EU approves Microsoft's multi-billion-dollar Activision Blizzard acquisition despite UK and US opposition
Just last month, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft because of concerns about the impact on competition in the cloud gaming arena. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission is also seeking to block the deal
But now EU regulators have cleared the acquisition, subject to conditions. The European Commission will hold Microsoft to commitments it has made to ensure gamers in Europe will have the ability to stream all Activision Blizzard games for which they have a licence via any cloud game streaming services, as well as a corresponding free license to cloud game streaming service providers to allow EEA-based gamers to stream any Activision Blizzard's PC and console games.
Microsoft said to be unbundling Teams from Office to avoid antitrust investigation
Following a complaint from Slack, Microsoft may have decided to stop bundling its Teams video conferencing software with Office.
A report says that the move comes as the Windows maker looks to avoid an antitrust investigation by the EU. The company has indicated its willingness to cooperate with the European Commission as it seeks to avoid further legal wranglings with the bloc.
What if cloud data was stored on floppy disks?
In 2020 alone, 61 percent of businesses migrated their workloads to the cloud, with 48 percent actively choosing to store their most important data in the cloud.
But because cloud storage is out of sight it can sometimes be difficult to understand just how much data there is stored out there.
New European legislation may mean Apple introduces app sideloading globally in iOS 17
Apple has long taken a walled garden approach with so many of its products, but this is perhaps most apparent for iPhone users who are only able to install apps from the official App Store. But with the release of iOS 17, this looks set to change.
The ability to easily sideload apps from other sources is something that Apple customers have desired for years, and while the iPhone-maker seems on the verge of giving people what they want, it is not necessarily the case that the company is doing so willingly.
Western Europe dominates broadband speed tables
Western European countries take seven of the top ten fastest spots in the world for broadband, with Macau, Taiwan and Japan the only locations elsewhere to make it into the top ten fastest in the world.
The five places with the fastest internet in the world are: Macau (262.74Mbps), the Channel Island of Jersey (256.59Mbps), Iceland (216.56Mbps), Liechtenstein (166.22Mbps) and Gibraltar (159.90Mbps).
Nextcloud works with governments to create MS Office rival for the EU
The European Union's relationship with big tech companies has long been a fractious one. Its Digital Markets Act is aimed at reigning in their power and, among other things, it's credited with forcing Apple to adopt the USB-C standard.
In the latest development a number of European governments are working with Nextcloud to create a 'digitally sovereign' office platform, the aim being to help governments regain their independence from a small number of tech giants and allow them to confidently roll out digitization efforts.
Implementing international regulations from a tech perspective: Lessons from the Union Customs Code and Brexit
The issue of border management is a hot topic that has gathered urgency due to the combined impact of the pandemic, trade and travel sanctions related to Russia, with regards to the Ukraine conflict and global supply chain disruption. Borders play a critical role in managing security, public health and safety, and commerce between nations.
The issue is highly political, as evidenced during Brexit negotiations, when one of the major sticking points -- still a contentious issue today -- was around implementing the necessary customs regulations between Northern Ireland and Ireland in the absence of a hard border between the countries. A common theme among government communications at the time was that a "technological solution" would be capable of tracking goods and ensuring the correct declarations and authorizations were made, without requiring physical checks.
GDPR: Four years on
It’s been four years since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the landmark law governing how organizations operating within the EU use, process, and store consumers’ personal data.
The revolutionary regulation has become one of the world's strictest privacy and security laws. Since its inception, it has seen hefty fines imposed on large and small companies who have been non-compliant, with high-profile cases including British Airways, Marriott Hotels and Amazon.
It won't be long until the iPhone ditches the Lightning connector in favor of USB-C, thanks to the EU
USB-C is now all-but ubiquitous as a connection and charger type for everything from smartphones and webcams to laptops and Bluetooth speakers. There are some notable exceptions, of course, not least of which is Apple's iPhone.
Although just about every Android phone has made the switch to USB-C, Apple has decided to doggedly hang on to its proprietary Lightning connector for the iPhone. But the EU could soon force the company's hand as it moves towards implementing a legal requirement for all phones to have USB-C port in Europe.
Americans have their sensitive bits exposed over 700 times a day
Americans have sensitive data relating to their online activity and location exposed 747 times daily, almost twice as much as Europeans who have their data exposed 376 times a day on average.
A new report from Atlas VPN looks at real-time bidding (RTB), which runs in the background on websites and apps and tracks what you look at, no matter how private or sensitive it is.
Europe is getting tough on big tech -- when will the US do the same?
In March, the European Union (EU) took a significant step toward reining in Big Tech offenders with the Digital Markets Act. Targeting the gatekeepers of today’s digital economy, the law is a historic piece of legislation and is a critical next step in the broader fight to level the playing field.
However, this watershed moment has failed to reach the US, which continues to fall short in protecting consumers and innovative small businesses from predatory tech companies. Congress must stop playing catch up with Europe and take a leadership role to protect its constituents. Courage and cooperation across the aisle are needed to strengthen the laws that protect the majority. Big tech, their lobbyists, and those seeking to fund their next election are far too cozy as mega-companies continue to exploit their dominance and suppress innovation. The lack of US action is embarrassing, as our friends across the pond take decisive steps.
Google announces Sovereign Controls for Google Workspace to boost data protection
In response to new European data rules, Google has announced Sovereign Controls for Google Workspace.
Aimed at organizations in both the public and private sector, the new controls are due to launch at the end of 2022. They will make it possible to control, limit, and monitor transfers of data to and from the EU, and Google says that further capabilities will be added in 2023.
Google introduces a way to reject all cookies... But only in Europe
After being hit with a fairly hefty €150 million fine by regulators earlier in the year, Google has added a new Reject All button to the cookie consent banners that have become ubiquitous on websites in Europe.
Google says that the change is in response to the fact that, "regulators who interpret European laws requiring these banners [...] have updated their guidance for compliance". So what exactly does the change mean, and is it likely to extend outside of Europe?
European watchdog orders Europol to delete 4 petabytes of illegally collected personal data
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has ordered Europol to delete huge quantities of personal data about hundreds of thousands of people. The European Union's police agency has been found to have illegally collected billions of pieces of data about criminals, suspected terrorists and innocent citizens.
The colossal stash of information has been dubbed a "big data ark" by privacy experts, and it includes data gathered by hacking encrypted services and NSA-style grabs. The data store was collected over a period of six years, and the EDPS ruling means that Europol must delete data that has been stored for over six months. The agency also has a year to determine what of the remaining data it may legally continue to hold.
Europe leads the broadband speed table
Western Europe dominates the global internet speed table, containing eight of the top 10 fastest countries in the world for broadband.
Analysis of over a billions speed tests by comparison site Cable.co.uk shows if you want really fast speeds you need to move to the Channel Island of Jersey which tops the chart with an average speed of 274.27Mbps.
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