Independent browser companies within the EU are reporting significant increases in user numbers following the implementation of new EU legislation to foster fair competition among tech giants. The Digital Markets Act (DMA), effective on 7 March, requires major players like Google, Microsoft, and Apple to present mobile users with a ‘choice screen’ where they can opt for alternative web browsers. Before this regulation, default browsers like Chrome for Android and Safari for iPhones dominated the market, providing free services in exchange for user tracking and targeted advertising.
Since the new rules came into effect, companies like Cyprus-based Aloha Browser have experienced a 250% surge in the EU users. Aloha, known for its privacy-focused approach, has seen its EU market ranking rise from fourth to second place. Similarly, other companies like Vivaldi from Norway, Ecosia from Germany, and Brave from the US have also noted increased user numbers following the regulatory changes. DuckDuckGo and Opera, with substantial global user bases, are also witnessing growth within the EU due to the choice screen.
Why does it matter?
Under the DMA, mobile device manufacturers are required to present users with a selection of browsers, search engines, and virtual assistants during device setup. Apple, for instance, now displays up to 11 browser options alongside Safari in the choice screens tailored for each EU country, updating them annually. However, companies like Mozilla have criticised the rollout as slow and clunky, hindering the migration of users to alternative browsers. The European Commission has initiated an investigation into Apple’s compliance with the new rules, particularly focusing on whether users have genuine freedom to choose alternative services beyond defaults like Safari.
Following a recent Trade and Technology Council (TTC) meeting, the US and the EU have announced significant progress in aligning technical standards for digital identity. A joint statement released after the meeting outlines plans to identify use cases for transatlantic interoperability and cooperation, paving the way for cross-border digital identity and wallet usage.
This collaboration, which aims to harmonize technology and trade policies, has already yielded tangible results, such as the Digital Identity Mapping Exercise Report, which covers standards for electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions.
Despite some differences, notably in trust services, both sides are committed to continued information exchange through mechanisms like the Strategic Standardisation Information (SSI).
Why does it matter?
The EU and US share the world’s most integrated economic relationship, with the US remaining the EU’s largest trading partner. While the Digital Identity Mapping Report aims for shared terminology, it’s important to note that the EU member countries aren’t bound by US NIST guidance, and vice versa; harmonizing frameworks between them could streamline cross-border trade and promote secure transatlantic online access.
The EU political parties are set to sign a new code of conduct on Tuesday, 9 April 2024, to safeguard the upcoming EU elections from foreign interference and disinformation. The initiative, brokered by the European Commission, is part of a broader effort to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
The code of conduct, overseen by Vice-President Věra Jourová, focuses on preventing the amplification of narratives led by non-EU entities that seek to undermine European values. Parties across the political spectrum, including left, socialists, centre-right, liberals, conservatives, greens, and far-right groups, are committing to proactive measures against spreading misinformation. They pledge to ensure transparency by labelling AI-generated content and not disseminating unfounded accusations or deceptive materials targeting other parties. Although this adds an extra layer of protection to the electoral campaign, the responsibility for implementation and monitoring falls on the European parties rather than national parties conducting the campaign on the ground.
Despite these commitments, the code of conduct lacks independent oversight and enforcement mechanisms instead of relying on the parties to promote compliance among their members and conduct post-election reviews. Commission Vice-President Jourová emphasised the symbolic importance of this collective commitment by European political parties to uphold the integrity of elections, urging them to adhere to ethical and fair campaigning practices in the coming months.
Why does it matter?
The agreement follows recent scandals involving European Parliament members, like Qatargate and Russiagate, and underlines the importance of defending democracy against foreign interference. While the code of conduct does not extend to national parties, it represents a significant step forward in addressing digital risks and maintaining transparency in electoral communications.
Europe’s envisioned outcomes from this collaboration include enhancing HPC applications, fostering information sharing to tackle societal challenges, facilitating researcher exchange between India and the EU, and strengthening international cooperation in HPC development. While the EU’s document lacks specifics on the path forward, India’s recent call for proposals delineates a clear roadmap. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology seeks proposals to analyse climate change, bioinformatics, and natural hazards using HPC, alongside developing integrated early warning systems for multi-hazard scenarios. Proposals are expected to outline specific application optimisation plans, development timelines, and critical performance indicators demonstrating cooperative benefits. Accepted proposals allow access to HPC facilities in India and the EU.
India’s Supercomputing Mission has commissioned 28 supercomputers, while the EU’s High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking operates nine machines with substantial computing power. Despite the progress, India and the EU still need to provide a timeframe for implementing approved proposals.
The EU antitrust regulators are scrutinising a proposal by Apple to determine if it meets their directive allowing Spotify and other music streaming services to inform users of alternative payment methods outside of Apple’s App Store. This review follows the European Commission‘s recent order and hefty fine imposed on Apple for breaching competition rules. Under Apple’s proposal, services like Spotify can now include links on their apps directing users to their websites to purchase digital content or services, circumventing Apple’s payment system.
However, there’s a catch: any transactions resulting from these links will incur a 27% fee to Apple, including subsequent auto-renewing subscriptions. The European Commission is evaluating whether Apple’s proposal fully aligns with its decision. If there’s suspicion of non-compliance, the Commission may issue a Statement of Objections to address the concerns.
Apple insists that its plan adheres to the Commission’s decision, although Spotify has expressed frustration over Apple’s delay in complying with the EU order, which was issued five weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Commission is conducting a separate investigation into Apple’s App Store rules and its recent measures to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) amid concerns that these could restrict developers from freely communicating and promoting their offerings.
Why does it matter?
The outcome of the EU’s assessment will determine whether Apple faces additional antitrust charges and penalties if its proposal is found to fall short of the Commission’s requirements. The ongoing dispute highlights the broader regulatory scrutiny facing tech giants like Apple over their market practices and dominance in the digital ecosystem, particularly concerning payment systems and app store policies.
The Council of Europe and the EU have collaborated to introduce a new educational tool to empower young people to assess content found online and in the media, discern historical inaccuracies, and engage in critical thinking about the material they come across. Dubbed the ‘Toolkit for History Classes: Debunking Fake News and Fostering Critical Thinking,’ this resource comprises 11 online activities designed to help students analyse various topics and events through historical sources and a multiperspective approach. Accompanying this toolkit is a free online training course for secondary school teachers, offering practical guidance on integrating the toolkit into classroom settings. Scheduled for release to the public in Autumn 2024, this initiative seeks to equip students with essential skills for navigating the digital landscape.
The unveiling of the toolkit will take place during the HISTOLAB European Innovation Days in History Education, scheduled from 3 to 5 April at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg. The conference, which is focused on history education, will bring together over 150 practitioners from across the EU and beyond to showcase and discuss innovative initiatives and practices in research, academia, and history teaching. Participants will explore diverse educational approaches, from analysing historical narratives through social media to using architecture to teach about totalitarian regimes.
The Innovation Days will feature nine practical workshops demonstrating engaging teaching methods that resonate with young learners. Examples include using LEGO to teach concepts of democracy and leveraging the medium of football to impart historical knowledge. With a focus on interactive and student-centred learning, these workshops aim to bridge the gap between traditional teaching methods and the interests of contemporary youth, fostering a deeper understanding of history in the process.
The European Commission has imposed a first-time fine of 1.8 billion euros ($1.95 billion) on Apple for restricting Spotify and other music streaming services from offering alternative payment options outside its App Store. This verdict follows Spotify’s 2019 complaint concerning these limitations and Apple’s 30% App Store fees.
The EU competition authority deemed Apple’s restrictions as unfair trading practices. Margrethe Vestager, EU antitrust chief, explained how Apple exploited its market dominance for a decade by limiting developers from suggesting cheaper music services outside the Apple ecosystem, a violation of EU antitrust regulations. Apple is instructed to eliminate App Store constraints, aligning with requirements from the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which Apple must comply with by March 7.
Apple expressed its intent to contest the EU’s decision in court, stating the ruling disregards the lack of credible proof of consumer harm and overlooks a flourishing and competitive market. The company further remarked that Spotify, the primary proponent and benefactor of this decision, holds the world’s largest music streaming app and has engaged extensively with the European Commission.
The European Union will conduct an investigation into potential violations of online content regulations by ByteDance’s TikTok, with a focus on safeguarding children and ensuring transparent advertising. EU industry chief Thierry Breton stated that this decision was made after reviewing TikTok’s risk assessment report and its responses to information requests.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) of the European Union mandates that major online platforms and search engines must tackle illegal content and mitigate risks to public security. As such, the investigation will focus on issues like TikTok’s system design, particularly its algorithmic systems that may encourage addictive behaviours and create ‘rabbit hole effects.’ Additionally, it will also be assessed whether TikTok has implemented adequate and proportionate measures to ensure the privacy, safety, and security of minors. In addition to minors’ protection, the Commission will also be examining whether social media company provides a dependable database of advertisements on its platform to enable researchers to analyse potential online risks.
This investigation puts the social media platform at risk of significant penalties. Social media’s parent company, ByteDance, may face fines of up to 6% of its global revenue if TikTok is found to be in violation of DSA regulations. TikTok’s spokesperson has stated their commitment to collaborating with the process and added how the company has been at the forefront of developing features and settings to protect teenagers and prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing the platform, a challenge that the entire industry is currently confronting.
Negotiations are currently taking place for the EU regulation to accelerate the rollout of 5G and fiber networks. The key areas of focus for co-legislators are finding compromises regarding the tacit approval principle and intra-EU communication fees. Put in motion earlier in 2023, the EU’s Gigabit Infrastructure Act, which aims to streamline the deployment of high-capacity networks, is currently in the final stage of the legislative process.
While there is agreement among co-legislators on the objective of achieving the EU’s Digital Decade targets, there are disagreements on how to achieve them. The next trilogue, scheduled for Monday (5 February), is expected to bring about a resolution to these differences.
The main point of contention is the ‘tacit approval’ principle introduced by the European Commission, which allows administrative authorities that fail to respond to a permit request within a designated timeframe to be treated as having granted implicit authorization. However, several EU countries have raised objections to this principle due to concerns about its impact on their administrative processes. On the other hand, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are supportive of retaining the principle to enable fast network rollouts. The current stage of negotiations leans towards the Council’s position, suggesting the reference to the tacit approval principle with carve-outs that allow EU countries to derogate from it.
The role of the European Commission and the evidence provided by BEREC will be pivotal in guiding the decisions made during these negotiations.
The European Union’s Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has been mandated to develop technical standards and guidelines for certain provisions of the ‘Regulation on markets in crypto-assets (MiCA)‘. ESMA has already released two consultation packages in July and October 2023 to gather input from stakeholders. The current consultation paper aims to collect views and opinions on the implementation of MiCA, particularly regarding the development of certain MiCA mandates by December 2024.
The provision of crypto-asset services by third-country firms is strictly limited under MiCA. To protect EU-based investors from non-compliant entities outside the EU, ESMA and national competent authorities will take necessary action.
To provide guidance on applying the reverse solicitation exemption and preventing its potential circumvention, ESMA is considering adopting guidelines. These guidelines will define the supervision practices that national competent authorities should implement. ESMA has issued a Consultation Paper (CP) to seek input from interested parties in developing these guidelines. Respondents are encouraged to support their arguments or proposals with relevant information.
