EU antitrust authorities issue rare interim order against Broadcom, in ongoing probe
Europe’s antitrust authorities have ordered the US chipmaker Broadcom to halt potentially anticompetitive practices while they’re under investigation, in an unusual step that could suggest swifter action against tech giants in the future, according to Reuters. The probe by the Competition Commission, led by antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, is investigating exclusivity clauses in contracts with six […]
Germany won’t exclude Huawei from its 5G networks, rejecting calls from US
Germany is set to publish new 5G security guidelines that would not exclude Huawei from providing equipment for networks, rejecting calls by US officials to shut out the Chinese tech firm, according to Reuters. Huawei is the world’s leading vendor for telecoms equipment, with 28 percent of global market share, supplying all German operators. They’ve warned […]
When content is deemed illegal in Europe, Facebook can be forced to remove it worldwide, top court rules
Europe’s top court has ruled that Facebook can be ordered to remove illegal content from its entire global platform, even if it’s legal elsewhere, according to Politico, The company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, immediately said that he plans to challenge the decision by Europe’s Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The court ruled that EU law allows judges to order […]
Authorities ask Facebook to rethink its plan to encrypt messaging, citing public safety concerns
Officials from the UK, US, and Australia are asking Facebook to reconsider its plan to encrypt user messages, saying it could hinder efforts to fight terrorism and ensure public safety, according to The Guardian. In an open letter first reported by BuzzFeed News, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, US Attorney General William Barr, and Australian […]
UK appeals court allows collective lawsuit of Google over iPhone privacy violations
A UK appeals court has ruled to allow a collective lawsuit against Google, for ignoring privacy settings to track the web activity of Safari users on iPhones, according to Engadget and TechCrunch. High Court chancellor Sir Geoffrey Ross said that if the lawsuit is successful, it would hold Google accountable for “deliberate misuse of personal data without […]
Europe’s highest court rules that websites need active consent to install tracking cookies
The European Court of Justice has ruled that companies must acquire active and explicit consent in order to install cookies and track users for advertising, according to Bloomberg. The ruling states that the pre-checked boxes offered by many websites do not qualify as the active consent required by European law. Under the General Data Protection Regulation […]
Uber is again denied a full license in London, granted only two-month extension
Uber has been granted a two-month extension to its provisional license in London, with an application for a full license rejected by authorities for the second time in as many years, according to The Guardian. Transport for London (TfL) first rejected Uber’s license renewal in September of 2017, saying it was not a “fit and proper” private […]
EU high court rules that its ‘right to be forgotten’ law applies only to European search results
The European Union’s Court of Justice has ruled against French data authorities in their effort to apply EU privacy standards to search engines in other parts of the world, according to Politico. The EU’s 2014 “right to be forgotten” rule allows Europe’s residents to demand that certain links associated with their name are removed from search engines […]
Google will pay France €1 billion to end years-long tax probe
Google will pay nearly €1 billion to French authorities to settle an ongoing investigation into its tax practices, according to The Verge. The payment includes a €500 million fine and tax payments of €465 million, still totaling less than the €1.6 billion Google was accused of failing to pay. Since 2016, authorities had been investigating whether […]
US lawmakers step up antitrust inquiry, demanding documents from tech giants
The House Judiciary Committee of the US Congress has called on tech companies to release a wide array of documents and emails relating to possible anticompetitive practices, escalating the federal government’s ongoing antitrust investigation into companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon. The requests were sent directly to executives like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, […]