Internet governance
Copyright directive faces further setback as final trilogue postponed
The controversial EU copyright directive faces a further setback after the final inter-institutional negotiations set to take place on Monday evening (21 January) were cancelled on Friday.
Ansip uncovered: Commission Vice-President on disinformation, Huawei, copyright
EURACTIV's Digital Editor, Samuel Stolton, sat down with Vice-President of the European Commission, Andrus Ansip, to speak about his recent decision to stand as an MEP, disinformation, 'those' Huawei comments and the difficulties with the copyright directive.
Commission to revoke British .eu domains after Brexit
The European Commission plans to revoke all .eu domain name registrations belonging to British registrars after the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, EURACTIV has learnt.
Right to be forgotten should be limited to EU, top court says in Google case
The EU's "right to be forgotten" ruling should only be limited to the EU, the European Court of Justice said on Thursday (10 December), delivering an opinion on a case brought by France's privacy authority, the Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL).
Copyright could force us to pull out of EU, Google News boss says
A specific article in the controversial copyright directive may result in Google withdrawing their news aggregator service from the EU, EURACTIV has learnt. EU ministers are set to discuss the issue and reach an agreement on the file later this week.
MEPs back fair-play rules for platforms and operating systems
MEPs backed rules to force online platforms to be more transparent and fair to business clients on Thursday (6 December), with some members voicing frustration at the fact that operating systems are to be included in the scope of the regulation.
The skewed debate on big tech and the quest for a transatlantic digital pact
‘Techlash’ might be the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year for 2018. The advent of the sharing economy, online apps and social media has improved the lives of millions of people globally. This is a fact. But the unintended consequences are daunting.
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The EU is asking the impossible
The EU’s proposed Regulation to monitor terrorist content online has many implications, not least for fundamental human rights and freedoms including privacy. But it also asks Europe’s cloud infrastructure providers to do the impossible, writes Alban Schmutz.
Net neutrality compliance in France better than elsewhere in Europe
An app allowing Internet users to monitor their internet service provider’s proper conduct was presented at the Internet Governance Forum in Paris on Monday (12 November). The initial statistics have shown that France has fared well. EURACTIV France reports.
EU code of practice on fake news: Tech giants sign the dotted line
Tech giants including Facebook, Google, Twitter and Mozilla have submitted plans to the European Commission outlining how they will abide by a code of practice against fake news, amid opposition on the proposals from a multistakeholder forum.
EU privacy chief expects first round of fines under new law by year-end
Regulators are set to exercise their new powers by handing out fines and even temporary bans on companies that breach a new EU privacy law, with the first round of sanctions expected by the end of the year, the bloc’s privacy chief said.
MEPs vote for more European TV on our screens
MEPs at the European Parliament backed plans on Tuesday (2 October) to ensure that at least 30 per cent of content provided by online media platforms such as Amazon and Netflix is European.
Will Weber take a hammer to Facebook’s social media monopoly?
EPP MEP and lead candidate for Jean-Claude Junker's job as the next European Commission president, Manfred Weber, threw down the gauntlet on Friday (28 September), suggesting that he may support a breakup of Facebook and Whatsapp.
Pressure mounts on Facebook after massive data breach
The EU's Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová has put pressure on Facebook to disclose further details of the massive security breach that impacted around fifty million users last week.
EU regulators want to know if merchants hurt by Amazon copies
EU antitrust regulators are asking retailers and manufacturers whether Amazon’s sales of own brand products similar to theirs have harmed their business, a move which could lead to a formal case and possibly fines against the U.S. tech giant.
‘Europe is under attack’: Tajani and Gabriel on fake news
The EU faces an enormous challenge to counter the threat of disinformation ahead of the 2019 European elections, digital commissioner Mariya Gabriel and parliament president Antonio Tajani said on Thursday (27 September).
British intelligence services make dramatic admission in spying case
The UK intelligence agencies GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 unlawfully captured private data from the UK-based rights charity Privacy International, legal documents published on Tuesday (25 September) reveal, in a move likely to spark fury amongst civil rights campaigners.
‘Channel of dirt’: Jourová describes her Facebook experience
Facebook came in for heavy criticism on Thursday (20 September), as EU justice chief Věra Jourová shone a light on her own Facebook experience as well as the issue of the tech giant's non-compliance with EU consumer rules.
Top German court delays YouTube illegal uploads case to seek EU opinion
Germany’s highest court has postponed a decision on whether YouTube is liable for violations of intellectual property rights on its video platform in order to seek the opinion of European Union judges, a process expected to take one to two years.
Drama strikes hemicycle as European Parliament backs copyright bill
The European Parliament backed the controversial copyright bill on Wednesday (12 September), drawing cheers of jubilation and howls of disapproval from MEPs in the Strasbourg hemicycle.
The copyright bill: Explained in under 2 minutes
The European Parliament will vote on its controversial Copyright bill on Wednesday, September 12. The directive aims to ensure that producers of creative content are remunerated fairly online.
Chancellor Merkel’s digital gurus
In Germany, a ten-member committee takes up its work to speed up the country's digitization efforts and ask uncomfortable questions. EURACTIV Germany's media partner "Der Tagesspiegel" reports.
Commission lobbies for police access to website owners list
The European Commission has suggested that law enforcement authorities could soon have restricted access to the WHOIS database that identifies website owners because the system is on a collision course with the EU’s strict new data protection law.
Facebook widens probe into alleged Russian meddling in Brexit
Facebook Inc said on Wednesday (17 January) it would conduct a new, comprehensive search of its records for possible propaganda that Russian operatives may have spread during the run-up to Britain's 2016 referendum on EU membership.