Germany
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VW tests self-driving cars on the streets of Hamburg
VW will need to hustle if it's going to make automated driving a practical reality by 2025, and it appears it's moving quickly. The automaker is now testing self-driving versions of the e-Golf in real-world conditions in Hamburg -- the first time its driverless vehicles have roamed a major German city. They're Level 4 vehicles (fully autonomous in most situations) that will putt around a roughly 1.9-mile section of a "digital test bed," but they'll have to contend with urban traffic like anyone else.
After Christchurch, we need more than digital-security theater
Just after the Christchurch shooting I came across an article explaining how to make your Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts block violent videos. How-tos like this are depressingly necessary, because while Facebook removes an illustrated nipple for "community safety" at lightning speed with real consequences, the company isn't equally interested in policing content that's indisputably harmful. After the Christchurch attack, Facebook said it took down 1.5 million postings of the terrorist's mass-murder livestream within 24 hours, but only 1.2 million of those videos were blocked at upload.
US may punish Germany if it uses Huawei tech
The US hasn't been shy about pressuring its allies to ditch Huawei, but now it's turning to threats of serious consequences. The Wall Street Journal has learned that the US' Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, wrote a letter to Germany's economy minister warning that the US would limit its intelligence sharing with the country if it lets Chinese vendors like Huawei participate in building its 5G networks. Secure communications are vital for defense, Grenell argued, and companies like Huawei could undermine that security.
Germany may use Huawei hardware for its 5G networks
The UK isn't the only country skeptical of American hostility toward Huawei over spying fears. German officials talking to the Wall Street Journal say the country has made a "preliminary decision" to let Huawei bid on contracts for 5G networking despite US pressure to ban the Chinese company. A cybersecurity agency investigation didn't show evidence that Huawei could steal data through its wireless equipment, the officials said, even though the country had US help. It also couldn't find proof that Huawei had done anything wrong, and conversations with the US and UK over potential security holes were ultimately "inconclusive."
Apple concedes to Qualcomm to escape German iPhone ban
It sounds like Apple is done trying to fight an injunction in Germany brought about by its legal battle against Qualcomm. According to Reuters, the tech giant will resume selling the older iPhone models that were banned in the country after a Munich court sided with the chipmaker. Apple isn't defying the court order, though: it said that going forward, it will only use Qualcomm modems for the iPhone 7 and 8 devices it's going to sell in the European nation.
Germany lets users decide if Facebook can merge their WhatsApp and Instagram data
Germany is known for its no-nonsense approach to digital data gathering -- back in 2016 it took a hard stance against Facebook's use of WhatsApp data, and more recently announced its plans to investigate the Google+ data exposure. Now, its anti-trust watchdog Bundeskartellamt has ordered a crackdown on Facebook's data combination practices in a landmark ruling that could have wide-ranging repercussions for the social network.
German climate proposals could put an end to no-limit Autobahns
Germany's Autobahns are legendary for segments with no speed limits, but you might have to wave goodbye to those unfettered driving experiences. Reuters has obtained draft proposals from a transport committee that would cap speeds at 130km/h (about 80MPH) in a bid to curb emissions and mitigate climate change. That's still quite fast, but it might dampen the enthusiasm of someone trying to push their Porsche to the max.
Germany may order Facebook to stop collecting some user data
Germany's efforts to regulate Facebook's practices might just escalate in the near future. Bild am Sonntag sources claim the country's Federal Cartel Office will order Facebook to stop collecting some user data. It's chiefly concerned with how the social network shares data with apps and sites outside of Facebook proper, including its own Instagram and WhatsApp properties. The antitrust overseer will present its ruling to Facebook within a few weeks, according to the insiders.
Germany outlaws Amazon's one-click Dash buttons
Amazon has run afoul of consumer protection laws in Germany over its click-to-buy Dash buttons for Prime members. A Munich regional court ordered the company to stop taking orders from the dinky devices because they fail to provide customers with up-to-date pricing information. The ruling comes in the wake of a case brought against Amazon by Germany's consumer protection watchdog, which claimed it was acting after receiving complaints by Amazon customers. Amazon plans to appeal the ruling, according to local media.
Massive data leak affects hundreds of German politicians
A number of German politicians have been the target of a massive data leak, one that contains extensive amounts of information. The data in question includes email addresses, private correspondence, passwords, phone numbers, work emails and photos, among other information, and those affected reportedly include journalists and celebrities as well as politicians. According to multiple reports, the data was leaked from the Twitter account @_0rbit -- which has since been suspended -- and the account began sharing the stolen information in December.
Amazon workers held strikes across Europe on Black Friday
Amazon workers across Europe took part in walkouts on Black Friday to protest what they say are unfair work conditions. Following similar demonstrations on Prime Day in July, employees in Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK went on strike over pay and safety. However, Amazon told the Guardian that the walkouts didn't hamper its delivery efforts across the continent.
Germany calls for global minimum tax on large tech companies
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has called for a global minimum tax on large technology companies, The Telegraph reports, and it's a move aimed at ensuring tech firms pay taxes in the countries in which they generate revenue rather than only in the countries where they're headquartered. "We need a worldwide minimum tax level that no state may go below," Scholz told Welt am Sonntag. "We require coordinated mechanisms which prevent the displacement of revenues to tax havens."
Germany is investigating the Google+ data exposure
Yesterday Google disclosed that it had inadvertently exposed Google+ users' personal data and that up to 500,000 accounts might have been affected. But the issue, which was discovered in March, was kept under wraps -- a decision Google said was made because there was no evidence that the data had been misused and no way to fully determine which users were affected. However, it appears that concerns over regulatory scrutiny and bad press may have played into that decision as well. Well now the company is being put under that magnifying glass it had been looking to avoid, as Germany's data protection commissioner has announced an investigation into the incident.
The world's first hydrogen train is now in service
The world's first (and second) hydrogen-powered trains have entered service in northern Germany, marking the start of a new era for sustainable travel. Two Coradia iLint trains, made by Alstom, have begun working the line between Cuxhaven and Buxtehude just west of Hamburg. Until now, the nearly 100km-long line has been serviced by diesel trains, but will now play host to near-silent engines.
Netflix and Amazon will have to make more European content by law
Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video will likely soon have to ensure at least 30 percent of their libraries are dedicated to local content in the European Union. A preliminary agreement on the rules is already in place, and Roberto Viola, who oversees the European Commission department in charge of networks, content and technology, said the quota is set to become law in December. He indicated to Variety that the vote is "a mere formality."
Germany removes blanket ban on Nazi imagery in games
Before video games with swastikas and other Nazi symbols can be released in Germany, they have to go through some major edits to censor those images. Every Nazi eagle and swastika -- and even Adolf Hitler's moustache -- in the Wolfenstein series had to be scrubbed, for instance, even though Nazis are the villains in the game. That will no longer be the case going forward, now that German authorities have lifted the blanket ban on Nazi imagery in video games. Each title will now be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the country's Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) and will be judged similarly to books and films.
Apple Pay comes to 7-Eleven and CVS later in 2018
Apple Pay is making its way to two of its fiercest opponents. As part of Apple's financial results call, Tim Cook revealed that both 7-Eleven and CVS would introduce support for the tap-to-pay service (and, by extension, equivalents like Google Pay) later in 2018. He also confirmed that Germany would offer Apple Pay by the end of the year. There wasn't any mention of how quickly it would roll out to the two retailers or why they'd changed their mind, but the news likely represents an admission of defeat for the two store chains.
Amazon warehouse workers in Europe stage protest on Prime Day
Amazon warehouse workers in Germany, Spain and Poland are hoping to call the e-commerce giant's attention to their plea for better working conditions by going on strike on Prime Day. The workers for the company's fulfillment centers are protesting the increase in working hours even though they don't receive bonuses, as well as the lack of protection against illnesses. Stefanie Nutzenberger from German labor union Verdi, which called for the strike, said "The message is clear -- while the online giant gets rich, it is saving money on the health of its workers."
NASA's new climate science satellites switch on their lasers
NASA's new climate-monitoring satellites, which SpaceX ferried to orbit in May, are almost ready to keep an eye on our planet's ice sheets, atmosphere and ocean levels. On June 13th, the twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellites switched on their lasers in search of one another for the first time. Those lasers will keep the satellites connected to each other while they orbit the Earth, tracking the changes in distance between them brought about by variations in our planet's gravitational field. That data, in turn, will help scientists better understand and monitor the thinning of the ice sheets, rising sea levels and even the flow of magma underground.
Germany plans to test Airbus and Audi's flying taxi concept
The Pop.Up Next flying taxi from Airbus and Audi should soon become much more than a well-meaning concept. The German government has signed a letter of intent greenlighting tests for the flying taxi around Audi's home city of Ingolstadt. Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer saw the autonomous, mixed-mode transports bringing a "new dimension of mobility" and creating a "huge opportunity" for companies exploring flying car tech.
