European Union

Meta May Charge EU Users For Ad-Free Subscriptions

Reuters reports: Meta Platforms is exploring options to introduce ad-free subscription plans for Instagram and Facebook users in Europe, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The proposal is an attempt by Meta to circumvent European Union regulations that threaten to curb its ability to personalize ads for users without their consent and hurt its major revenue source. …

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A Quick Message About JMG Ads And EU Privacy Rule

Today’s news about TikTok being fined by the European Union reminded me to give you a heads-up that this here website thingy will soon comply with a recent Google edict related to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). All US-based sites that carry Google ads must issue a statement regarding privacy and personal data collection. A new message on …

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EU Fines TikTok $368M Over Children’s Privacy Rights

The Guardian reports: TikTok has been fined €345m (£296m) for breaking EU data law in its handling of children’s accounts, including failing to shield underage users’ content from public view. The Irish data watchdog, which regulates TikTok across the EU, said the Chinese-owned video app had committed multiple breaches of GDPR rules. It found TikTok had contravened GDPR by placing …

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New EU Rules On Harmful Online Content To Launch

The Associated Press reports: Google, Facebook, TikTok and other Big Tech companies operating in Europe are facing one of the most far-reaching efforts to clean up what people encounter online. The first phase of the European Union’s groundbreaking new digital rules will take effect this week. The Digital Services Act is part of a suite of tech-focused regulations crafted by …

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Americans Will Soon Need Visa To Visit European Union

Axios reports: U.S. passport holders used to embarking on European vacations without much additional paperwork will soon see that change. New travel rules announced by the EU dictate that travelers from 60 visa-free countries will need to get a new authorization via the European Travel Information and Authorization System starting in 2024. The new rules will apply to travelers from …

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Erdogan: Let Turkey Join EU Before Sweden Joins NATO

The New York Times reports: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said on Monday that the European Union should open the way for Turkey to join the bloc before Turkey allows Sweden to join NATO, adding a surprising new condition that could further stall the military alliance’s efforts to expand. Mr. Erdogan’s latest demand came a day before the opening …

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Baltic EU Members Beef Up Russian Border Security

Politico Europe reports: EU countries bordering Russia were on alert Saturday, with some beefing up their border security, after the Wagner paramilitary group seized control of a strategic Russian city and threatened to move on Moscow. Estonia and Latvia have stepped up their border security in response, according to the countries’ governments, while Latvia suspended visa applications and entry to …

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EU Warns Twitter Of Deadline On Content Moderation

Bloomberg News reports: Elon Musk’s Twitter needs to put more resources toward addressing sensitive content if it wants to comply with strict new European regulations ahead of a deadline in August, according to Thierry Breton, the bloc’s internal market commissioner. There are a few “critical” areas that Twitter needs to focus on immediately, especially around child abuse and controlling disinformation …

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Estonia’s Parliament Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

Reuters reports: Estonia’s parliament approved on Tuesday a law to legalise same-sex marriage, making it the first central European country to do so. Same-sex marriage is legal in much of western Europe but not in central European countries which were once under communist rule and members of the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact alliance but now members of NATO and, largely, the …

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Openly Gay Latvian Foreign Minister Elected President

Bloomberg News reports: Latvia’s parliament elected long-time Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics as the Baltic nation’s new president, making him the European Union’s first openly gay head of state. Fifty-two lawmakers in the 100-seat legislature in Riga voted for Rinkevics, who has served as Latvia’s top envoy for almost 12 years, to succeed President Egils Levits. Rinkevics has been a consistent …

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Twitter Withdraws From EU Disinformation Agreement

TechCrunch reports: Twitter has withdrawn from the European Union’s Code of Practice on online disinformation, per the bloc’s internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton. In a tweet last night — which confirmed earlier reports of Twitter’s impending exit from the EU Code — Breton issued the social media platform with a blunt warning: Telling Twitter it cannot hide from incoming legal …

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Twitter Likely To Exit EU Agreement On Disinformation

Euractiv reports: Twitter told the European Commission it is seriously considering withdrawing from the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation, a voluntary agreement that preludes upcoming binding rules, EU officials told EURACTIV. The announcement of Twitter’s withdrawal from the code would come as little surprise to those involved in the voluntary pledge. Since Elon Musk took over the tech company …

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EU Privacy Regulators Fine Meta Record $1.3 Billion

CNBC reports: Meta has been fined a record 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) by European privacy regulators over the transfer of EU user data to the U.S. The decision links back to a case brought by Austrian privacy campaigner Max Schrems who argued that the framework for transferring EU citizen data to America did not protect Europeans from U.S. surveillance. …

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Hungary May Block More EU Weapons Aid To Ukraine

The Guardian reports: Hungary has stepped up threats to block further EU funds for weapons to aid Ukraine, marring a show of unity from western nations at the G7 summit. The Hungarian foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has said his government will block a further €500m from the European peace facility, a fund used to reimburse EU member states that supply …

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EU Names Platforms Subject To Stricter Content Rules

TechCrunch reports: The European Union has confirmed the names of over a dozen platforms that will face the strictest level of regulation under its recently rebooted and expanded ecommerce rules, aka the Digital Services Act (DSA). The list is a mix of familiar digital services, from social media apps to search engines and app stores — with no real surprises. …

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Hungary Blocks EU Statement On Putin Arrest Warrant

Yahoo News reports: Hungary has blocked a joint statement by the European Union member states on the issuance of an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Due to Budapest’s veto, the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, issued a statement on his own behalf, in which he “took note of the decision …

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EU Regulators Order Twitter To Hire More Moderators

Reuters reports: The European Union told Elon Musk to hire more human moderators and fact-checkers to review posts on Twitter, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing four people familiar with talks between Musk, Twitter executives and regulators in Brussels. The demand complicates Musk’s efforts to reorganize the loss-making business he acquired for $44 billion in October. He has slashed …

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Croatia Becomes 20th Country To Adopt The Euro

EuroNews reports: In the new year, Croatia will become the latest country to join the Eurozone and the Schengen area, a move that European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says makes the European Union stronger. As of Sunday, the country will “join a community of 347 million Europeans who use the euro in their daily lives,” von der Leyen …

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EU And US Alarmed At Renewed Serbia-Kosovo Tension

From a joint EU and US press release: The European Union and the United States of America are concerned about the continued tense situation in the north of Kosovo. We call on everyone to exercise maximum restraint, to take immediate action to unconditionally de-escalate the situation, and to refrain from provocations, threats, or intimidation. We are working with President Vučić …

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Bags Of Money: Qatar Accused Of Bribing EU Officials

The Daily Beast reports: Four European Union leaders have been charged with participation in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption, tied to alleged bribes from FIFA World Cup host Qatar. Raids on diplomats’ homes in Brussels and Strasbourg, where the E.U. parliament meets, uncovered “bags of money.” Greek EU vice president Eva Kaili—who is languishing in a Belgium jail …

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