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Von der Leyen vows to tackle social media addiction and cyberbullying of children
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed to fight both cyberbullying and addictive design in a speech to the European Parliament ahead of her confirmation vote on Thursday (18 July).
Verdict on TikTok, Von der Leyen’s promises
Est. 12minThe CJEU dismissed all of Bytedance's arguments as to why it shouldn't be a gatekeeper under the EU's digital rules, while re-elected Commission President von der Leyen laid out a series of promises for tech policy.
EU Court upholds Commission decision to designate TikTok parent as gatekeeper
Est. 3minThe EU Court of Justice upheld the European Commission’s decision to designate TikTok's parent company ByteDance as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act on Wednesday (17 July), dismissing all arguments presented by the company.
Elon Musk to sue the EU Commission after accusations of X breaching digital rulebook
Est. 3minThe European Commission accused social media platform X of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA) over its verified accounts policy and lapses in transparency, in preliminary findings released on Friday (12 July).
Disinformation more rife in run-up to national elections than EU vote, say experts
Est. 5minThe level of disinformation in national elections, such as the recent ones in France and the UK, was higher than in the previous European elections, disinformation experts said in recently published reports.
XNXX joins list of porn sites subject to EU digital rulebook
Est. 3minThe European Commission designated the pornography platform XNXX as a very large online platform under the Digital Services Act (DSA) on Wednesday (10 July), making it comply with the DSA's strictest regulations.
Spain to crack down on holiday rentals to address housing crisis
Est. 3minSpain's government announced a crackdown on Wednesday (3 July) on short-term and seasonal holiday lettings amid rising anger from locals who feel priced out of the housing market.
EU Commission demands information from Temu and Shein on illegal products, user protections
Est. 3minThe European Commission formally requested information on Friday (28 June) from online marketplaces Temu and Shein on measures taken to comply with online safety regulation Digital Services Act (DSA).
EU Commission accuses Apple App store of violating digital competition rules
Est. 3minThe European Commission said Apple's App Store is in breach of the bloc's digital competition rules in preliminary findings announced through a Monday (24 June) press release.
Next Commission should have mid-term review of digital rulebook, revise audiovisual media directive
Est. 3minThe next European Commission should carry out a review of its digital rulebook mid-term and revise the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), says an internal briefing document seen by Euractiv.
Commission demands details from porn platforms on protections for minors and illegal content
Est. 3minThe European Commission formally requested pornography platforms Pornhub, Stripchat, and Xvideos for detailed information on their compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA), according to a Thursday (13 June) statement.
French president wants to further restrict minors’ use of smartphones
Est. 4minFacing a tough legislative election at the end of the month, France's President Emmanuel Macron said he wants to ban the use of phones for children under the age of 11 at a press conference.
Commission shrugs off MEPs calls to address social media disinformation risk ahead of elections
Est. 3minWhile MEPs urgently called for measures to address disinformation risks and foreign influence attempts before the EU elections, according to a letter dated 9 April and seen by Euractiv, the European Commission responded just two days before the vote, stating the responsibility lies with tech platforms.
France, Germany, Poland facing ‘permanent’ Russian disinformation attacks: EU
Est. 3minFrance, Germany and Poland have become "permanent" targets for Russian disinformation attacks in the run-up to European Parliament elections this week, a senior EU official said Tuesday (4 June).
TikTok fails ‘disinformation test’ before EU vote, study shows
Est. 4minWildly popular social network TikTok approved adverts containing political disinformation ahead of European polls, a report showed Tuesday (4 June), flouting its own guidelines and raising questions about its ability to detect election falsehoods.
Online fashion retailer Temu added to EU digital rulebook’s ‘systemic risk’ list
Est. 3minThe European Commission announced that online fashion retailer Temu has been designated as a “very large online platform” (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA) on Friday (31 May).
Meta removes Facebook account of Slovak PM’s alleged shooter
Est. 3minShortly after last week's assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Meta took down the Facebook account of the shooter, the tech giant confirmed to Euractiv on Wednesday (22 May).
Online travel agencies file complaint against Ryanair alleging breach of GDPR
Est. 3minA European travel tech industry group filed two separate complaints to French and Belgian data protection authorities over Ryanair's use of biometric data, according to a press release shared with Euractiv.
France’s TikTok ban in New Caledonia raises legality, effectiveness questions
Est. 5minExperts are questioning the legality and effectiveness of France's ban of TikTok in New Caledonia, imposed on Wednesday (15 May) to contain widespread protests that rocked the French overseas territory in the South Pacific.
Commission probes Meta for violating EU digital rulebook in protection of minors
Est. 3minThe European Commission initiated an investigation on Thursday (16 May) into whether Meta, Facebook and Instagram's parent company, has violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) concerning the protection of minors.
Meta faces EU investigation for potential digital rulebook violations and disinformation risks
Est. 3minThe European Commission is investigating whether Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, might have violated the DSA in its handling of misinformation.
Von der Leyen to avoid TikTok in very ‘personal’ campaign
Est. 3minEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will not be using TikTok in her campaign for June's EU elections, "in view of security concerns," her campaign chief spokesperson said, despite her aim to reach citizens with an innovative and personal touch.
Bolt lobbying revelations: Estonia official says human error behind missing correspondence
Est. 4minThe omission of emails from the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs to Bolt and other mobility tech firms, demanded in a freedom of information (FOI) request, was due to human error, the Ministry's Deputy Secretary General Sandra Särav told Estonian news agency ERR.
Shein added to EU digital rulebook’s ‘systemic risk’ list
Est. 3minThe European Commission designated online fashion retailer Shein as a "very large online platform" under the Digital Services Act on Friday (26 April).
TikTok ‘voluntarily’ suspends Reward Program amidst European Commission concerns
Est. 3minTikTok is "voluntarily" suspending the rewards functions in TikTok Lite, the company said on Wednesday (24 April), just days after the European Commission announced a second round of formal proceedings against the rewards programme.