Digital policy chief says AI and industrial data offer Europe a “second chance” at tech leadership
Europe’s digital policy chief Margrethe Vestager says Europe has a “second chance” to compete with tech sectors in the US and China, by using artificial intelligence (AI) to leverage big data from Europe’s largest companies, according to Politico. “One of the reasons why we don’t have a Facebook and we don’t have a Tencent is that […]
Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook should accept some state regulation on content
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the platform should accept some form of state regulation, speaking at the Munich Security Conference this week, according to The Guardian. He said that as a content provider, Facebook’s role falls somewhere between that of a newspaper and a telephone company, and noted that online content should subject to the kind of […]
US competition authority demands details on acquisitions by Google, Facebook, and other tech giants
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered five major tech companies to provide details on acquisitions of smaller companies over the past ten years, according to The Guardian. Information on the purpose and scope of the acquisitions will help inform antitrust investigations into the five companies, which include Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. While the […]
France fines Apple €25m, for slowing performance on older iPhones
French regulators have issued a €25 million fine against Apple, for slowing the performance of older iPhone without notifying users—the result of a probe that began in 2018, according to Tech Crunch. Apple will also be required to display a notice on its website for a month, informing users that regulators had found it had carried […]
Europe’s parliament says it won’t use facial recognition, in response to leaked memo
The European Parliament has clarified that it won’t use facial recognition technology, responding to the leak of an internal memo suggesting it could be used for “biometric-based security and services to members,” according to The Guardian. The page has been removed from the parliament’s “digital transformation programme,” and a spokesperson said there “is no project of facial […]
Indian ride-hailing firm Ola will launch in London, where Uber faces the loss of its license
The Indian ride-hailing firm Ola will launch in London this February, after transit authorities revoked Uber’s license to operate in the city last year, according to Business Insider. The service launched in other UK cities in 2018, and was granted a 15-month license to operate in London last July. To gain a foothold in the UK’s […]
UK will allow Huawei to build 5G networks, but with key restrictions
The UK has announced that it will allow Huawei to develop certain elements of the nation’s 5G network, rejecting calls from US officials to ban the Chinese firm entirely, according to BBC News. However, the company’s participation will come with restrictions. Huawei will be prevented from working on certain sensitive, or “core” elements of the […]
Facial recognition cameras will be deployed throughout London, according to police
London’s Metropolitan Police have announced plans to deploy live facial recognition cameras across the city, according to The Guardian, to detect individuals on watchlists “for serious and violent offences.” The Met says the technology will go into use next month, and will be deployed in popular locations for shopping and tourism. While facial recognition has been met […]
Apple is fighting calls from EU lawmakers to eliminate its Lightning charger
Apple is challenging proposals by members of the European Parliament to force the company to adopt a standard, universal charger for mobile devices to replace its proprietary Lightning cable, according to Business Insider. Lawmakers argue that forcing consumers to rely on the Apple-exclusive Lightning cable generates a massive amount of electronic waste, by rendering other cables obsolete. […]
Despite threats of US retaliation, the UK will tax tech giants, with support from Europe’s digital policy chief
The UK will move forward with its plan to tax multinational digital firms, despite retaliatory threats from US officials, chancellor Sajid Javid said at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this week, according to The Guardian. “We plan to go ahead with our digital services tax in April,” he said. “It is a proportionate tax, and […]