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Topic: EU

EU has warned Apple not to limit the charging speed and other functionality of cables that are not certified under Apple's "Made for iPhone" program. News 

EU warns Apple about limiting functionality of iPhone charging cables: Report

Adriana Marais, , ,

As the release of the iPhone 15 series approaches, more and more rumors are surfacing that suggest the series may be equipped with USB-C, and while Apple is expected to move to USB-C, the EU has warned Apple not to restrict. According to a MacRumors report, the cables charge speed and other functions that are not certified under Apple’s “Made for iPhone” program. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in March that “Apple is optimizing the fast charging performance of MFi-certified chargers for the iPhone 15.” Unknowingly, Apple has been using the…

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U.S. chipmaker Broadcom's Chief Executive Hock Tan on Friday will try to convince EU antitrust enforcers that his proposed $61 billion bid for cloud computing firm VMware, which has triggered scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, is procompetitive. News 

Broadcom Chief Wants to Convince EU of $61 Billion Contract for VMware

Febin Mathew, , ,

BRUSSELS: US chipmaker Broadcom CEO Hock Tan will try to convince EU antitrust regulators on Friday that his proposed $61 billion bid for cloud computing firm VMware, which has sparked scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, is pro-competitive. Tan, backed by his executives and lawyers, arrived in Brussels early Friday morning for a closed-door hearing on one of the biggest mergers in tech history. He declined to comment on the matter while scheduling a hearing. Tan will present his case to senior European Commission officials, including Guillaume Loriot, its…

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This would follow a preliminary deal reached on Thursday on the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act News 

The EU’s tech czar sees a political agreement on a law on artificial intelligence this year

Febin Mathew, , , ,

European Union technology regulation chief Margrethe Vestager said on Sunday that the bloc is likely to reach a political agreement this year that will pave the way for the world’s first major legislation on artificial intelligence. This would follow a preliminary agreement on the EU’s artificial intelligence law on Thursday. In an interview with Reuters at a meeting of the Group of Seven Digital Ministers in Takasaki, Japan, Vestager proposed legislative measures for the use of AI tools, such as “labeling obligations for AI-generated images.” “There was no reason to…

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Companies deploying generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, will have to disclose any copyrighted material used to develop their systems. News 

EU proposes new copyright rules for generative artificial intelligence

Adriana Marais, , ,

(Reuters) – Companies using generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT must disclose all copyrighted material used to develop their systems, under an early EU deal that could pave the way for the world’s first comprehensive laws governing the technology. The European Commission began drafting an AI law nearly two years ago to regulate the emerging technology, which experienced a boom in investment and popularity after the launch of OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT. Members of the European Parliament agreed to take the draft to the next stage, a tripartite meeting,…

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The latest decision is one of the many that Microsoft is being forced to take amid the legal tussle. News 

Microsoft could stop offering Office teams to avoid EU competition law

Febin Mathew, ,

To avoid a formal antitrust investigation by European Union (EU) regulators, Microsoft has announced that it will no longer require users of its popular Office software to also install the Teams video conferencing and messaging app on their devices. According to the Financial Times, Microsoft has made the concession to avoid a formal investigation following a 2020 complaint by rival Slack (a business chat app) that bundling Microsoft into one service was anti-competitive. Slack has asked EU officials to force Microsoft to sell Teams independently of its Office suite. Slack’s…

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The EU has prioritised local chip production after the coronavirus pandemic triggered supply chain shocks that led to significant shortages News 

The EU is investing 43 billion euros to increase local sawdust production and reduce dependence on Asia

Adriana Marais,

The European Parliament and EU member states reached an agreement on Tuesday on a plan to increase the supply of semiconductors in Europe as the bloc seeks to reduce its dependence on Asian suppliers. The European Union has prioritized local chip production after the coronavirus pandemic triggered supply chain shocks that led to significant shortages. Asian industry, especially Chinese and Taiwanese companies, currently dominates semiconductor manufacturing and export. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the agreement “enables a competitive chip industry and builds a foundation for global market share.…

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ChatGPT can generate essays, poems and conversations from the briefest of prompts, and has proved itself capable of passing some tough exams News 

EU Watchdog establishes ChatGPT working group amid pressure to install OpenAI

Febin Mathew, ,

The European Union’s central data regulator said Thursday it is forming a task force to help countries deal with the wildly popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, increasing pressure on its US maker, OpenAI. Italy temporarily banned the program last month, claiming its data collection violated data protection laws, and the French regulator said Thursday it had opened formal proceedings after receiving five complaints. Spain’s data protection agency AEPD also said it had opened an investigation into the software and its US owner, saying that while it favored the development of…

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Meta Platforms Inc said on Thursday it would change the legal basis on how Facebook and Instagram use personal data to target advertising in the European Union. News 

Meta changes the rules for EU users for better use of personal data

Jim Hendler, , ,

Meta Platforms Inc said on Thursday it would change the legal basis for how Facebook and Instagram use personal data to target advertising in the European Union, after the bloc’s data protection authority fined it in January for alleged violations. Meta said the change will give EU users more options in how their data is handled and is not expected to affect the company’s lucrative targeted advertising in the region. Ireland’s data protection commissioner fined the social media giant 390 million euros ($425.72 million) earlier this year, saying it cannot…

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Adobe Inc will need to secure European Union antitrust approval for its $20 billion bid for cloudbased designer platform Figma even though the deal falls short of the EU turnover threshold for a review, EU regulators said on Wednesday. News 

Adobe needs approval from EU lawmakers to finalize the Figma deal

Sanjay Patil, ,

(Reuters) – Adobe Inc must win European Union antitrust approval for a $20 billion bid for cloud-based design platform Figma, even though the deal falls short of EU revenue estimates, EU regulators said on Wednesday. The European Commission’s move underscores regulators’ concerns about Big Tech buying up smaller, innovative rivals and its effects on competition. The EU’s competition watchdog said Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden had asked it to review the agreement. Adobe, the Photoshop…

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The European Union told Elon Musk to hire more human moderators and factcheckers to review posts on Twitter, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing four people familiar with talks between Musk, Twitter executives and regulators in Brussels. News 

EU tells Elon Musk to hire more staff to monitor Twitter: Report

Jim Hendler, ,

The European Union urged Elon Musk to hire more human moderators and fact-checkers to review Twitter posts, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing four people familiar with discussions between Musk, Twitter executives and regulators in Brussels. The demand complicates Musk’s efforts to reorganize the loss-making business, which he bought for $44 billion in October. He has cut more than half of Twitter’s 7,500 staff, including entire trust and security teams in some offices, while looking for cheaper ways to monitor tweets, according to the report. The massive layoffs have…

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