Europe Needs to Control AI for Defense, Top Industry Exec Says
European AI leader Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch warned that Europe must build its own artificial intelligence capabilities to keep its militaries operational and independent of foreign providers. He likened AI to nuclear deterrence, saying without it an army is ineffective. Mensch’s remarks precede the European Commission’s upcoming technology‑sovereignty package, which aims to reduce reliance on non‑European cloud and semiconductor suppliers. Mistral also presented policy proposals urging government procurement to prioritize European‑controlled AI infrastructure.
Von Der Leyen’s Plan for More Corporate Megadeals Sparks Competition Jitters
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is urging a rewrite of merger guidelines to give "resilience" equal weight with competition and innovation when assessing megadeals. The move follows Draghi‑backed recommendations to build European champions capable of rivaling U.S. and...
Forget Netflix — YouTube Is Our Main Rival, Top French Broadcaster Says
TF1 chief Rodolphe Belmer told Politico that YouTube, not Netflix, is now the main rival to French television, with roughly 67% of French smart‑TV viewers watching the platform. He warned that YouTube’s hosting model lets it sell advertising at prices...
Privacy Roadblock Stunts Von Der Leyen’s Anti-Red Tape Crusade
The European Commission is pushing a digital omnibus that would scale back GDPR protections to unlock pseudonymized data for AI development, aiming to keep Europe competitive with the United States and China. Lawmakers in the European Parliament and a majority...
‘Fatal Decision’: EU Slammed for Caving to US Pressure on Digital Rules
EU lawmakers criticised the European Commission for planning a dialogue with the United States on the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, fearing it could open a back‑door for U.S. influence. Greens and liberal MEPs warned the move might...
Top EU Officials’ Signal Group Chat Shut Down over Hacking Fears
The European Commission ordered senior officials to shut down a Signal group chat after fearing it could be targeted by hackers. The directive follows a series of recent cyber incidents, including a website breach and a mobile‑device infrastructure attack that...
Swiss Finance Minister Files Criminal Charges over Remarks Generated by Elon Musk’s Grok
Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller‑Sutter has filed criminal defamation and insult charges after an X post displayed vulgar, misogynistic remarks generated by Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot. The remarks, prompted by an unidentified user, were deemed not protected speech but...
Bulgaria Requests EU Support to Fend Off Election Meddling in April Vote
Bulgaria has formally asked the European Union for assistance in detecting and halting Russian‑linked disinformation ahead of its April 19 parliamentary election. The request, sent to the European External Action Service, seeks activation of the EU’s rapid response mechanism under...
Irish Lawmaker Urges Stripe to Flout US Sanctions on UN Investigator Albanese
Irish MEP Barry Andrews has publicly urged Stripe co‑founders John and Patrick Collison to enable payments for UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese outside the United States, despite U.S. sanctions against her. The sanctions, imposed by the Trump administration after Albanese...
EU Staff Banned From Using AI-Generated Content in Official Communications
The European Commission, Parliament and Council have instituted a blanket ban on the use of fully AI‑generated videos and images in official communications, allowing only AI‑assisted enhancements such as image up‑scaling. The policy is designed to safeguard the credibility of...
US Pressures Brussels to Join AI Chips Club
The United States is urging the European Union to join Pax Silica, a Washington‑led club aimed at safeguarding AI‑related semiconductor and mineral supply chains against China. EU officials stalled formal talks on membership, even as Sweden and Greece signed the...
From Hitler to ‘Pinocchio’: Germany’s Speech Laws Collide with Satire
German police opened investigations after historian Rainer Zitelmann reposted a photo of Adolf Hitler wearing a swastika armband, a symbol banned under Germany’s criminal code. Similar probes targeted journalist Jan Fleischhauer for satirically referencing a Nazi slogan and a retiree who...
Elon Musk’s X Cooperates with €120M EU Fine
Elon Musk’s X has satisfied the European Commission’s deadline for the €120 million fine imposed under the Digital Services Act. The company either paid the fine or provided a financial guarantee while continuing its appeal at the EU’s top court. X...
US Committee Demands Big Tech Share Private Comms with EU Officials
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee sent letters to ten major tech firms, demanding they preserve and produce all communications with European Commission officials related to the EU Digital Services Act, including auto‑deleting messages. The subpoena, issued in February, targets companies...
Brussels Starts Caring About Startups — Finally!
The European Commission is set to unveil the EU Inc. proposal, a sweeping plan that would let founders register a company in under two days for a maximum of €100, entirely online, and launch EU‑wide employee stock‑option schemes. The initiative...
Belgian Authorities Mixed up EU Lawmaker with Namesake in Huawei Bribery Probe
Belgian prosecutors admitted they mistakenly implicated EU lawmaker Daniel Attard in a Huawei bribery probe, confusing him with a Maltese businessman of the same name. The error surfaced after the MEP asked for a double‑check of the suspect’s identity. The...
EU to Respond ‘Firmly and Proportionately’ to Any Breach of US Trade Deal
The European Union announced it will respond "firmly and proportionately" to any breach of the U.S.-EU trade deal signed at the Turnberry resort. This statement follows the United States' Section 301 investigations that could lead to new tariffs on EU goods....
EU Set to Ban AI Nudification Apps in Wake of Grok Scandal
The European Union is poised to outlaw AI‑driven nudification tools after the Grok scandal, where X’s chatbot generated millions of non‑consensual sexual deepfakes, including child images. A proposal slated for approval by EU ambassadors would criminalize marketing any AI system...
UK Government Pivots Its Digital ID Pitch to War on Red Tape
The UK government released a digital ID consultation, recasting the programme from a migration‑control tool to a means of simplifying citizen interactions with public services. The proposal now lets individuals choose between a government‑issued credential, private‑sector alternatives, or traditional documents,...
EU Promises 48-Hour ‘Delaware’ Regime Won’t Lead to Boom in Bad Bosses
The European Commission is set to unveil an EU‑wide “EU Inc.” regime that would allow companies to incorporate in just 48 hours outside the 27 national legal systems. Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath insists the framework will preserve existing labor protections,...
Protecting the Electricity Grid Is Crucial for National Security
The sponsor‑generated column from Hitachi Energy argues that protecting the United States electricity grid is a matter of national security. It highlights growing cyber and physical threats that could destabilize critical infrastructure and the economy. The piece promotes modernizing the...
TikTok Starts Court Battle to Save China Ties
TikTok has launched a legal defence in Dublin against the Irish Data Protection Commission’s €530 million fine, arguing it can safely transfer European user data to China. The case will determine whether TikTok must halt all data flows to Beijing unless...
Top Trump Ally Threatens Retaliation over EU Space Tech Law
Washington signaled it will retaliate if the EU adopts a Space Act that favors European satellite operators over U.S. firms. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned that the United States would mirror any restrictive EU measures, potentially barring European satellites from...
Public Sector AI: Shifting From Ambition to Readiness
European governments are accelerating AI adoption, but readiness hinges on data foundations. Capgemini research shows 90% plan AI pilots within three years, yet only 21% have progressed beyond experiments. Persistent gaps in data sharing, quality, and sovereignty create a readiness...
Huawei Takes Part in EU Research Programs Despite Commission Crackdown
Huawei is participating in 16 Horizon Europe research projects despite being labeled a high‑risk supplier by the European Commission. Fifteen of the contracts were signed before the 2023 ban, while a sixth‑year project was deemed outside the restriction scope. The...
Greek Court Sentences Predator Spyware Gang
A Greek court sentenced four individuals, including two Israelis, to prison for operating the illegal Predator spyware that targeted politicians, journalists and business executives. The defendants—linked to the Israeli firm Intellexa—were convicted of breaching telephone confidentiality and illegal data access....
Why Europe Can’t Defend What It Can’t Connect
Europe faces its most contested security decade since the Cold War, with the digital backbone—networks, data infrastructures and connectivity—now the primary frontline. Recent blackouts in Portugal and Spain illustrate how digital failures become national security events, while adversaries target subsea...
Canada’s AI Minister Blames OpenAI for ‘Failure’ After Mass Shooting
Canada’s AI minister warned OpenAI after the company did not report a ChatGPT user who later carried out a mass shooting in British Columbia. The government said it will regulate AI chatbots unless firms demonstrate robust safeguards. Ministers met with...
Aid Workers Face Expulsion From Gaza. They Hope EU Privacy Laws Can Save Them.
Humanitarian NGOs operating in Gaza face an imminent deadline to hand over detailed staff and donor data to Israeli authorities or lose access to the territories. The December‑issued registration rules, set to take effect as early as Sunday, affect about...
Brussels’ Privacy Reforms Stumble Out the Gate
The European Commission’s digital‑omnibus package proposes to reshape the GDPR by redefining personal data, allowing pseudonymized information to fall outside strict privacy rules. National governments, led by the Cypriot Council presidency, have pushed back, warning the change could erode core...
X Challenges €120M EU Fine
Elon Musk's X has filed a legal challenge against a €120 million fine imposed by the European Commission under the Digital Services Act. The penalty, issued in December, alleges breaches of transparency obligations and deceptive design of the platform’s blue verification...
California Governor Backs Social Media Restrictions for Teens Under 16
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his support for state legislation that would bar users under 16 from accessing major social‑media platforms, echoing Australia’s recent age‑gating rule. The governor’s stance comes as a bipartisan group of lawmakers pushes a bill that...
Britain’s Labour Government Feels the Heat over Palantir Contracts
Britain’s Labour government is under growing pressure over its contracts with U.S. data‑analytics firm Palantir, which include a £330 million NHS platform and a £240 million defence deal awarded without competition. Critics cite the company’s founder Peter Thiel, its work with ICE, and...
EU Needs to Abandon AI ‘Doomerism,’ White House Official Says
U.S. White House senior AI adviser Sriram Krishnan warned the EU to abandon its "doomerism" and focus on innovation rather than heavy regulation. He criticized the 2024 EU AI Act as stifling for entrepreneurs, citing Austrian coder Peter Steinberger’s move...
Ireland Launches ‘Large-Scale Inquiry’ Into Musk’s AI Bot Grok
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has opened a large‑scale GDPR inquiry into Elon Musk’s X over its AI tool Grok, which has been linked to a surge of sexualized deepfakes, including images of minors. Regulators estimate Grok produced three million non‑consensual...
EU Tech Enforcer Tells Officials Not to Be Scared by US Threats
EU Digital Services Act (DSA) enforcer Prabhat Agarwal urged regulators and civil‑society groups not to be intimidated by recent U.S. actions that exposed their identities and barred some from entering the United States. He highlighted the Commission’s commitment to protect...
Keir Starmer Vows to ‘Tackle’ Social Media Infinite Scrolling
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a UK consultation on children’s online safety, targeting addictive social‑media features such as infinite scroll and autoplay. The three‑month review could lead to swift regulatory action, including a possible ban for under‑16s, though a full...
