Elon Musk’s X faces first DSA probe in EU over illegal content risks, moderation, transparency and deceptive design

It’s official! Elon Musk’s X marks the spot of the first confirmed investigation opened by the European Union under its rebooted digital rulebook, the Digital Services Act (DSA). Announcing the opening of a “formal proceeding” today, the European Commission said the investig

DNA companies should receive severe penalties for losing our data

Personal data is the new gold. The recent 23andMe data breach is a stark reminder of a chilling reality — our most intimate, personal information might not be as secure as we think. It’s a damning indictment of the sheer negligence of companies that, while profiting from our DNA, are fa

EU ‘final’ talks to fix AI rules to run into second day — but deal on foundational models is on the table

As European Union lawmakers clock up 20+ hours of negotiating time in a marathon attempt to reach agreement on how to regulate artificial intelligence a preliminary accord on how to handle one sticky element — rules for foundational models/general purpose AIs (GPAIs) — has been agreed,

Meta faces more questions in Europe about child safety risks on Instagram

Meta has received another formal request for information (RFI) from European Union regulators seeking more details of its response to child safety concerns on Instagram — including what it’s doing to tackle risks related to the sharing of self-generated child sexual abuse material (SG-C

Amazon’s iRobot purchase sucks up formal competition concerns in EU

European Union regulators have sent Amazon a formal statement of objections setting out competition concerns over its proposed acquisition of robot vacuum maker, iRobot. The step does not confirm the EU will seek to block the deal but it shows antitrust regulators do remain concerned. It could ther

Crypto enforcers wielded a heavy hand this year, but don't expect it to get softer in 2024

This was quite the year for the crypto industry. From funding shortfalls to the SBF saga playing out in public, the industry and its proponents had a wild year, especially with crypto prices fluctuating more than London’s weather in April. Still, regulation of crypto and how it is being set u

Florida judge finds Tesla, Elon Musk knew of defective Autopilot system

There is “reasonable evidence” to conclude that Tesla and its officers, including CEO Elon Musk, knew its vehicles had defective Autopilot systems but still allowed the cars to be driven in areas “not safe for that technology,” a Florida judge found. The ruling last week fro

India accuses edtech giant Byju’s of $1.1 billion forex violations

India’s Enforcement Directorate, its crime-fighting agency, has issued a show-cause notice to Byju’s, accusing it of violating the nation’s foreign exchange rules. The ED’s allegations say that the Bengaluru-headquartered startup has violated rules under the Foreign Exchange

Indian central bank tightening consumer loans curb to impact startups

India’s central bank has enforced several measures to cool down high growth in consumer credit in a move that will impact consumer spending and many startups in the South Asian market, industry executives said. The Reserve Bank of India raised risk weights on unsecured personal loans, credi

Amazon next in line for EU scrutiny over product risks and user rights

E-commerce behemoth Amazon has joined the growing list of tech giants getting formal requests for information (RFIs) from European Union regulators overseeing the bloc’s rebooted digital rulebook, the Digital Services Act (DSA). The European Commission said today it’s asked Amazon to pr

Nepal joins a growing list of countries banning TikTok

Another country is banning TikTok, the ByteDance-owned short video behemoth with over one billion active users around the world. Nepal, which has a population of close to 30 million people, has banned TikTok. The decision, first reported by The New York Times, came shortly after the Himalayan count

5 things we learned from the Epic-Google antitrust case this week

Though Match settled its antitrust case with Google over Play Store fees for north of $300 million, Fortnite maker Epic Games proceeded to take its case to trial this week. The game maker argues that Google’s commissions on in-app purchases are anti-competitive and that Google has exerted its

What to know about Fortnite maker Epic Games’ antitrust battle with Google, starting today

Match may have settled its antitrust lawsuit with Google last week, but Fortnite maker Epic Games is still set to go to trial with the tech giant today, November 6, in hopes of convincing a jury that Google engages in anticompetitive behavior with regard to its Android app store, Google Play, and i

Unredacted FTC suit shows ‘Project Nessie’ price-raising algorithm made Amazon $1.4B

The mysterious “Project Nessie,” hinted at in what little was not redacted in the FTC’s lawsuit against Amazon, is indeed an algorithmic pricing scheme that raised prices where it could do so safely, generating some $1.4 billion for the company during its years of operation. No wo