The EU builds on its Green Deal and Digital Strategy in mapping out how to remake its trade policies. The European Commission (EC) has released a detailed update of its trade policy, that includes a complex set of interlocking near-term and medium-term actions to place the European Union on better footing visa vis other nations … Continue reading New EU Trade Policy
The maker of Fortnite filed an antitrust action against Apple in the EU; A UK court rules on Epic Games action, giving it a split decision. Epic Games sought to contest Apple and Google’s decisions to remove the maker of popular multi-player game, Fortnite, from their application stores last summer after the game maker started … Continue reading Epic Games Asks EC To Investigate Apple
EDPS suggests changes to Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, the EU’s legislation to remake how the bloc regulates large technology firms. European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Wojciech Wiewiorówski has issued his opinions on two of the centerpieces for the European Commission’s (EC) digital strategy: the Digital Services Act and a Digital Markets Act. … Continue reading EDPS Renders Opinions on EC Legislation
Further Reading “Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm Protest Nvidia’s Acquisition of Arm Ltd.” By David McLaughlin, Ian King, and Dina Bass — Bloomberg. Major United States (U.S.) tech multinationals are telling the U.S. government that Nvidia’s proposed purchase of Arm will hurt competition in the semi-conductor market, an interesting position for an industry renowned for being acquisition … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (18 February 2021)
A key stakeholder has proposed changes to the EC’s four-year old proposed ePrivacy Regulation, moving matters to the EU Parliament. Council of the European Union (Council) has released a long awaited compromise draft of the ePrivacy Regulation, a rewrite of the European Union’s existing rules on the privacy of electronic communications. This new law is … Continue reading A Revised ePrivacy Regulation Proposed
Further Reading “A Hacker Tried to Poison a Florida City's Water Supply, Officials Say” By Andy Greenberg — WIRED. Given the fact that most water and sewage systems are linked to the internet, even their operational systems, it is surprising these sorts of incidents do not occur more frequently.“UK regulator to write to WhatsApp over Facebook … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (10 February 2021)
Further Reading “‘A kiss of death’: Top GOP tech critics are personae non gratae after election challenge” By Cristiano Lima — Politico. I take these articles with a block of salt, not least of which because many inside the Beltway articles lack perspective and a sense of history. For sure, in the short term the … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (8 February 2021)
The EU’s two bloc-wide data protection entities weighed in on the EC’s proposed changes to SCCs, meant to satisfy the Schrems II ruling. The European Union’s (EU) data protection authorities have rendered their joint opinions on the European Commission’s (EC) draft revisions of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) permissible under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). … Continue reading EDPB and EDPS Issue Opinions On EC’s Draft SCCs
Google and France reach agreement on a scheme to compensate media while the company threatens to pull its search engine from Australia. Not long after Google reached agreement with French media on how to compensate them under France’s law to implement a European Union (EU) Directive, the company threatened to pull its search engine from … Continue reading France Reaches Agreement On Pay For Media; Australia Clashes With Google and Facebook On Same Issue
The Google/Fitbit deal could ultimately get blocked. Even though the European Union (EU) has signed off on Google’s acquisition of Fitbit with some conditions, the United States (U.S.) and Australia are still assessing the deal. Moreover, given that both nations are in the midst of acting against Google and other tech companies, one, if not … Continue reading Google Buys Fitbit Even Though U.S. and Australia May Still Oppose
Michael Kans 