News - For Consumers
Daily digest of all European digital development news
AI is companies' justification for staff cuts. Professor says it's a good excuse
AI is being used by companies to justify layoffs, claiming innovation and workflow optimization. A professor suggests that this is often a convenient excuse.
Apple threatens: iOS tracking protection in danger due to EU - it's complicated
Apple threatens to disable its "App Tracking Transparency" feature in Europe, potentially impacting user privacy. A complex power struggle underlies this, involving data ownership, competition, and privacy regulations.
Open Letter: Civil Rights Organizations Insist on the Independence of the Irish Data Protection Commission
Civil society groups are protesting the appointment of Niamh Sweeney, a former Meta employee, as Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner. Over 40 NGOs, including Access Now and EDRi, signed an open letter voicing their concerns about the decision.
The great dilemma of Spanish telecoms: either they become giants or China swallows them up
Orange can simultaneously purchase 50% of Masorange and its share of Altice assets in France without affecting dividends. This marks a shift, as the market now accepts sector consolidation after years of regulatory taboo.
DSA: EU Commission criticizes violations on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok
The EU Commission found TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are not providing sufficient data access to researchers, with content reporting too difficult on the latter two. The EU is demanding improvements, or the platforms could face penalties under the Digital Services Act.
BEUC welcomes first steps by the Commission to Meta breaching the DSA as a start towards compliance
The European Commission found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) regarding content moderation, signaling a move towards enforcement. BEUC welcomes the initial steps, advocating for rigorous monitoring to protect consumers from unsafe and illegal content on platforms.
EU Commission accuses Meta of inadequate reporting systems for complaints
Brussels accuses Meta of inadequate complaint systems on Facebook and Instagram, potentially violating the Digital Services Act. The investigation follows concerns about Meta's handling of illegal content on its platforms.
EA is cooperating with Stability AI: AI is to create game content in 2D & 3D
Electronic Arts partners with Stability AI to aggressively integrate AI into game development for 2D and 3D content creation. The collaboration aims to leverage AI capabilities within the gaming industry.
While OpenAI takes all the media glory with ChatGPT, Alibaba is already taking important clients away from it with Qwen. The latest: Airbnb
Airbnb shifts its customer service AI focus from OpenAI's ChatGPT to Alibaba's Qwen model, signaling a win for the Chinese tech giant. The decision, cited by Airbnb's CEO, highlights Qwen's speed and cost-effectiveness over ChatGPT.
Digital Markets Act: a new complaint demands (again) more flexibility from Apple
Apple faces a fresh complaint from two organizations demanding more flexibility on iOS under the Digital Markets Act. This follows earlier criticisms regarding the tech giant's compliance with the new regulations.
The A-5 works have turned walking through the south of Madrid into hell. The solution: AI traffic lights
Madrid's A-5 construction woes will deploy AI-powered traffic lights to improve pedestrian crossings. The city aims to ease the difficulties of crossing the highway for residents affected by the project.
Best generative AI tool: vote in the Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025
Xataka's NordVPN Awards 2025 will feature a new category recognizing the best generative AI tools, highlighting the technology's growing impact. Readers can vote for their favorite AI tools, with winners announced at a gala in Madrid on November 20th.
Portugal: there are updates in the new Cybersecurity law (NIS2)
Portugal's government moves to implement the NIS2 Directive, aiming to bolster cybersecurity across the EU. The law, published on October 22, 2025, aligns with the EU's goal of a high common level of cybersecurity.
WhatsApp: this new tool protects you from a formidable scam to steal accounts or bank information
WhatsApp rolls out a new tool to shield users from screen-sharing scams designed to steal accounts and financial information. Simultaneously, the platform is testing an AI-powered feature to identify suspicious messages on Messenger.
Digital Euro: How anonymous payments would be possible
The European Data Protection Board is assessing the digital euro's potential for anonymous, offline transactions. The study explores whether the digital euro can offer a payment experience akin to cash.
AI is taking key steps to be much better in the future: such as not needing humans
MIT researchers developed SEAL, a self-improving AI model, allowing it to refine itself without human intervention. This technique generates its own training data, even surpassing GPT 4....
A university used AI to hunt down students who were using AI. The result was a predictable disaster
An Australian university’s AI-powered system falsely accused 6,000 students of academic misconduct, with 90% related to AI use. This incident highlights the unreliability of current AI tools, leading to numerous false accusations in educational settings.
European cities have small, narrow and winding streets: Waymo lands in the acid test of its cars
Waymo plans to launch its driverless robotaxi service in London next year, marking a key test for autonomous driving in Europe. The company is seeking regulatory approval before offering the service, starting with human-driven vehicles in specific areas.
The black irony of Wikipedia: it is a very valuable source for generative AI and at the same time it is what is killing it
Wikipedia faces an 8% drop in human traffic between May and August 2024 due to generative AI's increasing use as an information source. The Wikimedia Foundation cites AI chatbots and Google's AI Overview as key culprits.
Airbyte 2.0: Data integration up to six times faster
Airbyte 2. 0 launches, promising data integration up to six times faster with its open-source platform....