EU

EU


Google’s AI model faces European Union scrutiny from privacy watchdog

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators said Thursday they’re looking into one of Google’s artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the bloc’s strict data privacy rules. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said it has opened an inquiry into Google’s Pathways Language Model 2, also known as PaLM2. It’s part of wider efforts, including […]

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European Commission didn’t provide enough information about COVID-19 vaccine deals, EU court says

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission did not allow the public enough access to information about COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreements it secured with pharmaceutical companies during the pandemic, the EU general court said Wednesday.  The decision came a day ahead of a vote at the European Parliament at which European Commission President Ursula von der […]

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Venice nets $2.2 million in day-tripper tax pilot. Opponents say it failed to deter visitors

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Venice on Sunday wrapped up a pilot program charging day-trippers an entrance fee, more than 2 million euros ($2.2 million) richer and determined to extend the levy, but opponents in the fragile lagoon city called the experiment a failure. Several dozen activists gathered outside the Santa Lucia train station overlooking a […]

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European Union says X’s blue checks are deceptive ‘dark patterns’ that breach its social media laws

LONDON (AP) — The European Union said Friday that blue checkmarks from Elon Musk’s X are deceptive and that the online platform falls short on transparency and accountability requirements, the first charges against a tech company since the bloc’s new social media regulations took effect.  The European Commission outlined the preliminary findings from its investigation […]

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European Union’s competition boss signals fresh AI scrutiny for Microsoft-OpenAI deal and Google

LONDON (AP) — The European Union is escalating its scrutiny of the artificial intelligence industry, including taking a fresh look into Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar partnership with OpenAI, a top EU official said Friday.  The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, started reviewing the deal last year to see whether it broke EU merger rules but dropped […]

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EU Commission asks 3 major porn sites to give details on kids’ protection measures under digital law

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission is asking three of the world’s biggest pornography sites to provide details of the measures they have taken to better protect minors from accessing their content and prevent gender-based violence. The European Union’s executive branch took the decision targeting Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat under its trailblazing Digital Services Act, […]

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Apple, Google, Meta targeted under new European law to prevent cornering of digital markets

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators opened investigations into Apple, Google and Meta on Monday, the first cases under a sweeping new law designed to stop Big Tech companies from cornering digital markets.  The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm, said it was investigating the companies for “non-compliance” with the Digital Markets Act.  The […]

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Europe asks Google, Facebook, TikTok and other platforms how they’re reducing generative AI risks

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators on Thursday ratcheted up scrutiny of big tech companies including Google, Facebook and TikTok with requests for information on how they’re dealing with risks from generative artificial intelligence, such as the viral spread of deepfakes.  The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, has sent questionnaires about the ways that […]

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Apple is making big App Store changes in Europe over new rules. Could it mean more iPhone hacking?

Apple is opening small cracks in the iPhone’s digital fortress as part of a regulatory clampdown in Europe that is striving to give consumers more choices — at the risk of creating new avenues for hackers to steal personal and financial information stored on the devices. The overhaul rolling out Thursday only in the European […]

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Europe’s Digital Markets Act is forcing tech giants to make changes. Here’s what that will look like

LONDON (AP) — Europeans scrolling their phones and computers this week will get new choices for default browsers and search engines, where to download iPhone apps and how their personal online data is used.  They’re part of changes required under the Digital Markets Act, a set of European Union regulations that six tech companies classed […]

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The EU launches legal action against Hungary over new law accused of targeting critics

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Wednesday launched legal action against Hungary’s right-wing government over a new law that allows authorities to investigate and prosecute people accused of undermining the country’s sovereignty. The “sovereignty protection act” took effect in December. It created a government authority with the power to gather information on any groups […]

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ChatGPT violated European privacy laws, Italy tells chatbot maker OpenAI

LONDON (AP) — Italian regulators said they told OpenAI that its ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot has violated European Union’s stringent data privacy rules. The country’s data protection authority, known as Garante, said Monday that it notified San Francisco-based OpenAI of breaches of the EU rules, known as General Data Protection Regulation. The watchdog started investigating […]

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