Microsoft has proposed increasing the price difference between its Office product with the Teams app and the version without it, to avoid a potential EU antitrust fine. This comes after complaints from rivals like Salesforce-owned Slack and German competitor alfaview regarding Microsoft’s practice of bundling Teams with Office. Since Teams became a part of Office 365 in 2017, it gained widespread use during the pandemic, largely due to its video conferencing capabilities.
To address concerns, Microsoft unbundled Teams from Office in 2023, offering Office without Teams for €2 less and a standalone Teams subscription for €5 per month. The European Commission is currently gathering feedback from companies, with a decision on whether to conduct a formal market test expected soon. As part of its offer, Microsoft has also proposed better interoperability terms to make it easier for competitors to challenge its products.
The EU has previously fined Microsoft €2.2 billion for similar antitrust issues in the past. If the Commission accepts Microsoft’s proposal without issuing a fine or finding wrongdoing, it would likely allow the EU to focus resources on ongoing investigations into other tech giants like Apple and Google.
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Elon Musk has confirmed he has no intention of purchasing TikTok, despite speculation and suggestions from former US President Donald Trump.
Speaking at a summit hosted by The WELT Group, Musk stated he had not made a bid for the app and had no plans for its future. He also noted that he does not use TikTok personally and is unfamiliar with its format.
The billionaire emphasised that acquiring companies is rare for him, with his high-profile purchase of Twitter, now X, being an exception. He reiterated his preference for building businesses from the ground up rather than taking over existing ones.
ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, has been under pressure to sell its US assets due to concerns about data security and potential government influence.
Apple and Google have yet to reinstate TikTok in their app stores since new US legislation took effect. In response, TikTok has enabled Android users to download the app directly from its website.
Trump has suggested that multiple parties are in discussions over the platform’s future, with a final decision expected soon.
ByteDance has consistently denied any plans to sell TikTok, despite mounting political scrutiny. Trump, who once sought to ban the app, has recently expressed support for it, citing its role in his popularity among young voters.
No official response has been provided by ByteDance or TikTok regarding the ongoing situation.
Amazon has removed references to ‘inclusion and diversity‘ from its latest annual report, signalling a shift away from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The change follows an internal memo from December, in which Amazon announced it was winding down certain DEI programmes by the end of 2024. Instead of maintaining separate initiatives, the company plans to integrate DEI efforts into broader corporate processes.
Tech giants such as Meta and Google have also been scaling back diversity programmes, facing pressure from conservative groups threatening legal action. Disney has similarly adjusted its DEI approach, removing mentions of its ‘Reimagine Tomorrow‘ programme while introducing an initiative to hire US military veterans. The trend reflects a broader corporate retreat from diversity-focused policies that gained traction after the 2020 protests against racial injustice.
Political opposition to DEI has grown, with President Donald Trump’s administration vowing to eliminate diversity policies in the private sector. In response, attorneys general from twelve US states, including New York and California, have reaffirmed their commitment to enforcing civil rights protections against workplace discrimination. The debate over DEI’s future remains contentious as businesses and lawmakers continue to clash over its role in corporate America.
Motorola has been denied permission to appeal against the UK competition regulator’s ruling that it was making excessive profits from its contract to provide communications for Britain’s emergency services. The Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed the company’s application, upholding the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision to impose a price cap on Motorola’s Airwave network.
The CMA introduced the cap in July 2023, reducing the cost of the Airwave service to reflect a competitive market, cutting an estimated £200 million in annual charges. Motorola had previously challenged the regulator’s findings at a tribunal but was unsuccessful. CMA Executive Director George Lusty welcomed the court’s decision, stating it ensures fair pricing for emergency services and marks the end of the legal dispute.
A Motorola spokesperson defended the company’s role, emphasising that Airwave remains essential for UK public safety communications. Despite disagreeing with the CMA’s ruling, Motorola said it is focused on continuing to provide high-quality emergency communication services.
Gambling companies are under investigation for covertly sharing visitors’ data with Facebook’s parent company, Meta, without proper consent, breaching data protection laws. A hidden tracking tool embedded in numerous UK gambling websites has been sending data, such as the web pages users visit and the buttons they click, to Meta, which then uses this information to profile individuals as gamblers. This data is then used to target users with gambling-related ads, violating the legal requirement for explicit consent before sharing such information.
Testing of 150 gambling websites revealed that 52 automatically transmitted user data to Meta, including large brands like Hollywoodbets, Sporting Index, and Bet442. This data sharing occurred without users having the opportunity to consent, resulting in targeted ads for gambling websites shortly after visiting these sites. Experts have raised concerns about the industry’s unlawful practices and called for immediate regulatory action.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is reviewing the use of tracking tools like Meta Pixel and has warned that enforcement action could be taken, including significant fines. Some gambling companies have updated their websites to prevent automatic data sharing, while others have removed the tracking tool altogether in response to the findings. However, the Gambling Commission has yet to address the issue of third-party profiling used to recruit new customers.
The misuse of data in this way highlights the risks of unregulated marketing, particularly for vulnerable individuals. Data privacy experts have stressed that these practices not only breach privacy laws but could also exacerbate gambling problems by targeting individuals who may already be at risk.
A United States federal judge has ruled that Coinbase must face a lawsuit from customers accusing the cryptocurrency exchange of illegally selling securities without registering as a broker-dealer. The judge rejected Coinbase’s argument that it did not qualify as a seller under federal securities law, citing claims that customers traded directly with the company rather than with third parties. Allegations under state laws in California, Florida, and New Jersey will also proceed.
The lawsuit, initially dismissed in 2023, was partially revived by an appeals court last year. Customers are seeking unspecified damages, while Coinbase maintains that it does not list or sell securities on its platform. The company remains confident it will prevail in court. Meanwhile, the U6S Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has also sued Coinbase, arguing that the exchange allowed trading of unregistered securities.
Coinbase has appealed a separate ruling that could clarify whether digital tokens qualify as investment contracts under US law. The company told the appeals court that a decision in its favour could remove regulatory uncertainty surrounding the cryptocurrency market. The outcome of these legal battles could have significant implications for the broader industry.
TikTok has introduced a new method for US Android users to download the app directly from its website, bypassing restrictions imposed by app stores.
The move follows a US law that took effect on 19 January, requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban. Apple and Google have yet to reinstate the app in their stores.
President Donald Trump, who took office the day after the law was enacted, signed an executive order delaying enforcement by 75 days. Discussions over TikTok’s future are ongoing, with Trump stating a decision is expected this month.
The president also ordered the creation of a sovereign wealth fund, which could potentially acquire TikTok.
Concerns over data security have driven US officials to push for ByteDance to divest from TikTok. Critics argue that the ban threatens free speech, with advocates questioning claims about the company’s ties to China.
TikTok maintains that US user data is stored on Oracle-operated servers and that moderation decisions affecting American users are made domestically.
A German court has ruled that Elon Musk’s social media platform X must provide researchers with data to track the spread of misinformation ahead of the country’s national election on 23 February. The Berlin district court’s decision follows a legal challenge by civil rights groups, who argued that the platform had a duty under European law to make election-related engagement data more accessible.
The German ruling obliges X to disclose information such as post reach, shares, and likes, allowing researchers to monitor how misleading narratives circulate online. The court emphasised that immediate access to the data was crucial, as delays could undermine efforts to track election-related disinformation in real time. The company, which had failed to respond to a previous request for information, was also ordered to cover the €6,000 legal costs.
The case was brought forward by the German Society for Civil Rights (GFF) and Democracy Reporting International, who hailed the verdict as a major win for democratic integrity. Concerns over misinformation on X have intensified, particularly following Musk’s public endorsement of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), currently polling in second place. In January, Musk posted that ‘only the AfD can save Germany,’ sparking further scrutiny over the platform’s role in political discourse.
X has yet to respond to the ruling. The decision could set a precedent for how social media companies handle election-related transparency, particularly within the European Union’s regulatory framework.
Hong Kong has officially recognised cryptocurrency as proof of assets for investment immigration, approving two cases where applicants used Bitcoin and Ethereum to meet the HK$30 million requirement. The latest approval, confirmed on 7 February, marks a significant step in integrating digital assets into the region’s financial and immigration policies.
The first case occurred in October 2024, when a Bitcoin holder successfully proved their wealth for residency. An Ethereum holder has followed suit, with both applicants coming from mainland China. Reports indicate that Invest Hong Kong, the government agency overseeing investment immigration, took a month to review the first case before approving it.
Despite this recognition, it remains uncertain whether direct cryptocurrency investments or crypto ETFs will count towards the required HK$30 million investment within six months of approval. Officials have specified that applicants must store their digital assets securely in cold wallets or on major exchanges such as Binance. With two more applicants under review, Hong Kong appears to be paving the way for broader crypto acceptance in its financial landscape.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has raised concerns about the Chinese AI app DeepSeek, accusing it of excessively collecting personal data and using it for training purposes. The agency warned government bodies last week to take security measures, highlighting that unlike other AI services, DeepSeek collects sensitive data such as keyboard input patterns and transfers it to Chinese servers. Some South Korean government ministries have already blocked access to the app due to these security concerns.
The NIS also pointed out that DeepSeek grants advertisers unrestricted access to user data and stores South Korean users’ data in China, where it could be accessed by the Chinese government under local laws. The agency also noted discrepancies in the app’s responses to sensitive questions, such as the origin of kimchi, which DeepSeek claimed was Chinese when asked in Chinese, but Korean when asked in Korean.
DeepSeek has also been accused of censoring political topics, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, prompting the app to suggest changing the subject. In response to these concerns, China’s foreign ministry stated that the country values data privacy and security and complies with relevant laws, denying that it pressures companies to violate privacy. DeepSeek has not yet commented on the allegations.
