Internet Policy in the EU

Latest news and information on the Internet policies of the European Union.

EU and Singapore agree landmark digital trade deal — 25 July 2024, 23:51 CET

The EU and Singapore concluded negotiations Thursday on a digital trade agreement with a view to connecting both economies to the benefit of businesses and consumers engaging in digital trade.

Meta 'pay-or-consent' policy under EU 'sneaky practices' fire — 23 July 2024, 00:13 CET

An online service is not 'free' if it earns revenue from using personal data to show personalised ads, the EU made clear Monday over concerns that Meta's 'pay or consent' model breaches EU consumer law.

X's BlueChecks 'deceive users, and breach EU Internet rules' — 13 July 2024, 00:32 CET

The EU Commission warned X formerly know as Twitter Friday that it could be fined for its 'Bluechecks' which could be trying to deceive users and so be in breach of EU's Digital Services Act.

Brussels accepts Apple commitments on 'tap and go' — 13 July 2024, 00:33 CET

Commitments offered by Apple relating to its refusal to grant rivals access to its 'tap & go' contactless payments technology on iPhones were made legally binding Thursday by the EU Commission.

XNXX adult website faces strict scrutiny under EU Internet rules — 12 July 2024, 00:46 CET

The adult online platform XNXX will have to conform to stringent obligations of the EU's Digital Services Act, following designation by the EU Wednesday as a 'Very Large Online Platform'.

Amazon asked for evidence of compliance with EU internet rules — 10 July 2024, 22:46 CET

The Commission sent Amazon a request for information Friday on its compliance with EU internet rules related to transparent recommender systems and making their advertisement repository publicly available.

Meta's pay or consent business model 'in breach of EU digital law' — 02 July 2024, 18:03 CET

The European Commission sent preliminary findings Monday to Facebook owner Meta, saying that its 'pay or consent' advertising model fails to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act.

EU requests information from porn platforms on protection of children — 17 June 2024, 19:15 CET

The EU Commission sent requests for information to the Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos online platforms on Thursday regarding measures they have taken to ensure the protection of minors online.

EU gives final green light to first worldwide rules on AI — 23 May 2024, 22:40 CET

The European Union approved the artificial intelligence act Tuesday, a ground-breaking law to harmonise rules on AI, the first of its kind in the world and looking to set a global standard for AI regulation.

European Digital Identity rules enter into force — 22 May 2024, 00:30 CET

The rules on establishing a European Digital Identity entered into force Monday, paving the way for all EU citizens and residents to benefit from a personal European Digital Identity Wallet in 2026.

Brussels step up pressure on Bing over generative AI risks — 20 May 2024, 22:59 CET

The EU Commission stepped up enforcement actions against Microsoft Monday giving the company till 27 May to provide information on risks stemming from Bing's generative AI features.

Facebook, Instagram under EU investigation over child safety — 17 May 2024, 23:39 CET

The European Commission opened formal proceedings Thursday over Facebook and Instagram may have breached the EU Digital Services Act in areas linked to the protection of minors.

Booking.com has to abide by EU online rules, X under investigation — 14 May 2024, 23:37 CET

The EU continued to bring major online services under its digital remit Monday, designating Booking.com as an online 'gatekeeper', while opening a market investigation into social networking service X.

Brussels asks X for answers on content moderation — 09 May 2024, 00:54 CET

The European Commission sent American social media company X a formal request under the EU's Digital Services Act Wednesday for information on its reduction of resources for content moderation.

European Media Freedom Act in force — 09 May 2024, 00:39 CET

The European Media Freedom Act, the EU's unprecedented new set of rules designed to protect media independence and pluralism, entered into force Tuesday.

Brussels acts against Facebook, Instagram over political misinformation — 08 May 2024, 01:02 CET

The European Commission opened formal proceedings Tuesday to assess whether Meta, the provider of Facebook and Instagram, may have breached the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).

Apple's iPadOS caught by EU's digital market obligations — 30 April 2024, 18:09 CET

iPadOS, the operating system for Apple tablets, is the latest large Internet 'gatekeeper' to be brought within the scope of the EU's Digital Markets Act obligations, the EU Commission announced Monday.

Brussels threatens to suspend TikTok reward programme in EU — 22 April 2024, 17:31 CET

The European Commission opened a second formal proceedings against TikTok Monday, to assess whether it breached the EU's Digital Services Act on launching TikTok Lite in France and Spain.

New EU obligations kick in for Pornhub, Stripchat, XVideos — 22 April 2024, 17:24 CET

As of 21 and 23 April, adult entertainment platforms Pornhub, Stripchat and Xvideos will have to comply with stringent obligations under the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA).

Brussels demands answers on launch of TikTok Lite in France, Spain — 18 April 2024, 22:50 CET

The European Commission sent TikTok a request for information Wednesday for details on the risk assessment TikTok should have carried out before deploying the new app TikTok Lite in the EU.

EU guidelines to guard against 'systemic risks' online for Euro-elections — 27 March 2024, 23:35 CET

The Commission published guidelines Tuesday to help large online platforms mitigate systemic risks online that may impact the integrity of upcoming elections.

Apple, Meta, Alphabet in EU digital markets law probe — 25 March 2024, 19:04 CET

The European Commission opened non-compliance investigations Monday against Google parent company Alphabet, Apple and Meta under the EU's new Digital Markets Act.

Green light for EU bill to protect journalists and press freedom — 19 March 2024, 22:04 CET

The EU Council gave its green light Tuesday to a new law to protect journalists and people who speak out on matters of public interest from abusive lawsuits whose purpose is to silence them.

59 pct of Europeans use social networks: Eurostat — 19 March 2024, 22:04 CET

59 per cent of the EU population took part in social networks such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok in 2023, according to figures released Tuesday by the EU statistics agency.

EU strikes deal on European Health Data Space — 18 March 2024, 22:03 CET

The European Parliament and EU Council reached provisional agreement Friday on a new law making it easier to exchange and access health data at EU level.