German NetzDG seems to be a model. Critics fear over-blocking and collateral damage but also see opportunities. EURACTIV Germany reports.
‘Utmost importance’ for transparency rules on political ads, EU report says
It is of the 'utmost importance' for the EU to do more to reign in the unregulated environment of online political advertising by establishing more stringent transparency obligations, said a European Commission-backed report on media plurality, published on Thursday (23 July).