Tech Policy & Government | TechCrunch

Spotify and Epic Games call Apple’s revised DMA compliance plan ‘confusing,’ ‘illegal’ and ‘unacceptable’

Sarah Perez — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 18:59:19 +0000

Count Spotify and Epic Games among the Apple critics who are not happy with the iPhone maker’s newly revised compliance plan for the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Shortly after Apple announced the updated version on Tuesday, including loosened restrictions along with the addition of two more fees, Spotify shared a statement with TechCrunch […]

Apple revises DMA compliance for App Store link-outs, applying fewer restrictions and a new fee structure

Natasha Lomas — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Apple has further revised its compliance plan for the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) rulebook, which, since March, has forced it to give iOS developers more freedom over how they can distribute and promote their content on its mobile platform. The iPhone maker is already under investigation by the European Commission for suspected noncompliance […]

UK launches formal probe into Amazon’s ties with AI startup Anthropic

Paul Sawers — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 11:16:52 +0000

The U.K.’s antitrust regulator has confirmed that it’s carrying out a formal antitrust investigation into Amazon’s ties with Anthropic, after Amazon recently completed a $4 billion investment into the AI startup. The news comes a week after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed it was launching an invitation to comment into Google’s own ties with […]

UK’s internet regulator warns social media platforms over risks of inciting violence

Natasha Lomas — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 18:25:02 +0000

The U.K.'s internet regulator Ofcom has published an open letter to social media platforms raising concerns about the use of their tools being used to incite violence.

After EU approval, UK clears HPE’s $14B Juniper Networks acquisition

Paul Sawers — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:39:49 +0000

Hewlett Packard Enterprise's (HPE) planned $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks is one step closer to completion — the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that the deal won't face any further scrutiny.

Elon Musk’s X taken to court in Ireland for grabbing EU user data to train Grok without consent

Natasha Lomas — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 10:02:02 +0000

Elon Musk's X is being taken to court in Ireland for using Europeans' data to train AI models without asking for their consent.

Breaking up Google would offer a chance to remodel the web

Natasha Lomas — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 14:54:43 +0000

Just for a minute, as we digest the information that Google has been found to operate an illegal monopoly, can you imagine a web without Google? An internet without Google Search, Chrome, Gmail, Maps and so on would — very obviously — be a different place. But would such a change have implications for utility […]

Google loses massive antitrust case over search, will appeal ruling

Kyle Wiggers, Rebecca Bellan — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 20:27:00 +0000

Google will appeal a U.S. District Court judge’s opinion Monday that found the technology giant acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search. The decision from Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is a major defeat for Google that could alter the way it does business […]

TikTok Lite: EU closes addictive design case after TikTok commits to not bring back rewards mechanism

Natasha Lomas — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 11:22:50 +0000

The European Commission has closed a Digital Services Act (DSA) investigation of a rewards feature in TikTok Lite by accepting commitments from the social media giant to permanently withdraw the feature from the EU. The TikTok Lite “task and reward” mechanism, launched in France and Spain earlier this year, lets users earn points for doing […]

DSA vs. DMA: How Europe’s twin digital regulations are hitting Big Tech

Natasha Lomas — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0000

While both the DSA and DMA aim to achieve distinct things, they are best understood as a joint response to Big Tech's market power.

How the theft of 40M UK voter register records was entirely preventable

Zack Whittaker, Natasha Lomas — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 05:00:00 +0000

A scathing rebuke by the U.K. data protection watchdog reveals what led to the compromise of tens of millions of U.K. voters' information.

FTC and Justice Department sue TikTok over alleged child privacy violations

Kyle Wiggers — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 20:12:22 +0000

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department are suing TikTok and ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, with violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The law requires digital platforms to notify and obtain parents’ consent before collecting and using personal data from children under the age of 13. In a press release issued […]

The EU’s AI Act is now in force

Natasha Lomas — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 11:33:13 +0000

The European Union's risk-based regulation for applications of artificial intelligence has come into force starting from today.

OpenAI pledges to give U.S. AI Safety Institute early access to its next model

Kyle Wiggers — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 05:48:56 +0000

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says that OpenAI is working with the U.S. AI Safety Institute, a federal government body that aims to assess and address risks in AI platforms, on an agreement to provide early access to its next major generative AI model for safety testing. The announcement, which Altman made in a post on […]

AI startups ramp up federal lobbying efforts

Kyle Wiggers — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 20:22:27 +0000

AI lobbying at the U.S. federal level is intensifying in the midst of a continued generative AI boom and an election year that could influence future AI regulation. New data from OpenSecrets, a nonprofit group that tracks and publishes metrics on campaign financing and lobbying, shows that the number of groups lobbying the federal government […]

Copyright Office tells Congress: ‘Urgent need’ to outlaw AI-powered impersonation

Devin Coldewey — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 19:35:17 +0000

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued the first part of a report on how AI may affect its domain, and its first recommendation out of the gate is: we need a new law right away to define and combat AI-powered impersonation. “It has become clear that the distribution of unauthorized digital replicas poses a serious […]

Over 100 VCs pledge support for Kamala Harris

Kyle Wiggers — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 16:44:15 +0000

More than 100 VCs, including Reid Hoffman, Vinod Khosla and Mark Cuban have pledged to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Mobilizing under the group VCsForKamala, the VCs are also soliciting donations for Harris’ campaign. But the organizers say the effort isn’t meant to align with any one political […]

Spain’s antitrust watchdog fines Booking.com nearly $450M for unfair terms and restricting rivals

Natasha Lomas — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 18:17:30 +0000

The CNMC opened an investigation of Booking.com back in October 2022, following complaints by the Spanish Association of Hotel Managers and the Regional Hotel Association of Madrid.

Controversial internet bill KOSA passed by Senate

Amanda Silberling — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 18:14:31 +0000

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) has passed in the Senate after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) pushed the internet bill to a vote. Proposed in 2022, KOSA requires that online platforms take reasonable steps to protect users from harm, and could become the most significant children’s online safety legislation to take effect since COPPA. […]

EU calls for help with shaping rules for general-purpose AIs

Natasha Lomas — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 13:18:40 +0000

The EU has kicked off a consultation on rules that will apply to providers of general purpose AI models under the bloc's AI Act.