Tags: European Commission

X has been inundated with AI‑generated nude images created by the Grok chatbot, affecting a wide range of women, including public figures. Regulators in the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, and India have responded with investigations, warnings, and demands for compliance, while the platform faces pressure to implement safeguards. The situation highlights the challenges of regulating advanced AI tools that can produce illegal and non‑consensual content. Lire la suite

Google announced that its AI‑powered search feature, AI Mode, will soon display more in‑line links to the sources it draws information from. The update will place brief AI‑generated descriptions above a carousel of source links, helping users see where content originates. The change arrives as the European Commission investigates whether Google’s AI tools use publisher material without proper compensation. At the same time, Google is piloting new collaborations with publishers such as The Guardian, The Washington Post, and the Associated Press to explore AI‑driven audience engagement and real‑time news delivery. Lire la suite

The European Commission has launched an antitrust investigation into Google’s AI services, focusing on whether the company used web publishers’ content for its AI Overview and AI Mode tools without proper compensation or an opt‑out option. The probe also examines Google’s use of YouTube‑uploaded material to train generative AI models, raising concerns about fairness to creators and competitive disadvantages for rival AI developers. EU officials stress that innovation must not undermine core societal principles, while Google warns the investigation could hinder a competitive market. Lire la suite

The EU Council has reached a compromise on the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation, allowing messaging services to choose whether to scan all user chats for illegal content. While the change preserves end‑to‑end encryption by removing a mandatory backdoor, the text still permits forced scanning for services deemed “high‑risk” and introduces privacy‑sensitive age‑verification requirements. Privacy experts warn that the “voluntary” model may still enable mass surveillance and censorship, and they urge the European Parliament and Commission to resist any erosion of digital rights. The agreement now moves to trilogue negotiations, with a final adoption expected next year. Lire la suite

The European Commission’s €2 trillion seven‑year budget aims to boost autonomy, competitiveness and resilience, yet it fails to allocate specific funding for open source software. Open source underpins much of Europe’s digital infrastructure, offering transparency, security and flexibility. Critics argue that omitting dedicated support undermines the EU’s digital sovereignty goals and conflicts with recent legislation such as the Cyber Resilience Act and AI Act. Proposals for an EU Sovereign Tech Fund and greater emphasis in the European Competitiveness Fund seek to address this gap, warning that without investment Europe risks dependence on foreign technologies. Lire la suite

The European Commission has imposed a record fine of €2.95 billion (just under $3.5 billion) on Google, concluding the company abused its dominant position in online advertising. Regulators said Google favored its own ad exchange, AdX, in both its publisher ad server and ad‑buying tools, creating a conflict of interest across the adtech supply chain. Google has 60 days to stop the self‑preferencing practices and must propose remedies, or face further action. The company announced it will appeal the decision, arguing there are maybe alternatives to its services. The fine is the EU's second‑largest antitrust penalty ever. Lire la suite