About: big tech

Infrastructure costs: fair contribution versus net neutrality
The European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) does not support the Council’s position on network contribution because making big tech firms pay does not follow the principle of net neutrality.
Breaking digital dominance
Today’s expected agreement on the Digital Markets Act is essential to crack market dominance in digital markets. However, if negotiators fail to agree on effective tools to get under the skin of the underlying business model of advertising, we risk not only stifling of innovation and poor data protection but on top of that also societal harms, such as disinformation and hate speech, write René Repasi and Paul Tang.
The Digital Markets Act is one of our best tools to resist to information wars
The West is involved in at least two wars in Ukraine: a military war and an information war. Meanwhile, governments pressure the largest social media platforms as they are the biggest battleground for the information war, writes Maria Luisa Stasi.
Russia finds Meta guilty of ‘extremist activity’, says WhatsApp can stay
A Moscow court on Monday found Meta Platforms Inc guilty of "extremist activity", but said its decision would not affect the WhatsApp messenger service, focusing its ire on the company's already banned Facebook and Instagram social networks.
Big tech is pulling tricks instead of doing what is right
There is a 19th-century Russian saying - “to earn a rouble and keep one’s honour” - which applied with irony to people who try to do good, play by the rules and still receive personal gain. Like so many others in the past, the world's tech giants failed at both when Russia invaded Ukraine, writes Janusz Cieszyński.
EU, UK launch parallel antitrust probe on Google-Meta ad tech deal
The European Commission launched on Friday (11 March) a competition investigation into whether Google and Meta had violated EU antitrust law in their use of online display advertising, in parallel with the UK’s Competition Market Authority's own probe.
Platforms scale up efforts to tackle Russian war propaganda
Some of the world's biggest tech platforms are rolling out unprecedented actions designed to stem the tide of Kremlin-sponsored disinformation surrounding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Could the EU be on the cusp of a Paris Agreement For The Internet?
It’s a global issue. It’s an existential threat to our way of life. And it threatens the collapse of entire ecosystems.
Don’t forget security as we set the rules for our online lives
The EU takes cybersecurity seriously. And with cause. Cyber crime is rife, ransomware big business, and state actors increasingly resort to cyber interference to promote their interests and weaken adversaries.
Make content platforms pay for digital infrastructures, telecom CEOs say
The CEOs of Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Orange have called on the European Commission in an open letter to make large content providers contribute to the infrastructural investments.
How do you say Amazon in Italian? Monopolista
Italian, French, and German regulators are stepping up fines on Big Tech for antitrust and privacy violations before Europe’s upcoming Digital Markets Act risks diluting their authority.
EU must resist attempts to dilute Digital Markets Act
The EU is on the brink of adopting new rules that will transform the dynamics of the digital economy and so significantly improve consumers’ experience. But it is crucially important that EU lawmakers resist last-ditch attempts by Big Tech companies to derail or neutralise these rules before they reach the statute book, writes Ursula Pachl.
UK lawmakers call for strengthened Online Safety Bill
Binding codes of practice, measures to keep children from accessing pornography, and new criminal offences related to the online world are needed to strengthen the UK’s proposed Online Safety Bill, according to a parliamentary committee.
Europe tech investment to reach $100 billion in 2021
Europe is set for a record $100 billion investment in the tech sector by the end of the year, according to a new report.
The last-minute amendments that could change the DMA
The European Parliament’s economic committee (ECON) could table up to six amendments introducing significant changes to the law to regulate internet giants. The leading negotiator for the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Andreas Schwab, requested no separate amendments be tabled during...
Why internet regulation and media freedom must go hand-in-hand
The European press sector has serious concerns about the ongoing Digital Services Act negotiations in Parliament and Council, which risk undermining Europe’s free and independent press. Victoria Svanberg is the acting vice-chair and acting chairman of NWT Gruppen AB and...OpinionPromoted content

Campus on Digital Freedom in Rome
The European Conservatives and Reformists Party has put together the opportunity for young people to learn about the digital world for a reasonable participation fee.
Commission won’t monitor lobbying access despite growing Big Tech pressure
The European Commission has said it does not control from whom and how often meetings with lobbyists are requested, following a report that has unveiled significant overrepresentation of business representatives in discussions with EU officials on key digital proposals.
Biden calls on tech giants to ‘raise the bar’ on cybersecurity
US President Joe Biden urged Big Tech leaders to step up their game in enhancing the country’s cybersecurity, following a series of high-profile cyber-attacks in recent months.
Campaign against targeted ad spills over the DMA amid business concerns
A push by some EU lawmakers to ban targeted ads has entered the debate around regulation zooming in on Big Tech, with several business representatives voicing their concerns.
Facebook bans Taliban but Twitter adopts more ‘laissez faire’ approach
Facebook's and Twitter's contradicting approaches vis-à-vis the Taliban social media accounts are a perfect illustration of the content moderation dilemma online platforms are facing.
Germany fears EU digital law might loosen its antitrust grip on tech giants
German competition authorities have piled pressure on American tech giants since new rules came into force in January. However, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) currently being discussed at EU level may supersede the section of the German law that targets big tech. EURACTIV Germany reports.
MEPs rue lack of GDPR sanctions issued by Irish data authority
MEPs have said that "a lack of political will and resources" had resulted in a laggard approach to enforcement of the EU's general data protection regulation (GDPR), singling out in particular the lack of sanctions dished out by the Irish data protection authority.