News - For Consumers

Spain and Portugal boast near-zero electricity prices due to surplus renewables. France's nuclear-focused energy policy is isolating the Iberian peninsula and preventing cheaper power from reaching the rest of Europe.

French AI startup Mistral AI's revenue surged 20x to over $400M ARR, championing European tech sovereignty. This rapid growth positions them against major AI players with a focus on efficiency and localized models.

Big Brother Awards highlight privacy violators in the Netherlands. Awards recognize worst offenders and a champion of digital rights.

German cabinet moves to implement EU AI Act, appointing the Federal Network Agency as the central AI watchdog. This accelerates nationwide AI regulation adoption.

French AI champion Mistral AI multiplies revenues twentyfold, launching a €1. 2B data center investment in Sweden....

University researchers present policy options based on Wikipedia's community-governed model. The findings aim to inform future digital policy-making.

AI tools like ChatGPT and Grok amplify harm, not just democratize knowledge. EDRi argues platforms' design and governance, not rare glitches, cause these negative societal impacts.

Waag Futurelab launches "State of the Internet 2026" exploring AI's planetary limits. Fieke Jansen to keynote the event focused on critical digital infrastructure.

Big Tech has hollowed out the internet, argue scholars at an EDRi event. The current online landscape is detrimental to innovation and user experience.

Mercadona emerges as an energy giant, outbuying Microsoft in renewables via long-term power purchase agreements. Spain leads Europe in energy contracts, securing 3,900 MW.

EU digital rights group EDRi warns "Digital Omnibus" proposals weaken GDPR and ePrivacy safeguards. These changes, presented as simplification, risk deregulation and undermine fundamental rights protections for citizens.

Civil society groups urge EU lawmakers to reject AI Omnibus proposals weakening AI Act transparency. This move risks fundamental rights and enforcement for negligible company benefits.

WhatsApp scores a win as the European Court of Justice allows direct appeals against the European Data Protection Board. This decision impacts potential multi-billion euro data protection fines for Meta.

Spain's MareNostrum 5 supercomputer receives €129 million to integrate AI capabilities. The upgrade, co-funded by Spain, Portugal, and Turkey, aims to boost its capacity for AI model training and inference.

EDRi urges the Council to reject the Digital Omnibus proposal, citing fundamental rights violations and poor regulatory practice. The group demands the Commission resubmit the legislation with comprehensive assessments.

LibreOffice slams Microsoft's commercial practices, accusing them of hindering interoperability over proprietary interests. This renewed criticism highlights ongoing tensions in the software market regarding open standards.

ZB MED launches fundraising for European OLSPub, a PubMed alternative aiming for digital sovereignty in research data. The project seeks funding to secure independent access to scientific literature.

Big Tech lobbies against the EU's Digital Fairness Act, aiming to curb manipulative online design. Google and Meta face scrutiny over practices that steer user behavior.

EU Commission threatens Meta with enforcement actions over WhatsApp data API access. Brussels deems Meta's conduct anti-competitive, citing restricted rival access.

Siemens CEO envisions automating entire factory processes with AI, merging physical and digital worlds. This ambitious plan aims for optimal operations but raises questions about workforce displacement.