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The EU may give citizens more control of their facial recognition data
The EU may impose strict limits on the use of facial recognition technology. According to Financial Times, the European Commission is working on laws that would give citizens explicit rights over their facial recognition data, like the right to know when it's used. The regulations would apply to both businesses and police or security forces.
Ford launches its own esports virtual racing teams
Ford plans to launch its own esports virtual racing teams. Under the name Fordzilla, the company will recruit top esports drivers for teams in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The company will also invite star players to form a European team with select members from each national team.
Samsung's midrange phones helped its market share surge in Europe
Samsung might have good reason for suggesting that midrange phones could help it escape its profit slump. Canalys estimated that Samsung was thriving in Europe in the second quarter of 2019 thanks partly to its midrange phones, surging to 40.6 percent share versus 33.9 percent a year ago. That's 18.3 million phones in total. It had three of the top five shipping phones, all of which were more affordable A-series models like the Galaxy A50 (which represented about 3.2 million units by itself). Flagships like the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note might have been the stars of the show, but it was the lower-cost models that really got people into stores.
Android users in Europe will get to pick their default search provider
Following an antitrust ruling by the European Union, Google is explaining its plans to offer a choice of search providers to Android users. From next year, a new choice screen will be displayed on all Android devices shipped in Europe. This will, eventually, let users select the default search engine, and browser, for their hardware. Google, however, has found a way to spin this into a money-making opportunity.
US Netflix subscribers can finally watch Eurovision replays
Americans didn't have official ways to watch the Eurovision Song Contest live this year, but they'll at least have a way to relive it. Netflix will carry the 2019 competition's semi-finals and grand final in the US starting on July 22nd, giving you eight-plus hours of melodramatic performances, over-the-top costumes and bitter national rivalries. You'll also have on-demand access to the 2020 contest after it airs.
Amazon won't have to offer a phone helpline in the European Union
Don't go looking for a customer support phone number for Amazon in Europe -- you probably won't find one. The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that Amazon isn't obligated to provide a phone helpline to customers in the region, rejecting Germain claims that the company's site violated national consumer protection laws by failing to clearly display a support phone number. An online shopping platform like Amazon is "not obliged in all cases" to make a phone number available, according to the judges.
The EU's election interference alert system isn't working properly
The European Union was quick to report online interference in its recent elections, but the system designed to catch that interference apparently needs some improvement. The New York Times has learned through records and interviews that the EU's Rapid Alert System hasn't been very effective in aggregating meddling data or transmitting alerts. Most member states haven't contributed to its database, and what data is there tends to be a "mishmash" that may go unanalyzed. Disagreements over the seriousness of interference attempts have also led officials to avoid issuing alerts.
Google's next undersea internet cable will link Africa and Europe
Google has announced its third private undersea internet cable will run between Europe and Africa. One end will make landfall in Portgual. While you might expect the cable would connect to Morocco, it'll run all the way down the African coast to South Africa, with pit stops in other nations.
EU says Russia conducted 'sustained' election interference campaign
The European Union already suspected that Russia was trying to disrupt its parliamentary elections through hacks and other online interference, and now it's directly pointing a finger at the country. EU officials have published a report accusing Russia of orchestrating a "continued and sustained" misinformation campaign during the late May election similar to ones the country tried in the US, France and other countries. It used fake stories to "promote extreme views," stoke political tensions and, sometimes, discourage voter turnout.
Honda's compact EV swaps mirrors for side cameras
Not only will Honda's cool little electric vehicle, the Honda E, come with cameras instead of side mirrors, they'll be offered as a standard feature. The compact cameras will sit where their mirror predecessors did, and inside, drivers will find a six-inch screen at each end of the dashboard. Honda says they'll reduce drag, boost efficiency and offer a better perspective.
Group accuses EU internet providers of violating net neutrality
The European Union has had net neutrality regulations in place since 2016, but some are concerned that internet service providers are playing fast and loose with those rules. A group of 45 advocate organizations, companies and individuals (including the Electronic Frontier Foundation) have sent a letter to EU officials accusing 186 ISPs of jeopardizing net neutrality though the use of deep packet inspection, which verifies the content of data traffic well beyond the basics. Existing rules allow carriers to shape traffic to optimize their network resources, but at least some ISPs are using this for "differentiated pricing," prioritization or throttling.
EU set to investigate Apple over Spotify's competition claims
The European Union might just believe that Spotify's complaint against Apple has some merit. Financial Times sources have claimed that EU competition commissioners have decided to launch an antitrust investigation into allegations that Apple unfairly hinders Spotify and other rivals to Apple Music through App Store policies. The investigation would start in the "next few weeks," according to the outlet.
Facebook opens 'war room' to fight meddling in EU election
Facebook is now using "war room" to fight election interference for most of Europe. The social network has debuted a 40-person team devoted to tracking and fighting misinformation campaigns ahead of the European Union election on May 20th. The team, based in Facebook's European headquarters in Dublin, includes a mix of data scientists, engineers and security experts whose goal is to intercept bogus content before it has much opportunity to spread.
Twitter makes it easier to report election tweets that deliberately mislead people
With a number of high profile elections taking place around the world in the coming months, social media platforms are gearing themselves up for the inevitable onslaught of fake news and misleading information. Twitter has announced that it's doubling down on its efforts in this area with a new feature that will let users report this kind of problematic content directly.
EU law could fine sites for not removing terrorist content within an hour
The European Union has been clear on its stance that terrorist content is most harmful in the first hour it appears online. Yesterday, the European Parliament voted in favor of a new rule that could require internet companies to remove terrorist content within one hour after receiving an order from authorities. Companies that repeatedly fail to abide by the law could be fined up to four percent of their global revenue.
Bird's big European expansion brings scooters to 50 cities
There's a good chance you'll have the option of riding a Bird scooter the next time you embark on a European trip. Bird has announced a "ten-fold" expansion of its scooter sharing fleet in Europe and the Middle East, with 50 new cities getting service starting this spring. The company didn't name the new cities, but it already has a presence in 12 cities that include London, Paris, Madrid and Tel Aviv.
Evidence mounts that Russian hackers are trying to disrupt the EU elections
Russian hackers are targeting government systems ahead of the EU parliament election, according to cybersecurity company FireEye. The firm says that two state-sponsored hacking groups -- APT28 (aka Fancy Bear) and Sandworm -- have been sending out authentic-looking phishing emails to officials in a bid to get hold of government information.
Google will ask European Android users what browser they want to use
After the European Commission slapped Google with a $5 billion fine for antitrust violations, the tech giant has been trying to keep its practices in check. Its latest move? To ensure that European users know they can install and use browsers and search engines other than Chrome and Google. The tech giant will start asking both current and new users in the region their preferred browser and search applications. While Android users can download almost any app they want, the company is likely doing this to show the EU its "continued commitment to operating in an open and principled way." Perhaps in an effort to avoid any more fines in the future.
Honda wants all of its European cars to be hybrids or EVs by 2025
Honda is coming to the Geneva Motor Show with more than just a pre-production electric car on its hands. The automaker has announced intentions to make all of its European car sales "electrified" (that is, hybrid or pure EV) by 2025 -- a big step up from the goal it set in 2017, when it expected 66 percent by 2025. The transition to electric powerplants has "gathered pace considerably" since two years ago, Honda's Tom Gardner said. The company pointed to its full hybrid tech (such as the two-motor system in the CR-V Hybrid) as a major factor on top of all-electric machines like the e Prototype.
Tesla's Model 3 deliveries are off to a rocky start in Europe
Tesla's Model 3 debut in Europe has been a long time coming -- now, the company has officially started making deliveries after the first shipment of vehicles arrived at Zeebrugge port in Belgium. However, the initial roll out is smaller than intended, due to some logistical challenges at the port.
