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Apple and Ireland win European appeal over multi-billion tax deal
Europe's second-highest court has ruled in favor of Apple and Ireland.
The UK buys a 45 percent stake in broke satellite startup OneWeb
It's part of the government's post-Brexit plan to replace the EU's sat-nav system.
EU will speed up its spaceflight plans in response to SpaceX and China
The EU's space chief has promised to accelerate plans due in part to pressure from SpaceX and China.
Developers are divided on the EU’s App Store investigation
Apple disagrees with Spotify and the European Commission’s concerns. The Commission was investigating “baseless complaints,” Apple argued, by companies that want special treatment in the App Store. Is the App Store fair to developers?
EU sets framework for contact tracing apps that work across borders
The Commission has agreed on a set of technical specifications that will allow info to be exchanged between national contract tracing apps.
Germany's voluntary contract tracing app is available to download
Germany has become the latest European country to launch a voluntary COVID-19 contact tracing app.
Apple Pay and the App Store are under EU antitrust investigation
The European Commission has launched two separate antitrust investigations into Apple, focused on the App Store and Apple Pay. The Commission said it had completed a “preliminary investigation” and found “concerns” that discouraged competition against Apple’s own services.
EU will reportedly file antitrust charges against Amazon over seller data abuse
The Wall Street Journal reports the European Commission will announce formal antitrust charges against Amazon within the next two weeks.
EU wants Facebook, Twitter to report monthly on fight against fake news
The EU wants Facebook, Google and Twitter to provide monthly reports on their fight against fake news.
EVs are a rare bright spot in a pandemic-struck European car market
Despite Europe being hit hardest by declining car sales, battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid cars increased their market share across the EU.
Tile files EU complaint against Apple's alleged anticompetitive behavior
In a letter to the EU, Tile claims Apple is making it more difficult for competitors to survive.
EU says websites can't hide content behind 'cookie walls'
EU data officials have warned that sites can't force you to accept cookies to visit their pages.
UK’s NHS won’t use Apple-Google approach to COVID-19 tracking
The NHS is opting for a "centralized" approach to contact tracing, opposed to the "decentralized" Apple-Google model.
European mobile carriers will share location data to track COVID-19 spread
More governments are relying on phone location tracking in a bid to track and contain the spread of COVID-19. Eight European carriers, including Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile), Orange and Vodafone, have agreed to share phone location data with the European Commission to help measure the coronavirus' reach. That immediately raises privacy issues, but an official talking to Reuters stressed that the EC would protect users.
Netflix will reduce streaming bitrates in Europe to ease congestion
Following reports this morning, Netflix confirmed it will reduce the bitrate of videos it streams in Europe for the next 30 days. The company says the move will reduce its footprint on European networks by approximately 25 percent.
EU asks Netflix and other services to stream in SD to ease internet burden
EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has called on Europeans to limit their broadband usage during the coronavirus outbreak by tweaking their streaming habits. Using the hashtag #SwitchToStandard, Breton asked consumers to stream content in standard instead of high definition so that the continent could "secure Internet access for all."
EU plans to introduce sweeping 'right to repair' legislation for electronics
As part of its newly announced Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Commission, the body that drafts the EU's laws, says it will introduce right to repair legislation that will push electronics manufacturers to create products that last longer, include as many recycled materials as possible and are easier to reuse, repair and recycle.
Google searches are showing rival business directories in Europe
Google seems to be taking extra steps to please EU regulators worried that it's abusing its search dominance. Search Engine Land has discovered that Google is highlighting rival directory services like Yelp when you search for businesses in European countries like France and Spain, placing prominent "find results on" cards above Google's own. Clearly, it's hoping this will fend off potential EU criticism that it's favoring its own results in local searches over those of competitors.
Apple may be open to letting users set their own default apps
Apple's insistence on gatekeeping certain actions of rival apps on iPhones and iPads has long been a source of contention among users. Clicking on web links or email addresses, for example, automatically takes you to Safari or Apple Mail, even if you've got other alternatives installed. But this may be about to change. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the company is considering letting users switch from Apple's default apps to those of its rivals.
The EU outlines its plan to compete with big tech
The European Union has outlined the start of its vision to boost its opportunities in our rapidly digitizing future. As part of a push to make the Union ready for the digital age, it has published a white paper and begun consulting about how it can best control its own destiny. After all, the EU may be a bigger market than the US, but it has struggled to produce homegrown alternatives to Facebook, Google and Microsoft.