News - For Consumers
Daily digest of all European digital development news

Addictive Design: TikTok illegal in its current form under EU law
TikTok's addictive design violates EU's Digital Services Act, potentially making its current format illegal. The EU's preliminary findings suggest the platform's practices contravene new digital service regulations.

The European Commission says one thing with the Digital Omnibuses, but does something else
EU Commission proposals threaten digital rights by excluding pseudonymized data from GDPR and allowing processing of sensitive personal data. This risks mass surveillance and discrimination, undermining vital data protection safeguards.

Doom-scrolling and addiction risk: EU Commission calls for changes at TikTok
EU Commission flags TikTok for Digital Services Act violations over addictive design. Brussels demands platform changes to curb harmful user engagement.

Digital Services Act: EU Commission wants to limit TikTok use
EU Commission finds TikTok insufficient in curbing addictive platform risks. A preliminary ruling under the Digital Services Act could lead to penalties, citing concerns over youth mental health impacts.

Claude Code is becoming the big favorite among programmers. So much so that it already accounts for 4% of everything uploaded to GitHub
Claude Code surge como el favorito de los programadores, representando ya el 4% de los commits en GitHub. Esta IA generativa se proyecta alcanzar el 20% de contribuciones diarias para finales de 2026.

Brussels concludes that TikTok's "addictive design" violates EU law
Brussels finds TikTok's "addictive design" violates EU's Digital Services Act. This preliminary conclusion could lead to fines up to 6% of the platform's global revenue.

TikTok’s infinite scroll is too addictive, say EU regulators
EU regulators warn TikTok's addictive features may violate the Digital Services Act. A potential breach could force the platform to redesign its service to prevent harm.

Areas without network: ANACOM asks operators to activate national roaming
Portugal's ANACOM urges telcos to enable national roaming for areas hit by severe weather disruptions. The regulator seeks to restore essential communication services rapidly across affected regions.

OpenAI vs Anthropic : simultaneously, the two rivals release new AI models for developers
OpenAI and Anthropic launch new AI models for developers simultaneously. These rival releases intensify the competition in the rapidly advancing AI landscape.

Statement of solidarity with EDRi members and allies facing pressure for their work on platform regulation
EDRi network condemns US administration pressure on members over platform regulation. This highlights ongoing tensions between online speech advocacy and regulatory enforcement in Europe.

Friday: Lawsuits against Meta's data collection, Amazon's record investments in cloud
Meta faces lawsuits over data harvesting, while Amazon invests record sums in cloud infrastructure. Millions of technically flawed devices and advancements in AI chatbots also hit European headlines.

Interpretation Issue 152: Data Protection Economic Advantage?
Privacy debate intensifies: Does data protection stifle business or provide an economic edge? Podcast hosts discuss with Frederik Richter, exploring potential benefits and challenges for companies.

Amazon with unbridled growth and extreme AI investments, but share price falls
Amazon fuels massive AI investments as e-commerce and cloud services surge globally. Despite record spending, the tech giant's profit per share disappoints investors, causing a stock dip.

The most watched place on the planet is not Ukraine or Taiwan. It is on an island in the Canary Islands with thousands of sensors pointing to a lethal threat
Spanish island La Palma uses thousands of sensors to monitor lethal volcanic gas, a vital tech application for post-eruption safety. This extensive surveillance system is crucial for protecting residents and enabling eventual resettlement.

Reality is losing the deepfake war
Reality faces a deepfake crisis as AI floods platforms with manipulated images. White House admits using AI-generated arrest photos, intensifying the "reality crisis" with no sign of slowing.

Colibri Project strengthens digital resilience in emergency scenarios
Portugal launches Projeto Colibri to bolster digital resilience against escalating emergency threats. The initiative aims to secure critical infrastructure and ensure service continuity during natural disasters.

Senators ask Meta why it waited so long to make teen accounts private by default
US Senators grill Meta on delayed teen privacy protections, citing internal documents. Instagram default private accounts rolled out September 2024, with Facebook and Messenger following.

Anthropic has taken Apple's strategy against Microsoft to the Super Bowl: making it look ridiculous to use the rival
Anthropic launches Super Bowl ads targeting OpenAI with an anti-advertising stance for AI. This move signals a major debate over AI's business model: ad-supported versus subscription-based.

Telefónica sought to lay off 4,525 employees with its ERE. Now it has a problem called 5,124 volunteers
Telefónica's Spanish ERE sees 5,124 volunteers, exceeding the 4,525 planned layoffs. Over 350 workers are now outside the voluntary redundancy plan due to the surge.

AI displaces entry-level jobs: This is the price companies pay for their cost-saving measures
AI tools replace entry-level jobs, costing companies long-term. Companies are substituting AI for young talent requiring salaries and training, jeopardizing future innovation.
