Natasha Lomas
Senior Reporter
The Latest from Natasha Lomas
Google’s adtech targeted by Dutch class-action style privacy damages suit
Google is facing class-action style litigation in the Netherlands which accuses the adtech giant of breaching European privacy laws. It’s demanding Google stops tracking and profiling consumers
Ministerial statement on UK’s Online Safety Bill seen as steering out of encryption clash
The U.K. government appears to have steered out of a direct collision with the tech industry over a controversial, encryption-risking provision in the Online Safety Bill. Mainstream tech giants and sm
Meta denied injunction against Norway’s ban order on its surveillance ads
Meta has lost a first bid to get an injunction slapped on a ban Norway’s data protection authority imposed on its consentless behavioral ad targeting in July. The order also provides for daily f
EU confirms six (mostly US) tech giants are subject to Digital Markets Act
The European Union has named six tech giants whose market power it hopes to rein in by applying a new set of proactive, pro-competition rules on how these gatekeepers can operate designated “cor
A closer look at e/OS: Murena’s privacy-first ‘deGoogled’ Android alternative
Murena is in the business of deGoogling Android smartphones in the name of privacy. The French/European firm has been doing this for around five years, as a not-for-profit foundation — but also,
Jude is building a bladder health champion
Bladder health isn’t the sexiest subject in the world, so it probably won’t surprise you there are so few startups focused on the area. Only one, actually, according to Jude founder Peony
UK gov’t urged against delay in setting AI rulebook as MPs warn policymakers aren’t keeping up
A U.K. parliamentary committee that’s investigating the opportunities and challenges unfolding around artificial intelligence has urged the government to reconsider its decision not to introduce
Fitbit targeted with trio of data transfer complaints in Europe
Google-owned Fitbit is facing a trio of privacy complaints in the European Union which allege the company is illegally exporting user data in breach of the bloc’s data protection rules. The comp
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI accused of string of data protection breaches in GDPR complaint filed by privacy researcher
Questions about ChatGPT-maker OpenAI’s ability to comply with European privacy rules are in the frame again after a detailed complaint was filed with the Polish data protection authority yesterd
Longevity-loving Fairphone 5 unwrapped, with pledge of 8+ years software support
Ethical electronics startup, Fairphone, has taken the recycled wrapping off a new flagship smartphone, the Fairphone 5, which will start shipping to buyers in Europe next month. The Android 13-powered
All hail the new EU law that lets social media users quiet quit the algorithm
Internet users in the European Union are logging on to a quiet revolution on mainstream social networks today: The ability to say ‘no thanks’ to being attention hacked by AI. Thanks to the
Social media giants urged to tackle data-scraping privacy risks
A joint statement signed by regulators at a dozen international privacy watchdogs, including the U.K.’s ICO, Canada’s OPC and Hong Kong’s OPCPD, has urged mainstream social media pla
Google to go further on ads transparency and data access for researchers as EU digital rulebook reboot kicks in
Google has said it will increase how much information it provides about ads targeted at users in the European Union. It is also expanding data access to third party researchers studying systemic conte
Snap confirms EU users will soon be able to opt out of content ‘personalization’
Snap has become the latest mainstream social media firm to trail incoming changes in Europe that include the ability for users of its messaging app to switch off tracking-based content personalization
Meta confirms AI ‘off-switch’ incoming to Facebook, Instagram in Europe
Meta has confirmed that non-personalized content feeds are incoming on Facebook and Instagram in the European Union ahead of the August 25 deadline for compliance with the bloc’s rebooted digita
UK’s CMA confirms decision to block Microsoft-Activision but opens fresh probe of restructured deal proposal
The U.K.’s antitrust regulator has confirmed its April decision to block the $68.7 billion Microsoft-Activision gaming mega-merger — rejecting arguments by Microsoft that it should overtur
Ultrahuman Ring Air review
Indian fitness and nutrition tracking startup Ultrahuman has fast-followed its debut smart ring last year with a second generation of the device — which officially launched in June. The new sma
Zoom knots itself a legal tangle over use of customer data for training AI models
Three years ago Zoom settled with the FTC over a claim of deceptive marketing around security claims, having been accused of overstating the strength of the encryption it offered. Now the videoconfere
Coming soon to TikTok in Europe: A ‘For You’ feed without the TikTok algorithm
Get ready for a version of TikTok you’ve never seen before! Without the hyper-sticky, AI-driven ‘For You’ feed… The video sharing platform has announced that TikTok users in t
AFP sues Musk’s X for refusing to enter news reuse payment talks
Elon Musk–owned X, formerly Twitter, is facing legal action brought under copyright law in France. The Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency has announced it’s suing the social media platform