DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Facebook and Instagram get ad-free subscription service in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

People in the European Union, which includes 27 countries, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, will be able to pay 9.99 euros ($11) per month on the web or 12.99 euros ($14) per month month on iOS and Android to access the ad-free version of Facebook and Instagram. Meta said on Monday it will offer an ad-free subscription option for Facebook and Instagram in Europe after it faced a major challenge from regulators in the region this year. Meta said the introduction of the subscription service is aimed at addressing regulatory concerns. Meta pointed to this ruling as a reason for introducing the subscription offer. "In its ruling, the CJEU (European Court of Justice) expressly recognised that a subscription model, like the one we are announcing, is a valid form of consent for an ads funded service," Meta wrote.

Persons: Meta Organizations: European Union, European Economic, Facebook, General Data, Meta, of Justice Locations: Switzerland, Europe

Oct 3 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) is looking to introduce ad-free subscription plans for Instagram and Facebook users in Europe, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The proposal is an attempt by Meta to comply with European Union regulations that threaten to curb its ability to personalize ads for users without their consent and hurt its major revenue source. Offering a choice between a free, ad-supported plan and a paid subscription might lead to users opting for the former, helping Meta comply with regulations without affecting its ad business. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsIn comparison, Netflix (NFLX.O) charges 7.99 euros for a basic subscription plan, while Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) YouTube Premium costs about 12 euros and Spotify's (SPOT.N) Premium service is priced at about 11 euros. Meta was fined 390 million euros earlier this year by Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner, and told it cannot use the so-called "contract" as a legal basis to send users ads based on their online activity.

Persons: Apple's, Dado Ruvic, Meta, Supantha Mukherjee, Akash Sriram, Jyoti Narayan, Sonia Cheema, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Instagram, Meta, Union, Reuters, REUTERS, Netflix, YouTube, Ireland's, EU, Protection, European, Thomson Locations: Europe, Stockholm, Bengaluru

☆ Governments race to regulate AI tools
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

ITALY* Investigating possible breachesItaly's data protection authority plans to review artificial intelligence platforms and hire AI experts, a top official said in May. ChatGPT became available to users in Italy in April after being temporarily banned over concerns by the national data protection authority in March. The country's privacy watchdog said in June it had warned OpenAI not to collect sensitive data without people's permission. SPAIN* Investigating possible breachesSpain's data protection agency said in April it was launching a preliminary investigation into potential data breaches by ChatGPT. It has also asked the EU's privacy watchdog to evaluate privacy concerns surrounding ChatGPT.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ursula von der Leyen, CNIL, Ziv Katzir, Israel, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Lawmakers, Joe Biden's, Beryl Howell, Alessandro Parodi, Amir Orusov, Kirsten Donovan, Mark Potter, Christina Fincher, Milla Nissi Organizations: REUTERS, Baidu, Microsoft, Markets Authority, Big Tech, Britain, HK, SenseTime, Israel Innovation Authority, EU, UNITED, . Security, International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations, U.S, IBM, Nvidia, Washington D.C, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: AUSTRALIA, Australia, BRITAIN, CHINA, China, FRANCE, Italy, Hiroshima, Japan, IRELAND, ISRAEL, Israel, ITALY, JAPAN, U.S, SPAIN, New York, Washington, Gdansk

☆ TikTok slapped with a $368 million fine in Europe for failing to protect children's privacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

European regulators hit social media platform TikTok with a $368 million fine for lapses in children's privacy. It's the first time the video-sharing app has been penalized under Europe's data privacy rules. An investigation found significant lapses in the protection of children's privacy, it said. This isn't the first time that TikTok has been fined over data protection concerns. Data privacy regulators in the UK issued a £12.7 million ($15.7 million) fine to TikTok in April for mishandling children's data and breaching protections for young users' personal information, AP reported.

Persons: TikTok, Elaine Fox Organizations: Service, Associated Press, Ireland's Data Protection, AP Locations: Wall, Silicon, Dublin, Europe

☆ TikTok fined 345 million euros over handling of children's data in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

EU flag and TikTok logo are seen in this illustration taken, June 2, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies TikTok FollowMeta Platforms Inc FollowDUBLIN, Sept 15 (Reuters) - TikTok has been fined 345 million euros ($370 million) for breaching privacy laws regarding the processing of children's personal data in the European Union, its lead regulator in the bloc said on Friday. The DPC gave TikTok three months to bring all its processing into compliance where infringements were found. It has a second probe open into the transferring by TikTok of personal data to China and whether it complies with EU data law when moving personal data to countries outside the bloc. The DPC has hit other tech giants with big fines, including a combined 2.5 billion euros levied on Meta (META.O).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, TikTok, Padraic Halpin, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Data Protection, Meta, Thomson Locations: Ireland, China

LONDON (AP) — European regulators slapped TikTok with a $368 million fine on Friday for failing to protect children's privacy, the first time that the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe's strict data privacy rules. And it nudged teen users into more “privacy intrusive” options when signing up and posting videos, the watchdog said. The Irish regulator has been criticized for not moving fast enough in its investigations into Big Tech companies since EU privacy laws took effect in 2018. For TikTok, German and Italian regulators disagreed with parts of a draft decision issued a year ago, delaying it further. Instagram, WhatsApp and their owner Meta are among other tech giants that have been hit with big fines by the Irish regulator over the past year.

Persons: they're, TikTok, “, ”, Elaine Fox Organizations: —, Protection, Big Tech, Data, Meta Locations: Dublin, Europe, Brussels, China, Irish

The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo/File PhotoOSLO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms (META.O) will be fined 1 million Norwegian crowns ($98,500) per day over privacy breaches from Aug. 14, Norway's data protection authority told Reuters on Monday. The regulator, Datatilsynet, had said on July 17 that the company would be fined if it did not address privacy breaches the regulator had identified. Meta Platforms did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Norway is not a member of the European Union but is part of the European single market.

Persons: Yves Herman, Datatilsynet, Tobias Judin, Meta, Meta's, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Meta, Reuters, Big Tech, European Data Protection, European Union, Facebook, Ireland's Data, European, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, OSLO, Norway, Norwegian, Europe, Oslo

☆ Meta to seek user consent for targeted ads in the EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EU flag and Meta logo are seen in this illustration taken, May 22, 2023. Meta said the change is to address a number of evolving regulatory requirements in the region and stems from an order in January by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner, Meta's lead EU regulator, to reassess the legal basis on how it targets ads. Once this change is in place, advertisers will still be able to run personalised advertising campaigns to reach potential customers and grow their businesses. Meta added that it would share further information on how the process will work in practice over the coming months following further engagement with regulators. A spokesperson for Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner, which is the lead privacy regulator for many of the world's largest technology companies within the EU, said it had received correspondence from Meta on the matter.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Meta, Meta's, Padraic Halpin, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters Connect DUBLIN, European Union, Facebook, Ireland's Data, Data, Meta, Thomson Locations: Switzerland

☆ Microsoft set to report earnings after the close
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft will report results for its fiscal fourth quarter after market close on Tuesday. Based on analysts' projections, Microsoft will close fiscal 2023 with revenue growth below 10% for the first time since 2017. Microsoft doesn't report Azure revenue in dollars. During the quarter, Microsoft built on its broad alliance with OpenAI to capitalize on fresh interest in artificial intelligence, following the November launch of the startup's ChatGPT chatbot. Activision shares have climbed past $92.50, close to the $95 that Microsoft agreed to pay, reflecting optimism that the deal is on track to close.

Persons: Satya Nadella, OpenAI, they'll, Bing, Griffin Organizations: White, Microsoft, CNBC, StreetAccount, Amazon Web Services, Google, Activision Blizzard, Federal, Activision, Data, LinkedIn Locations: Washington, Refinitiv, ChatGPT

☆ Ireland bolsters data watchdog's powers, privacy activists cry foul
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, June 28 (Reuters) - Ireland bolstered its powerful data regulator's ability to stop the sharing of information during its inquiries into global tech companies amid criticism from opposition parties, privacy activists and non-governmental organisations. Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) is the European Union's lead regulator of many of the world's largest technology companies due to their EU headquarters being based in Ireland, and has levied billions of euros worth of fines under the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), introduced in 2018. The DPC had sought the powers in order to ensure fair procedure, he said. "To be clear nothing in this amendment will prevent a complainant from speaking out about the nature of their data privacy complaint. The European Consumer Organisation, European Digital Rights group and Amnesty International also spoke out against the bill.

Persons: Max Schrems, James Brown, DPC, Johnny Ryan, Catherine Murphy, Padraic Halpin, Grant McCool Organizations: DUBLIN, Data Protection, Irish, of Civil Liberties, European Consumer Organisation, European Digital Rights, Amnesty International, Social Democrats, Thomson Locations: Ireland, European, Austrian

☆ EU to meet on U.S. data transfer pact in mid-July - lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, June 26 (Reuters) - The European Commission is due to finalise a new data transfer pact with the United States by mid-July, a lawyer for Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), the bloc's lead regulator for many big tech firms, said on Monday. The European Union and United States agreed in March 2022 on the new mechanism to safely transfer EU citizens' personal data to the U.S. after Europe's top court threw out the two previous data transfer frameworks because of concerns about U.S. intelligence agencies accessing Europeans' private data. The two sides have since been working through the detail and Catherine Donnelly, a lawyer for the DPC, said the Irish regulator understood the pact will be presented to the College of Commissioners, the Commission's collective decision-making body, by mid-July. The social media giant said it expects the new pact to be fully implemented before it has to suspend transfers. Reporting by Padraic Halpin, additional reporting by Foo Yun Chee in Brussels, editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Catherine Donnelly, Meta, Denis McDonald, Padraic Halpin, Foo Yun Chee, Christina Fincher Organizations: DUBLIN, European, Data, European Union, United, College of Commissioners, Facebook, Irish High Court, Thomson Locations: United States, Dublin, Europe, Brussels

The Google parent has advised employees not to enter its confidential materials into AI chatbots, the people said and the company confirmed, citing long-standing policy on safeguarding information. Alphabet also alerted its engineers to avoid direct use of computer code that chatbots can generate, some of the people said. A growing number of businesses around the world have set up guardrails on AI chatbots, among them Samsung (005930.KS), Amazon.com (AMZN.O) and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), the companies told Reuters. By February, Google told staff testing Bard before its launch not to give it internal information, Insider reported. A Google privacy notice updated on June 1 also states: "Don’t include confidential or sensitive information in your Bard conversations."

Persons: Bard, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Harry Potter, Yusuf Mehdi, Mehdi, Bing, Matthew Prince, Jeffrey Dastin, Anna Tong, Kenneth Li, Nick Zieminski Organizations: FRANCISCO, Reuters, Google, ChatGPT, Microsoft Corp, Samsung, Deutsche Bank, Apple, Data Protection, Politico, EU, cyberattacks, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Bard, San Francisco

☆ Factbox: Governments race to regulate AI tools
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

CHINA* Planning regulationsThe Chinese government will seek to initiate AI regulations in its country, billionaire Elon Musk said on June 5 after meeting with officials during his recent trip to China. ITALY* Investigating possible breachesItaly's data protection authority plans to review other artificial intelligence platforms and hire AI experts, a top official said in May. ChatGPT became available again to users in Italy in April after being temporarily banned over concerns by the national data protection authority in March. SPAIN* Investigating possible breachesSpain's data protection agency said in April it was launching a preliminary investigation into potential data breaches by ChatGPT. The Biden administration earlier in April said it was seeking public comments on potential accountability measures for AI systems.

Persons: Alan Turing, Elon Musk, Margrethe Vestager, Vestager, CNIL, Dado Ruvic, Ziv Katzir, Israel, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Michael Bennet, Biden, Alessandro Parodi, Amir Orusov, Jason Neely, Kirsten Donovan, Milla Nissi Organizations: Microsoft, Authority, Reuters, EU, Key, European Consumer Organisation, Seven, REUTERS, Israel Innovation Authority, UNITED, International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations, U.S . Federal Trade Commission's, Thomson Locations: AUSTRALIA, BRITAIN, Britain, CHINA, China, Beijing, U.S, FRANCE, Italy, Hiroshima, Japan, IRELAND, ISRAEL, Israel, ITALY, JAPAN, SPAIN, Gdansk

☆ Meta hit with record $1.3 bln fine over data transfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fine, imposed by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), came after Meta continued to transfer data beyond a 2020 EU court ruling that invalidated an EU-U.S. data transfer pact. It tops the previous record EU privacy fine of 746 million euros handed by Luxembourg to Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) in 2021. "Without the ability to transfer data across borders, the internet risks being carved up into national and regional silos," Meta said. Europe's top court, the European Court of Justice, threw out the two previous pacts over concerns about U.S. surveillance. Unless U.S. surveillance laws gets fixed, Meta will likely have to keep EU data in the EU," he said in a statement.

☆ Meta hit with a record-breaking $1.3 billion fine over data privacy breaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meta has been fined $1.3 billion, the Irish Data Protection Commission announced Monday. It was previously warned about transferring Facebook users' data to the US. In a record for European Union privacy violations, Meta has been fined $1.3 billion over its handling of users' data, Ireland's Data Protection Commission announced Monday. Meta was previously warned by the EU for transferring Facebook users data to US servers, saying that it was not sufficiently protected from American spy agencies. Companies have been in limbo over data protection rules since 2020, when the EU banned a pact which regulated data transfers across the Atlantic.

☆ Meta hit by record 1.2 bln euro fine by EU over U.S. data transfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] A security guard stands watch by the Meta sign outside the headquarters of Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc in Mountain View, California, U.S. November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Peter DaSilvaDUBLIN, May 22 (Reuters) - Meta (META.O) was hit on Monday with a record 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) fine by its lead privacy regulator in the European Union for its handling of user information and given five months to stop transferring users’ data to the United States. The fine imposed by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) concerned Meta's continued transferring of personal data and topped the previous 746 million euro record EU privacy fine by Luxembourg on Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) in 2021, according to a DPC statement. Reporting by Padraic HalpinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Meta fined a record $1.3 billion over EU user data transfers to the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Meta has been fined a record 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) by European privacy regulators over the transfer of EU user data to the U.S. Several mechanisms to legally transfer personal data between the U.S. and the EU have been contested. The latest such iteration, Privacy Shield, was struck down by the European Court of Justice, the EU's top court, in 2020. Meta used a mechanism called standard contractual clauses to transfer personal data in and out of the EU. Ireland's Data Protection Commission also told Meta to "suspend any future transfer of personal data to the US within the period of five months" from the decision.

REUTERS/Dado RuvicMay 17 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) is set to face a record European Union privacy fine related to data transfer of Facebook's EU users to U.S. servers for failing to comply with a warning by a top EU court, two sources familiar with the matter said. The penalty will be higher than the previous record 746 million euros ($821.20 million) fine for Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), according to the sources. Meta declined to comment, while the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) and the European Commission did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. EU regulators led by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon have been finalising a ban on the legal tool used by Facebook to transfer European user data because of concerns U.S. intelligence agencies could access the information. Europe's highest court ruled in 2020 that an EU-U.S. data transfer agreement was invalid, citing surveillance concerns.

☆ Irish data regulator warns against rushing into chatbot bans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It needs to be regulated and it's about figuring out how to regulate it properly," Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) Helen Dixon told a Bloomberg conference, saying the debate extended to thousands of ChatGPT equivalents. "For the Irish data protection commission, where we are at is trying to understand a little bit more about the technology, about the large language models, about where the training data is sourced." "So I think it's early days, but it's time to be having those conversations now rather than rushing into prohibitions that really aren't going to stand up." Dixon added that the issues around Generative AI span far beyond data protection and include copyright and defamation concerns. "We also want to contribute to broader discussions about the risks and about other areas of law that converge in AI," she said.

☆ Irish regulator has month to make order on EU-US Facebook data transfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBLIN, April 13 (Reuters) - Ireland's data regulator has one month to make an order on blocking Facebook's transatlantic data flows, European Union regulators said on Thursday. EU regulators led by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) Helen Dixon have been finalising a ban on the legal tool used by Facebook to transfer European user data because of concerns U.S. intelligence agencies could access the information. Dixon, who is lead regulator for Facebook parent Meta (META.O) because its European headquarters are in Ireland, last month said the ban could be in place by mid-May. While the statement did not say what the decision was, Dixon has said other regulators had not disputed her order to ban the data transfer mechanism. Officials have said a new EU-U.S. data protection framework, which aims to offer EU citizens the same level of data protection as under European law, may be ready by July.

☆ Germany could block ChatGPT if needed, says data protection chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, April 3 (Reuters) - Germany could follow in Italy's footsteps by blocking ChatGPT over data security concerns, the German commissioner for data protection told the Handelsblatt newspaper in comments published on Monday. "In principle, such action is also possible in Germany," Ulrich Kelber said, adding that this would fall under state jurisdiction. Privacy watchdogs in France and Ireland said they had also contacted the Italian data regulator to discuss its findings. "We are following up with the Italian regulator to understand the basis for their action and we will coordinate with all EU data protection authorities in relation to this matter," said a spokesperson for Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC). The privacy regulator in Sweden said it has no plans to ban ChatGPT nor is it in contact with the Italian watchdog.

☆ Twitter's lead EU regulator concerned over blue tick roll-out
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Conor Humphries | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, March 7 (Reuters) - Twitter's lead European Union privacy regulator said on Tuesday she was concerned that the Elon Musk-owned U.S. firm had launched its Twitter Blue subscription service in the region without consulting her office, despite a pledge to do so. Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon, Twitter's lead EU regulator due to the location of its European headquarters in Dublin, said the service raised privacy issues including around verification of accounts to prevent users posing as public figures. Dixon in November expressed concern about the impact of steep job cuts on Twitter's ability to meet privacy obligations following billionaire Musk's takeover the previous month. Twitter now has a "very strong" data protection officer, she said. "But beyond the data protection office, there are clearly other forces at play.

☆ New EU-US data pact may come too late for Facebook -regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Conor Humphries | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies Facebook may face EU-U.S. data freeze by MayAction due to concerns about U.S. intelligenceNew EU-U.S data privacy deal may come laterDUBLIN, March 7 (Reuters) - A new pact to facilitate the safe transfer of EU citizens' personal data to the United States might not come into force in time to avoid a suspension of Facebook's transatlantic data flows, the U.S. firm's lead European regulator said on Tuesday. European Union regulators led by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) Helen Dixon are finalising a ban on the legal tool used by Facebook to transfer European user data because of concerns U.S. intelligence agencies could access them. In an interview, Dixon said the ban could be in place by mid-May while a new EU-U.S data protection framework that would provide an alternative basis for the transfers might take longer. It must be signed off by other European regulators by April 13, and after that, Dixon said she would have another month to issue a ruling. NEW FRAMEWORKOfficials have said the new EU-U.S. framework, which aims to offer EU citizens the same level of data protection as under European law, may be ready by summer.

☆ Meta plans to appeal $414 million fine amid row over consent for ad tracking
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta was fined $414 million by Ireland's Data Protection Commission on Wednesday. Max Schrems, who submitted the complaint, told Insider Meta will need to ask for users' consent. The company was hit with two fines on Wednesday – one for Facebook and one for Instagram – by Ireland's Data Protection Commission for violating the Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws. This refers to one of the GDPR act's six legal bases for processing users' data. The European Commission and Irish Data Protection Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

☆ EU regulators raise concerns over Meta's targeted ad model - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The ruling was approved on Monday by a board representing all EU privacy regulators and could limit the data Meta can access to sell such ads, the report added. For years, Meta's social media platforms have allowed users to opt out of personalized ads, which are targeted after collecting data about user behavior and choices across other apps and websites. But the EU ruling could stifle Meta's ability to target ads based on user activity inside their own apps as well. A spokeswoman for the European Data Protection Board, the body representing all EU privacy regulators, declined to provide details of the decisions made. Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Search resuls for: "Ireland's Data Protection"

25 mentions found