US authorities reviewing claims that some Tesla electric vehicles are prone to suddenly accelerate and cause crashes, amidst company’s denials
News regulation
Huawei Strikes Deal With TomTom For Smartphone Mapping Services
Arrangement with Dutch navigation devices and services provider comes as Huawei looks for ways around US trade ban imposed last year
Alphabet’s Pichai Urges ‘Proportionate’ AI Regulation
Chief executive of Google parent urges regulators to refrain from a heavy-handed approach to new AI rules as EU readies proposals
Austria ‘Working With EU Partners’ On Huawei 5G Decision
Country does not rule out deploying Chinese-made equipment in its 5G networks amidst heavy US lobbying of UK and other allies
EU Proposes Five-Year Ban On Facial Recognition Technology
European Commission could temporarily bar facial recognition in public places as new rules to protect individuals’ privacy are worked out
CES 2020: Rules To Govern AI Proposed By White House
US administration also wants European nations to adhere to rules over the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI)
Wi-Fi Alliance Looks To Next Generation With ‘Wi-Fi 6E’
Industry group is pushing governments to open up 6 GHz spectrum, which it says would ease Wi-Fi network congestion in dense urban environments
Amazon Hit By Regulatory Probe Over Deliveroo Stake
UK regulators say Amazon’s propoposed purchase of a minority stake in Deliveroo could harm competition in food and grocery deliveries
Swiss President Says Facebook’s Libra Has ‘Failed’ In Current Form
Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency cannot be approved without changes, says president of Switzerland, where Libra Association has headquarters
Reporters Use Leaked Location Data To Track President Trump
New York Times follows Donald Trump’s movements in real time as part of exposé into lack of regulation around smartphone tracking industry
Airbnb Wins Top EU Court Ruling Over Regulatory Status
European Court of Justice decides Airbnb is an ‘information society service’ and not a real estate agent, defeating challenge by Paris city authorities
Nokia Halts Legal Action Against Daimler To Boost Mediation Efforts
Nokia changes tactics as it seeks to negotiate with car makers over technology royalties while avoiding a European Commission competition probe
EU Queries News Publishers On Google Data Practices
European Commission asks news publishers for details on how Google collects user data from their sites as it launches online ad competition probe
Ericsson To Pay $1bn To Settle US Corruption Charges
Ericsson promises to improve ethics after admitting to carrying out corrupt activities over more than a decade, including bribes of goverment officials
Internet Activists Call For Halt To .Org Sale
Internet campaign groups say the sale of the .org registry to a private equity group could mean ‘significant harm’ for non-profits
European Commission Launches New Google Data Probe
Commission taking a new look into Google’s collection and use of data in wake of multiple antitrust decisions and 8 billion euros in fines
China Law Requires Face Scans For Mobile Services
New law requires biometric identification for SIM card purchases, but detractors call the move ‘dystopian’ and say it could aid scammers
Uber Loses Licence To Operate In London
Company calls Transport for London decision ‘extraordinary and wrong’ as TfL identifies ‘pattern of failures’ that put passenger safety at risk
Microsoft Updates Cloud Agreements Following EU Probe
New cloud contract terms to roll out worldwide after European regulators found ‘serious concerns’ over the way Microsoft was handling citizens’ data
Gartner Sees Rise In IT Spending Next Year
IT spending in Europe and worldwide seen coming out of slump in 2020 as currency pressure eases – and firms rush to buy into the cloud
Regulator Opens Probe Into Apple Card Over Discrimination
New York regulator looks into discrimination claims after Goldman Sachs algorithm gives tech entrepreneur’s wife a credit limit 20 times lower than his
Google To Buy Fitbit For £1.63bn
Deal would put Google into direct competition with Apple Watch, but faces close scrutiny from antitrust regulators over privacy implications
Securities Coordinator Recommends Cautious Approach To Facebook’s Libra
Libra and other globally recognised stablecoins pose ‘serious’ risks but the right regulatory approach could allow their benefits to be realised, says IOSCO
Facebook Considers Alternative Approaches To Libra
Project could use multiple coins pegged to national currencies rather than a single synthetic cryptocurrency, Facebook says, as regulatory pressure mounts
Italy To Implement Digital Tax From January 2020
Country pushes ahead with 3 percent levy on internet transactions as digital tax negotiations continue on Europe-wide and global level
Vodafone Bug Lands Users With Huge Roaming Charges
Users outside the UK left unable to make calls or use data after ‘technical error’ lands them with bills into the hundreds and thousands of pounds
Met Police ‘Provided Seven Images’ For King’s Cross Face Recognition Scheme
Police acknowledge working with private King’s Cross developer on face recognition scheme, amidst ongoing concern about the use of the tracking tech
PayPal Pulls Out Of Facebook’s Crytocurrency Plans
Online payments provider says it wants to focus on its own core business, as Libra cryptocurrency continues to draw fire from regulators and central bankers
‘Less Than One-Third’ Of Companies Fully GDPR-Compliant
Capgemini finds firms struggle with legacy IT systems, complex requirements and mounting costs to bring themselves into line with strict data protection rules
Libra Cryptocurrency Launch ‘May Be Delayed’ Over Regulatory Concerns
Head of Libra Association says group’s priority is to make sure regulators are ‘fully on board’ and emphasises currency’s independence from Facebook