Topic: european commission
-
EU Defies Trump Tariff Threats, Cracks Down on Meta
The EU accuses Meta of violating the Digital Services Act by providing inadequate tools for reporting illegal content and challenging moderation decisions, potentially leading to a multi-billion dollar fine. Meta's platforms are criticized for using "dark patterns" in their reporting systems and ...
Read More » -
X Blocks EU Commission Ads Following €120 Million Fine
The European Commission has fined X €120 million under the Digital Services Act, the first major penalty under this law, for violations including deceptive use of verified checkmarks. In response, X blocked the Commission's advertising account and accused it of manipulating platform systems by us...
Read More » -
EU Scrutinizes Google's Ad Tech Overhaul
The European Commission is seeking industry feedback on Google's proposed antitrust remedies for its ad tech business, distributing the plan to about 200 stakeholders to assess if it will foster competition. Google's commitments, following a 2017 €2.95 billion fine, include giving publishers more...
Read More » -
Microsoft Dodges EU Probe by Unbundling Teams from Office
Microsoft has agreed to separate Teams from its Office and Microsoft 365 suites to avoid an EU antitrust investigation, offering versions without Teams at a lower price and improving interoperability with rivals. The decision resolves a multi-year probe initiated after a complaint from Slack, whi...
Read More » -
EU Launches Probe Into Google's Unfair Content Use
The EU is investigating whether Google abuses its search dominance to pressure publishers into allowing free use of their content for AI features, risking their visibility if they refuse. A key focus is whether Google unfairly uses YouTube creator content to train its own AI models without paymen...
Read More » -
Europe's Tech Sector Enters the Political Arena
Europe's tech sector is increasingly engaging in political advocacy, with startups and investors actively shaping policy debates and pushing for regulatory and financial changes as outlined in Atomico's State of European Tech report. Key recommendations from the report include creating a pan-Euro...
Read More » -
Google Proposes "Less Disruptive" EU Ad-Tech Solution
Google has proposed a new compliance strategy to the EU, focusing on product-level changes and improved interoperability to address competition concerns without breaking up its ad-tech business. The plan includes allowing publishers to set different minimum prices for bidders and enhancing compat...
Read More » -
EU Investigates Meta Over WhatsApp AI Chatbot Limits
The EU has launched an antitrust investigation into Meta over WhatsApp policy changes that restrict third-party AI chatbots, fearing this unfairly advantages Meta's own AI service. The probe will assess if Meta is abusing its dominant market position by blocking competitors while allowing its own...
Read More » -
Microsoft Dodges EU Fine Over Teams Bundling After Slack Complaint
Microsoft avoided EU antitrust penalties by agreeing to unbundle Teams from its Office suites and offer Teams-free versions at a lower price. The company must also ensure interoperability with rival communication tools and maintain these commitments for seven to ten years. The case, initiated by ...
Read More » -
EU Accuses Instagram and Facebook of Breaking Content Rules
European regulators have accused Meta's Facebook and Instagram of violating the Digital Services Act due to inadequate content moderation systems and lack of transparency regarding illegal material and researcher data access. The platforms were criticized for implementing confusing systems and da...
Read More » -
European Users Can Now Reduce Personal Ads on Facebook & Instagram
Meta will introduce a new option for EU users in 2026 to reduce personalized ads on Facebook and Instagram, offering a middle ground between full personalization and limited data sharing. This change directly responds to regulatory pressure and a €200 million fine under the Digital Markets Act (D...
Read More » -
EU Probes Meta for Blocking AI Chatbots on WhatsApp
European regulators have launched an antitrust investigation into Meta, concerned its policy restricting third-party AI chatbots on WhatsApp illegally stifles innovation while favoring its own Meta AI product. The policy change would block popular AI tools like those from OpenAI from using WhatsA...
Read More » -
Europe's Cookie Consent Chaos is Ending
The European Commission has proposed allowing users to centrally set cookie preferences in their web browsers, which websites must legally recognize to reduce repetitive pop-ups. As an interim measure, cookie prompts will be simplified to a single-click format and must remember user consent for a...
Read More » -
EU Investigates SAP for Antitrust Violations in Software Support
The European Commission has launched an antitrust investigation into SAP's software support services, examining whether the company abuses its dominant market position to impose restrictive contract terms in violation of EU competition law. Investigators are focusing on four practices, including ...
Read More » -
Europe Rolls Back Landmark Privacy and AI Regulations
Europe is reversing key privacy and AI regulations, including parts of the GDPR and AI Act, to reduce bureaucracy and stimulate economic growth after pressure from tech giants and political allies. The changes involve simplifying GDPR cookie consent mechanisms and delaying enforcement for high-ri...
Read More » -
Google Pixel 10 Gets AirDrop Thanks to EU Apple Ruling
Google has introduced cross-platform AirDrop functionality to its Pixel 10 series, enabling secure file transfers between Pixel devices and iPhones, largely due to European Union regulatory requirements. The EU's Digital Markets Act forced Apple to adopt open wireless standards like Wi-Fi Aware, ...
Read More » -
EU Investigates Google Zero in Antitrust Probe
The EU has launched a formal antitrust investigation into Google, focusing on whether it has used its dominance to stifle AI competition by leveraging publisher and creator content without fair compensation or consent. The probe will scrutinize Google's use of online content to power AI features ...
Read More »