The German competition authority has fined Amazon €59 million for abusing its dominant position by influencing the pricing behaviour of third-party sellers.
Regulators concluded that Amazon’s pricing algorithms and Fair Pricing Policy breached national digital dominance rules and the EU competition law, rather than aligning with fair marketplace standards.
The authority argued that Amazon competes directly with merchants on its platform while shaping their prices through restrictions such as caps that penalise sellers who exceed certain limits.
Officials described that approach as incompatible with healthy competition since a platform should not influence rivals’ commercial strategies while participating in the same market.
Amazon strongly disputed the ruling and claimed the conclusion conflicts with the EU consumer standards. The company argued that the decision forces the platform to promote prices that fail to reflect competitive market conditions and announced it will challenge the findings.
The case follows a 2025 preliminary assessment and builds on Amazon’s earlier designation in 2022 as a company of paramount significance for competition, a judgement upheld by the Federal Court of Justice in Germany in 2024.
A ruling that marks another step in Europe’s efforts to rein in digital platforms that wield extensive influence across multiple markets.
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The confrontation between Spain and Telegram founder Pavel Durov has intensified after he claimed that Pedro Sánchez endangered online freedoms.
Government officials responded that the tech executive spread lies rather than engage with the proposed rules in good faith. Sánchez argued that democracy would not be silenced by what he called the techno-oligarchs of the algorithm.
The dispute followed the unveiling of new measures aimed at major technology companies. The plan introduces a ban on social media use for under-16s and holds corporate leaders legally responsible when unlawful or hateful content remains online rather than being removed.
Platforms would also need to adopt age-verification tools such as ID checks or biometric systems, which Durov argued could turn Spain into a surveillance state by allowing large-scale data collection.
Tensions widened as Sánchez clashed with prominent US tech figures. Sumar urged all bodies linked to the central administration to leave X, a move that followed Elon Musk’s accusation that the Spanish leader was acting like a tyrant.
The row highlighted how Spain’s attempt to regulate digital platforms has placed its government in open conflict with influential technology executives.
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Albania has lifted its temporary ban on TikTok after nearly a year, the government announced, saying that concerns about public, social and digital safety have now been addressed and that access will resume nationwide.
The restriction was introduced in March 2025 following a fatal stabbing linked to a social media dispute and aimed to protect younger users instead of exposing them to harmful online content.
Under the new arrangement, authorities are partnering with TikTok to introduce protective filters based on keywords and content controls and to strengthen reporting mechanisms for harmful material.
The government described the decision as a shift from restrictive measures to a phase of active monitoring, inter-institutional cooperation, and shared responsibility with digital platforms.
Although the ban has now been lifted, a court challenge contends that the earlier suspension violated the constitutional right to freedom of expression, and a ruling is expected later in February. Opposition figures also criticised the original ban when it was applied ahead of parliamentary elections.
Despite the formal ban, TikTok remained accessible to many users in Albania through virtual private networks during the year it was in force, highlighting the challenge of enforcing such blocks in practice.
Critics have also noted that addressing the impact on youth may require broader digital education and safety measures.
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Artificial intelligence is becoming a cornerstone of India’s economic and industrial growth. The upcoming AI summit highlights the goal of building AI as national infrastructure, reflecting India’s languages, values, and knowledge systems.
Indian IT and service industries are moving beyond software maintenance to providing AI infrastructure and intelligent systems. Such a transformation can automate workflows, boost productivity, and create new opportunities domestically and globally.
Industrial AI is set to transform manufacturing, enabling next-generation factories through virtual twin technologies. AI grounded in physics and industrial knowledge allows faster prototyping, efficient resource use, and greater competitiveness for large enterprises and MSMEs.
Collaborations between NVIDIA and Dassault Systèmes showcase AI-driven factories and industrial intelligence. India’s talent, scale, and digital ecosystem position it to lead in industrial and generative AI, setting global technological and economic benchmarks.
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Anthropic’s official announcement emphasises that Claude will not carry advertising or ad-influenced content within conversations, positioning the AI assistant as a trusted and distraction-free ‘space to think’ for tasks ranging from deep thinking and research to work and personal problem-solving.
The company argues that AI interactions differ fundamentally from search or social media, as users often share context-rich, sensitive information where commercial incentives could conflict with genuinely helpful responses.
In the post, Anthropic explains that while ads have a clear place in many digital products, introducing them into conversational AI would compromise usefulness and trust.
Instead, the company plans to generate revenue through enterprise contracts and paid subscriptions, continuing to invest in product improvements, integrations with third-party tools (e.g., Figma, Asana), and broader access initiatives, all without monetising attention or engagement directly.
The statement also notes that Claude’s conversation data is kept private and anonymous, and that ads could skew model incentives toward engagement metrics rather than solving user problems effectively.
Anthropic positions this approach as central to preserving Claude’s role as a dedicated thinking and productivity assistant.
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AI and digital technologies are set to play a central role at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, positioning the event as a global showcase for large-scale AI deployment. Organisers aim to demonstrate how advanced technologies can transform major international events across media, operations, and public engagement.
Audience experience will be significantly reshaped through AI-powered broadcasting and digital platforms. Innovations include first-person drones following athletes in real time and AI-assisted replays that generate multi-angle freeze frames and performance data. In parallel, AI-driven tools on the official Olympic website and social media platforms will offer personalised highlights, summaries, and interactive content.
At the same time, technology will support athletes both on and off the field. AI systems will monitor and flag abusive online content, while dedicated digital applications will assist with training, injury prevention, and communication with family members during competitions.
Beyond digital innovation, the Games will also highlight sustainability through design. Transparent, reusable Olympic torches powered by biofuel and made from recycled materials will showcase how technology can support environmental responsibility alongside sporting tradition.
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The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure, especially high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in data centres and AI accelerators, is causing memory chip makers to prioritise production capacity for high-margin AI-related products, squeezing the supply of traditional DRAM and NAND used in consumer devices like smartphones, tablets and PCs.
Industry leaders, including Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron, are shifting wafer capacity toward AI-grade memory, and major cloud and hyperscale buyers (e.g., Nvidia, AWS, Google) are securing supply through long-term contracts, which reduces available inventory for mid-tier device manufacturers.
As a result, memory pricing has climbed sharply, forcing consumer electronics makers to raise retail prices, cut specs or downgrade other components to maintain margins.
Analysts warn the mid-range smartphone segment, typically priced between roughly $400–$600, faces a particular squeeze, with fewer compelling devices expected and slower spec improvements, as memory becomes a dominant cost driver and supply constraints persist.
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Anthropic has expanded its AI assistant Claude with Cowork, an agent-based workspace for everyday office tasks. Users can grant controlled folder access so Claude can create, edit, and organise files within workflows. Cowork is available in research preview for Claude Max subscribers on macOS.
Claude Cowork breaks work into step-by-step plans and carries out tasks independently. Multiple jobs can run at once, from sorting documents to producing reports from notes or screenshots. The system is positioned as a digital colleague rather than a chatbot.
Anthropic has introduced 11 plug-ins that extend Claude Cowork across legal, sales, marketing, support, and data analysis. Organisations can define workflows, apply brand rules, and integrate business data into task execution. The tools are designed to be customisable without technical complexity.
The company has open-sourced its initial plug-ins and expects enterprises to build tailored versions. Previously part of Claude Code, the tools are now integrated into Claude Cowork through a simplified interface. Anthropic frames the update as embedding AI directly into operations.
Market reaction has highlighted fears that agent-based AI could disrupt software services. Major IT stocks in India reportedly fell following the launch. The term ‘SaaSpocalypse’ reflects unease about AI becoming core infrastructure.
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Researchers in Australia have built the largest quantum simulator yet to study complex quantum materials and advanced electronic behaviour. By placing individual atoms on silicon chips, the system recreates real-material interactions directly at the quantum level.
Unlike conventional computers, which struggle to model certain effects accurately, the simulator directly mirrors how electrons interact inside materials such as superconductors. This allows scientists to explore phenomena that would otherwise require enormous computational resources.
The system, known as Quantum Twins, consists of grids containing 15,000 qubits arranged to emulate atomic structures. By controlling how electrons move and interact across the grid, researchers can replicate key material properties linked to conductivity and magnetic behaviour.
Early experiments successfully simulated transitions between conducting and insulating states, as well as responses to magnetic fields. These results suggest the platform can handle complex two-dimensional systems that challenge classical modelling techniques.
Scientists in Australia believe the simulator could accelerate research into unconventional superconductors and other advanced materials, with potential applications in energy, electronics, medicine, and artificial photosynthesis technologies.
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Phishing continues to succeed despite increasingly sophisticated AI-driven threats, with attackers relying on familiar tools such as PDFs and cloud services. Researchers have identified a new campaign using legitimate-looking documents to redirect victims to credential-harvesting pages impersonating Dropbox.
The attack starts with professional emails framed as procurement or tender requests. When recipients open the attached PDF, they are quietly redirected through trusted cloud infrastructure before reaching a fake Dropbox login page designed to steal corporate credentials.
Each stage appears legitimate in isolation, allowing the campaign to bypass standard filters and authentication checks. Business-style language, reputable hosting platforms, and realistic branding reduce suspicion while exploiting everyday workplace routines.
Security specialists warn that long-standing trust in PDFs and mainstream cloud services has lowered user vigilance. Employees have been conditioned to view these formats as safe, creating opportunities for attackers to weaponise familiar business tools.
Experts say phishing awareness must evolve beyond basic link warnings to reflect modern multi-stage attacks. Alongside training, layered defences such as multi-factor authentication and anomaly detection remain essential for limiting damage.
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