EUROPEAN COMMISSION Posts on XDA

EU could force WhatsApp, Messenger, iMessage and others to offer interoperability

EU could force WhatsApp, Messenger, iMessage and others to offer interoperability

March 25, 2022
The EU has agreed upon new laws to limit the market power of big tech. Its new Digital Markets Act (DMA) aims to blacklist anti-competitive practices and force popular messaging services like WhatsApp, Messenger, iMessage, and others to open up and interoperate with smaller messaging platforms. The EU's press release on the matter states: "During a close...
European Commission wants a DNS built and offered by the EU

European Commission wants a DNS built and offered by the EU

January 19, 2022
On the surface, browsing the web appears to be quite a simple process. Behind the scenes, after you type a URL in your device's address bar, your device sends a query to a Domain Name Server (DNS) to translate the URL to a machine-readable IP address. Once your device receives the corresponding IP address, it...
Irish DPC proposes fining Facebook up to €36 million

Irish DPC proposes fining Facebook up to €36 million

October 13, 2021
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has proposed fining Facebook €36 million euro in one of more than a dozen probes into the company. This is according to a draft decision published on Wednesday. Under European Union 2018 data protection rules, the preliminary ruling must now be shared with other EU supervisory authorities and consider...
EU expected to open investigation into NVIDIA’s acquisition of Arm

EU expected to open investigation into NVIDIA’s acquisition of Arm

October 12, 2021
In September last year, NVIDIA signed a definitive agreement to acquire Arm, the U.K.-based semiconductor and software design company. Given how important of a role Arm plays in the mobile and tech ecosystem as a whole, many raised concerns that the acquisition would give NVIDIA too much power and control, and they argued that it...
EU is reportedly investigating if Google Assistant is being forced on Android phones

EU is reportedly investigating if Google Assistant is being forced on Android phones

September 10, 2021
The European Commission is reportedly investigating whether or not Google is forcing Android device makers to ship Google Assistant on smartphones. According to a report from MLex (via Reuters), EU regulators have asked multiple unnamed device makers to provide evidence that they have been forced by Google to make Google Assistant the default voice assistant service...
Ireland fines WhatsApp €225 million over privacy concerns

Ireland fines WhatsApp €225 million over privacy concerns

September 3, 2021
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has issued a €225 million fine on WhatsApp for breaching the EU's GDPR rules. The fine is related to an investigation that started in 2018 regarding WhatsApp's lack of transparency about how it processes user data. In a press release regarding its decision, the Irish DPC notes: "The Data Protection Commission...
EU accuses Apple of anticompetitive App Store policies

EU accuses Apple of anticompetitive App Store policies

April 30, 2021
The European Commission on Friday said it is formally accusing Apple of engaging in anti-competitive behavior. The Commission said Apple is guilty of abusing its dominate position and has an unfair advantage when competing against other apps in the App Store. The ruling follows an initial complaint from Spotify back in 2019, and takes issue with...
Epic Games raises antitrust complaint against Apple in the EU

Epic Games raises antitrust complaint against Apple in the EU

February 17, 2021
Epic Games is trying its damnedest to force Apple and Google to loosen their grip on the App Store and Play Store. We recently learned that the company's Coalition for App Fairness non-profit was lobbying for the North Dakota bill that could dismantle Apple and Google's app store and payment monopolies. But while the bill...
Google’s Fitbit acquisition is cleared by EU with some conditions applied

Google’s Fitbit acquisition is cleared by EU with some conditions applied

December 17, 2020
Google and Fitbit are one step closer to final completion of their merger after the European Commission gave final approval following a four-month probe. Google bought the wearables pioneer back in November 2019 for a not-unsubstantial $2.1bn but has been awaiting clearance from global regulators including in the European Union, with questions raised over whether...
European Parliament votes in favor of Right to Repair

European Parliament votes in favor of Right to Repair

November 27, 2020
The Right to Repair rules in the European Union just got stronger as the European Parliament has voted in favor of the law. The EU had announced the ruling earlier this year as a part of the Circular Economy Action Plan. The new law mandates that devices should be useful for a longer period before...
Google adds search provider choices for Android users in the EU

Google adds search provider choices for Android users in the EU

September 29, 2020
Android users in Europe can now look forward to easily selecting between a host of search providers, as Google has just announced an upcoming change to how Android would function in the European Union. From 2020 onwards, Android smartphone and tablet users in Europe will be able to select a search provider that will power...
New European regulation could force Apple and Google to be fairer to app developers

New European regulation could force Apple and Google to be fairer to app developers

July 15, 2020
Google and Apple are known for keeping a tight leash on what gets published on their respective app stores. However, at times, the companies have been found guilty of removing apps/games from their platforms without offering developers a clear reason behind the app's removal. A new EU regulation aims to address this issue and promote a...