The EU will ban children under 15 from using social media platforms, certain gaming platforms and AI chatbots without parental supervision. The ban is expected to be clarified in the Children’s Law, which will be published on Thursday, reports Financial Times. “No social media before the age of 13. No personal account before the age…
Apple yesterday updated its App Store fees in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act and end its ongoing dispute with the European Commission. Apple has reduced core technology fees and simplified its pricing structure, so apps distributed in alternative markets or on the web will pay less than before. When announcing the…
Apple today announced changes to its App Store policies and fees in the European Union to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Apple says the changes were made after “close collaboration” with the European Commission, and that the updates simplify the pricing structure and “resolve Apple’s disagreements with the Commission over commercial terms and alternative…
Google was today fined 890 million euros ($1 billion) by the European Union for violating antitrust rules regarding its Google Play search and store services. The European Commission found that Google had breached the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by using its dominant position in the search market to favor its own services, such as shopping…
The European Commission today officially ordered Google to grant third-party AI services the same access to Android device features as Gemini. The EU’s Digital Markets Act requires software companies like Apple and Google to grant equal interoperability to third-party apps and services, and the EC enforces it. DMA interoperability rules explain why Siri AI will…
The European Commission yesterday adopted new exemptions to its battery regulation that exempt Apple Watch and AirPods from the requirement to offer removable and user-replaceable batteries. The EU battery regulation generally requires consumer products sold in the region to allow users to swap their own batteries, a measure aimed at keeping devices in use longer…
Meta has been warned by the European Commission that its endless-scrolling Facebook and Instagram feeds could breach new rules under the EU’s Digital Services Act. In its preliminary findings released Friday, the Commission said its investigation into features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalized recommendation systems found that Meta “failed to…
Apple’s challenge to the EU’s designation of its App Stores and iOS platform as “gatekeepers” was rejected by Europe’s top court on Wednesday, reports Reuters. “The Court rejects Apple’s actions regarding its designation as gatekeeper to the App Store and iOS,” declared the Luxembourg court. Apple brought the complaint to the Luxembourg General Court in…
Apple CEO Tim Cook held “constructive” talks with EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen on Tuesday about releasing Siri AI in the bloc while respecting the bloc’s digital rules, reports the Financial Times ($). An EU spokesperson told the publication that the virtual meeting allowed for a “constructive exchange on topics of common interest, on which…
The Italian competition regulator announced on Tuesday that it had opened an investigation into Apple regarding its compliance with interoperability obligations set out in the European Digital Markets Act (DMA). Under the DMA, Apple must ensure that third-party providers of consumer cloud services can interact effectively and free of charge with Apple’s iOS and iPadOS…