About: apps

UK pushes ahead with contact tracing app; EDPB issues privacy warnings

The UK's National Health Service has begun testing a mobile application designed to trace the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. The moves comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock ramps the UK's efforts in contact tracing technologies.

Vestager: It’s not a choice between fighting the virus and protecting privacy

The EU's digital chief Margrethe Vestager has sought to allay privacy fears over the use of certain mobile applications in the fight against the coronavirus, a day after the EU rolled out a series of recommendations for the use of such technologies.

EU says coronavirus tracking apps should avoid storing data on servers

Mobile apps to track coronavirus cases in Europe should keep as much data as possible on the user’s device rather than in a central server to best maintain individual privacy, an EU document says.

‘Major security and privacy issues’ in using location data for COVID-19 apps, Commission says  

The European Commission has warned against the processing and storage of location data in the use of mobile applications designed to trace the potential spread of the coronavirus across the bloc.

COVID-19 mobile app available to governments for a symbolic euro

The Bulgarian authorities have given their blessing to an initiative by local IT developers who created a mobile app aimed at creating a real-time link between citizens and health authorities. The developers told EURACTIV they are ready to make the application available for other countries for a symbolic one euro.

EU data watchdog pitches pan-European COVID-19 app  

The EU should establish its own "pan-European COVID-19 mobile application" due to divergences in current app developments across the bloc, the EU's data watchdog has suggested.

Airbnb bows to EU demands on room fees

Airbnb has bowed to EU pressure and will avoid potentially multi-million euro fines after making changes to the way it advertises the fees for its popular room-booking service.

EU data-based food information tool crosses the border

French EU Datathon winner Open Food Facts plans to expand to other member states in a bid to overcome the language barrier and improve food information within the European union, vice-president Pierre Slamich told EURACTIV.com.

EU telecoms regulators examine whether app stores restrict internet access

European telecoms regulators are investigating whether app stores restrict internet access by limiting their users’ choice of content, the chair of the umbrella group of EU watchdogs said on Wednesday (14 March).

App economy jobs come under Commission scrutiny

The European Commission will change an EU law on employment contracts by the end of the year in a move to create standards for precarious jobs created by online apps like Uber and Deliveroo.

EU to propose new rules targeting encrypted apps in June

The European Commission will propose new measures in June to make it easier for police to access data on internet messaging apps like WhatsApp, EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová said yesterday (28 March), heeding calls from national interior ministers.

Chinese messaging app WeChat courts European business for ad sales and e-commerce

Messaging and e-commerce app WeChat is courting European businesses to advertise and sell to its more than 700 million users in China.

UK fintech finds EU barriers emerging after Brexit vote

Fallout from the vote to leave the European Union is already threatening the growth of financial technology firms in Britain, industry officials said on Wednesday (2 November).

Pokémon’s Pikachu the ‘man of the year’ in telecoms

Pikachu is the man of the year in telecoms, according to the watchdog next in line to chair a powerful group of EU regulators.

French terror investigators grapple with Telegram app

Smartphone app Telegram, favoured by the Islamic State group thanks to the encrypted messaging it offers, is proving a headache for French anti-terror investigators.

Member states swipe left: Tinder has (court) date in EU countries

Consumer organisations in three EU countries lodged complaints against US-based dating app Tinder today (3 March) for its restrictive user contracts.

Map to heart health: one French tech startup is getting a boost from health regulation

The Paris-based health startup AEDMAP was founded two years ago after telecoms consultant Paul Dardel realised there were no services to help people find cardiac defibrillators in public places.

Italy set to pull ahead of Brussels on online platform regulation

A vote next week in the Italian Parliament could create Europe's first regulation on online platforms. The MP who proposed the bill is meeting officials in Brussels this week while the European Commission considers drafting its own legislation.

Uber taxi app banned in Germany following court ruling

Smartphone apps for taxi services provided by the American company Uber are now banned in Germany, following a district court ruling in Frankfurt that has traditional cab drivers celebrating. EURACTIV Germany reports.

EU: Apple should do more to tackle in-app purchases problem

Apple has provided no concrete and immediate solutions to tackle the problem of adults and children racking up credit card bills by making "in-app" purchases on tablets and mobile phones, the European Commission said on Friday (18 July).

Booming app sector gives hope for jobless youth, EU says

The European Commission expects the EU's app sector to employ 4.8 million people by 2018 and contribute €63 billion to the economy, and hopefully have a positive impact on the pressing youth unemployment problem as many developers are from younger generations.

Policymakers mull privacy wake-up call for app companies

SPECIAL REPORT / Up to 15,000 representatives of the world’s leading app makers who begin meeting in Barcelona today (25 February) face a “wake up call” when European policymakers come up with proposals to strengthen privacy rules in the sector later this week.

App makers unhappy at prospect of tighter data privacy rules

Europe’s burgeoning app manufacturers are braced for imminent new guidance on data privacy that could cover features often essential to some applications such as geolocation.