Jurisdiction

US security process delays Nvidia chip sales

Nvidia’s plans to export its H200 AI chips to China remain pending nearly two months after US President Donald Trump approved. A national security review is still underway before licences can be issued to Chinese customers.

Chinese companies have delayed new H200 orders while awaiting clarity on licence approvals and potential conditions, according to people familiar with the discussions. The uncertainty has slowed anticipated demand and affected production planning across Nvidia’s supply chain.

In January, the US Commerce Department eased H200 export restrictions to China but required licence applications to be reviewed by the departments of State, Defence, and Energy.

Commerce has completed its analysis, but inter-agency discussions continue, with the US State Department seeking additional safeguards.

The export framework, which also applies to AMD, introduces conditions related to shipment allocation, testing, and end-use reporting. Until the review process concludes, Nvidia and prospective Chinese buyers remain unable to proceed with confirmed transactions.

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Greece nears plan to restrict social media for under-15s

Preparing to restrict social media access for children under 15s, Greece plans to use the Kids Wallet app as its enforcement tool amid rising European concern over youth safety.

A senior official indicated that an announcement is close, reflecting growing political concern about digital safety and youth protection.

The Ministry of Digital Governance intends to rely on the Kids Wallet application, introduced last year, as a mechanism for enforcing the measure instead of developing a new control framework.

Government planning is advanced, yet the precise timing of the announcement by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has not been finalised.

In addition to the legislative initiative in Greece, the European debate on children’s online safety is intensifying.

Spain recently revealed plans to prohibit social media access for those under sixteen and to create legislation that would hold platform executives personally accountable for hate speech.

Such moves illustrate how governments are seeking to shape the digital environment for younger users rather than leaving regulation solely in private hands.

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India pushes Meta to justify WhatsApp’s data-sharing

The Supreme Court of India has delivered a forceful warning to Meta after judges said the company could not play with the right to privacy.

The court questioned how WhatsApp monetises personal data in a country where the app has become the de facto communications tool for hundreds of millions of people. Judges added that meaningful consent is difficult when users have little practical choice.

Meta was told not to share any user information while the appeal over WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy continues. Judges pressed the company to explain the value of behavioural data instead of relying solely on claims about encrypted messages.

Government lawyers argued that personal data was collected and commercially exploited in ways most users would struggle to understand.

The case stems from a major update to WhatsApp’s data-sharing rules that India’s competition regulator said abused the platform’s dominant position.

A significant penalty was issued before Meta and WhatsApp challenged the ruling at the Supreme Court. The court has now widened the proceedings by adding the IT ministry and has asked Meta to provide detailed answers before the next hearing on 9 February.

WhatsApp is also under heightened scrutiny worldwide as regulators examine how encrypted platforms analyse metadata and other signals.

In India, broader regulatory changes, such as new SIM-binding rules, could restrict how small businesses use the service rather than broadening its commercial reach.

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Ofcom expands scrutiny of X over Grok deepfake concerns

The British regulator, Ofcom, has released an update on its investigation into X after reports that the Grok chatbot had generated sexual deepfakes of real people, including minors.

As such, the regulator initiated a formal inquiry to assess whether X took adequate steps to manage the spread of such material and to remove it swiftly.

X has since introduced measures to limit the distribution of manipulated images, while the ICO and regulators abroad have opened parallel investigations.

The Online Safety Act does not cover all chatbot services, as regulation depends on whether a system enables user interactions, provides search functionality, or produces pornographic material.

Many AI chatbots fall partly or entirely outside the Act’s scope, limiting regulators’ ability to act when harmful content is created during one-to-one interactions.

Ofcom cannot currently investigate the standalone Grok service for producing illegal images because the Act does not cover that form of generation.

Evidence-gathering from X continues, with legally binding information requests issued to the company. Ofcom will offer X a full opportunity to present representations before any provisional findings are published.

Enforcement actions take several months, since regulators must follow strict procedural safeguards to ensure decisions are robust and defensible.

Ofcom added that people who encounter harmful or illegal content online are encouraged to report it directly to the relevant platforms. Incidents involving intimate images can be reported to dedicated services for adults or support schemes for minors.

Material that may constitute child sexual abuse should be reported to the Internet Watch Foundation.

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EU moves closer to decision on ChatGPT oversight

The European Commission plans to decide by early 2026 whether OpenAI’s ChatGPT should be classified as a vast online platform under the Digital Services Act.

OpenAI’s tool reported 120.4 million average monthly users in the EU back in October, a figure far above the 45-million threshold that triggers more onerous obligations instead of lighter oversight.

Officials said the designation procedure depends on both quantitative and qualitative assessments of how a service operates, together with input from national authorities.

The Commission is examining whether a standalone AI chatbot can fall within the scope of rules usually applied to platforms such as social networks, online marketplaces and significant search engines.

ChatGPT’s user data largely stems from its integrated online search feature, which prompts users to allow the chatbot to search the web. The Commission noted that OpenAI could voluntarily meet the DSA’s risk-reduction obligations while the formal assessment continues.

The EU’s latest wave of designations included Meta’s WhatsApp, though the rules applied only to public channels, not private messaging.

A decision on ChatGPT that will clarify how far the bloc intends to extend its most stringent online governance framework to emerging AI systems.

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France targets X over algorithm abuse allegations

The cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor has raided the French office of X as part of an expanding investigation into alleged algorithm manipulation and illicit data extraction.

Authorities said the probe began in 2025 after a lawmaker warned that biassed algorithms on the platform might have interfered with automated data systems. Europol supported the operation together with national cybercrime officers.

Prosecutors confirmed that the investigation now includes allegations of complicity in circulating child sex abuse material, sexually explicit deepfakes and denial of crimes against humanity.

Elon Musk and former chief executive Linda Yaccarino have been summoned for questioning in April in their roles as senior figures of the company at the time.

The prosecutor’s office also announced its departure from X in favour of LinkedIn and Instagram, rather than continuing to use the platform under scrutiny.

X strongly rejected the accusations and described the raid as politically motivated. Musk claimed authorities should focus on pursuing sex offenders instead of targeting the company.

The platform’s government affairs team said the investigation amounted to law enforcement theatre rather than a legitimate examination of serious offences.

Regulatory pressure increased further as the UK data watchdog opened inquiries into both X and xAI over concerns about Grok producing sexualised deepfakes. Ofcom is already conducting a separate investigation that is expected to take months.

The widening scrutiny reflects growing unease around alleged harmful content, political interference and the broader risks linked to large-scale AI systems.

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Australia steps up platform scrutiny after mass Snapchat removals

Snapchat has blocked more than 415,000 Australian accounts after the national ban on under-16s began, marking a rapid escalation in the country’s effort to restrict children’s access to major platforms.

The company relied on a mix of self-reported ages and age-detection technologies to identify users who appeared to be under 16.

The platform warned that age verification still faces serious shortcomings, leaving room for teenagers to bypass safeguards rather than supporting reliable compliance.

Facial estimation tools remain accurate only within a narrow range, meaning some young people may slip through while older users risk losing access. Snapchat also noted the likelihood that teenagers will shift towards less regulated messaging apps.

The eSafety commissioner has focused regulatory pressure on the 10 largest platforms, although all services with Australian users are expected to assess whether they fall under the new requirements.

Officials have acknowledged that the technology needs improvement and that reliability issues, such as the absence of a liveness check, contributed to false results.

More than 4.7 million accounts have been deactivated across the major platforms since the ban began, although the figure includes inactive and duplicate accounts.

Authorities in Australia expect further enforcement, with notices set to be issued to companies that fail to meet the new standards.

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France challenges EU privacy overhaul

The EU’s attempt to revise core privacy rules has faced resistance from France, which argues that the Commission’s proposals would weaken rather than strengthen long-standing protections.

Paris objects strongly to proposed changes to the definition of personal data within the General Data Protection Regulation, which remains the foundation of European privacy law. Officials have also raised concerns about several more minor adjustments included in the broader effort to modernise digital legislation.

These proposals form part of the Digital Omnibus package, a set of updates intended to streamline the EU data rules. France argues that altering the GDPR’s definitions could change the balance between data controllers, regulators and citizens, creating uncertainty for national enforcement bodies.

The national government maintains that the existing framework already includes the flexibility needed to interpret sensitive information.

A disagreement that highlights renewed tension inside the Union as institutions examine the future direction of privacy governance.

Several member states want greater clarity in an era shaped by AI and cross-border data flows. In contrast, others fear that opening the GDPR could lead to inconsistent application across Europe.

Talks are expected to continue in the coming months as EU negotiators weigh the political risks of narrowing or widening the scope of personal data.

France’s firm stance suggests that consensus may prove difficult, particularly as governments seek to balance economic goals with unwavering commitments to user protection.

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EU plans a secure military data space by 2030

Institutions in the EU have begun designing a new framework to help European armies share defence information securely, rather than relying on US technology.

A plan centred on creating a military-grade data platform, the European Defence Artificial Intelligence Data Space, is intended to support sensitive exchanges among defence authorities.

Ultimately, the approach aims to replace the current patchwork of foreign infrastructure that many member states rely on to store and transfer national security data.

The European Defence Agency is leading the effort and expects the platform to be fully operational by 2030. The concept includes two complementary elements: a sovereign military cloud for data storage and a federated system that allows countries to exchange information on a trusted basis.

Officials argue that this will improve interoperability, speed up joint decision-making, and enhance operational readiness across the bloc.

A project that aligns with broader concerns about strategic autonomy, as EU leaders increasingly question long-standing dependencies on American providers.

Several European companies have been contracted to develop the early technical foundations. The next step is persuading governments to coordinate future purchases so their systems remain compatible with the emerging framework.

Planning documents suggest that by 2029, member states should begin integrating the data space into routine military operations, including training missions and coordinated exercises. EU authorities maintain that stronger control of defence data will be essential as military AI expands across European forces.

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Grok returns to Indonesia as X agrees to tightened oversight

Indonesia has restored access to Grok after receiving guarantees from X that stronger safeguards will be introduced to prevent further misuse of the AI tool.

Authorities suspended the service last month following the spread of sexualised images on the platform, making Indonesia the first country to block the system.

Officials from the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs said that access had been reinstated on a conditional basis after X submitted a written commitment outlining concrete measures to strengthen compliance with national law.

The ministry emphasised that the document serves as a starting point for evaluation instead of signalling the end of supervision.

However, the government warned that restrictions could return if Grok fails to meet local standards or if new violations emerge. Indonesian regulators stressed that monitoring would remain continuous, and access could be withdrawn immediately should inconsistencies be detected.

The decision marks a cautious reopening rather than a full reinstatement, reflecting Indonesia’s wider efforts to demand greater accountability from global platforms deploying advanced AI systems within its borders.

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