The EU has proposed new rules to govern data use, artificial intelligence, social media content, and online marketplaces. Brussels has already approved major legislation on privacy and competition policy. Meanwhile, Washington lags far behind.
CEPA’s Digital Innovation Initiative (DII) is tracking major developments in transatlantic tech policy below.
May 24 — Layoffs
Meta to lay off 500 employees from its Dublin headquarters, about 20% of the Irish workforce, as part of its latest round of layoffs.
May 24 — Artificial Intelligence
Alphabet and the European Commission agree to create a voluntary AI pact to establish minimum standards for the technology in advance of the conclusion of a legally-binding European AI Act.
May 22 — Critical Minerals
The US agrees with Australia to support its critical minerals industry in an attempt to develop alternative suppliers to China.
May 22 — Privacy & Digital Rights
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission fines Meta $1.3 billion citing the company’s lack of protection for transatlantic data flows as demanded by the GDPR.
May 22 — Hardware
China imposes sales restrictions on US-based Micron following American export controls on advanced chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
May 22 — Hardware
Japan announces it will impose further restrictions on exporting cutting-edge semiconductors, building on an existing list of semiconductors export controls from March this year.
May 18 — Privacy & Digital Rights
TikTok creators sue the state of Montana in an attempt to overturn the first full US ban of the social media platform.
May 18 — Hardware
The UK will invest £1 billion over the next decade to secure semiconductor supplies and boost its chip design sector, but critics said the plan lacked ambition.
May 18 — Content Moderation
The US Supreme Court hands Internet platforms a victory by declining to hold them liable for content posted by their users in two cases involving Google and Twitter.
May 17 — Privacy & Digital Rights
France’s top constitutional court approves the use of AI-powered surveillance cameras for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
May 17 — Privacy & Digital Rights
Europe and India hold their first Trade and Technology Council meeting, revealing underlying tension over international data flows.
May 17 — Cybersecurity
The US Justice Department brings five cases including one against a former Apple engineer for stealing technology to benefit China, Russia, and Iran.
May 17 — Artificial Intelligence
France’s privacy regulator announces an action plan on AI that includes upholding data protection standards, auditing AI systems for potential harm, and better understanding how the technology affects society.
May 17 — Online Commerce
The European Commission proposes a major customs overhaul, including the creation of a single European Customs Agency, in response in large part to growing e-commerce.
May 16 — Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI’s Sam Altman warns Congress that artificial intelligence ‘Can Go Quite Wrong’ and calls on lawmakers to create safety standards.
May 16 — Online Commerce
The European Union approves the world’s first comprehensive set of rules to regulate crypto assets, putting pressure on Britain and the United States to catch up.
May 15 — Competition
The European Commission approves Microsoft’s $69 billion deal for Activision, putting it in conflict with US and UK regulators who have moved to block it — and creating regulatory uncertainty for tech acquisitions.
May 12 — Hardware
French President Emmanuel Macron calls for increased industrial policy in a drive for Europe to assert its “sovereignty.”
May 10 — Artificial Intelligence
Google demonstrates an updated search engine powered by artificial intelligence, marking one of the biggest potential changes to its marquee product and hoping to answer the challenge by Microsoft Bing’s integration of ChatGPT.
May 10 — Hardware
The European Commission creates a Semiconductor Alert System to raise awareness about critical disruptions in the semiconductors supply chain.
May 10 — Competition
France proposes legislation expanding the EU’s Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, allowing judges to block porn websites and foreign propaganda, as well as obliging online platforms to remove flagged child sexual abuse material within 24 hours.
May 10 — Cybersecurity
The FBI disables Russian malware allegedly used to steal documents from NATO allies.
May 9 — Privacy & Digital Rights
In its final report on the Pegasus spyware snooping, the European Parliament calls on EU governments to stop most surveillance of private individuals.
May 8 — Critical Minerals
The White House expedites the review and approval of a manganese and zinc mine in Arizona, a move designed to enhance the domestic supply of critical raw materials.
May 4 — Hardware
Ursula Von der Leyen breaks ground to build a new €5 billion semiconductor factory in Dresden, Germany, following the passage of the EU Chips Act aimed at increasing the bloc’s semiconductor production.
May 4 — Artificial Intelligence
The White House announces the creation of seven National AI Research Institutes, with the goal of promoting “responsible AI.”
May 3 — Privacy & Digital Rights
The Federal Trade Commission calls for a ban on Facebook monetizing youth data following the company’s failure to meet previous pledges.
May 2 — Competition
The EU’s Digital Markets Act, Europe’s attempt to reign in the largest tech companies, comes into force.
May 1 — Hardware
British microchip designing giant Arm will sell its shares in the US for up to $10 billion in a blow to the London financial markets.
April 30 — Artificial Intelligence
G7 Digital Technology Ministers release a Ministerial Declaration outlining agreements in six areas: Data Free Flows with Trust, digital infrastructure, internet governance, emerging tech, AI, and competition.
April 28 — Artificial Intelligence
Italy lifts its ban on ChatGPT, but its move has inspired fellow European privacy regulators to launch probes.
April 26 — Competition
The UK blocks Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of video game company Activision, showing how difficult it will be for the biggest tech companies to make blockbuster purchases.
April 25 — Competition
The European Commission designated 19 companies as “Very Large Online Platforms” subject to extra regulation of their policies to combat illegal content under the new Digital Services Act.
April 25 — Content Moderation
The EU gives final approval to a new General Product Safety Regulation, upping the responsibility of e-commerce marketplaces for keeping dangerous products off their sites.
April 25 — Competition
The UK government published its Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill this afternoon, outlining over 388 pages of how it will reform competition law.
April 24 — Content Moderation
The US Supreme Court agrees to take a case deciding whether to decide if public officials can block critics from Facebook and other social media sites they maintain.
April 24 — Competition
Apple wins a ‘resounding victory’ in its legal battle over app store fees against Epic Games.
April 22 — Competition
The UK will create a new regulator to tackle the potentially dominant market power of Internet platforms, such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook.
April 20 — Artificial Intelligence
Google plans to introduce generative artificial intelligence in its ads, as big tech groups rush to incorporate groundbreaking technology into their products.
April 19 — Cybersecurity
The European Commission proposed a draft Cyber Solidarity Act that would increase cooperation between private and public sectors — despite opposition from national governments concerned bout intelligence sharing.
April 18 — Hardware
Apple opened its first retail store in India in the presence of Chief Executive Tim Cook, underlining the company’s efforts to diversify its supply chain and boost smartphone sales in the world’s most populous country.
April 18 — Hardware
The EU agreed on a €43 billion ($47 billion) plan for its semiconductor industry in an attempt to catch up with the United States and Asia.
April 11 — Artificial Intelligence
The Biden Administration considers rules to regulate ChatGPT, opening a consultation on how to ensure that the new tool remains “trustworthy.”
April 9 — Competition
Chinese tech giant Alibaba unveils “Tongyi Qianwen” as the newest AI rival to ChatGPT, underlining Chinese ambitions in the field.
April 4 – Hardware
China calls on Japan to rescind its recent decision to follow the US and impose export restrictions on chip manufacturing equipment.
April 4 — Cybersecurity
The UK’s data regulator fines TikTok $16 million USD following the company’s use of children’s data without the required parental consent.
April 3 — Hardware
Russia creates an investment fund targeted at microchip and drone production, in an effort to revive Vladimir Putin’s far-fetched ambitions to ensure Russian technological leadership.
March 31 – Privacy & Digital Rights
Italy’s data protection agency bans ChatGPT, at least temporarily, saying the artificial intelligence tool breached the EU’s GDPR privacy rules.
March 30 – Hardware
The UK joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership, its largest trade deal following Brexit.
March 30 – Privacy & Digital Rights
A bipartisan group of US. lawmakers propose a bill to curb Google and Facebook’s grip over digital advertising.
March 29 – Competition
More than 1,000 tech executives, including Twitter and Tesla owner Elon Musk, publish an open letter calling for a six-month “pause” on developing artificial intelligence tools such as Chat GPT to halt what they call a “dangerous” arms race.
March 28 – Competition
Apple launches its ‘buy now, pay later’ feature of the Apple wallet, upping competition with leading fin-tech high flyers Klarna and Affirm.
March 28 – Competition
Germany’s federal antitrust office launches a probe into Microsft’s potentially anti-competitive market dominance, the latest big tech company targeted after Google parent Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon.
March 27 – Competition
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan signals concerns that Big Tech risks suppressing competition in the development of artificial intelligence.
March 27 – Cyber
The White House releases an Executive Order banning US government agencies from employing spyware deemed a threat to national security, following the controversial Pegasus spyware scandal in the European Union.
March 27 – Hardware
Japan announces a deal with the US on critical minerals and electric vehicle batteries, making these Japanese products eligible for US tax credits.
March 27 – Hardware
The Canadian region Saskatchewan announces new policies aimed at increasing investment in province’s critical mineral and rare earths.
March 23 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The US House Energy and Commerce Committee grills TikTok CEO Shou Chew, demonstrating bipartisan skepticism of the Chinese social media platform’s security plans.
March 23 – Competition
The Federal Trade Commission releases new consumer-protection proposals aimed to make it easy to “Click to Cancel” subscriptions.
March 22 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
Germany’s Interior Ministry warns of a concerning number of close ties between Deutsche Telekom and Huawei, a sign of increasing concern about Chinese threats to German national security.
March 22 – Hardware
The White House releases new priorities to boost US biotechnology and domestic biotech-assisted manufacturing, another sign of nearshoring key technology.
March 17 – Content Moderation
YouTube restores Donald Trump’s channel following similar moves by Facebook and Twitter.
March 16 – Net Zero Industry Act
The European Commission responds to the US’s green subsidy plan by proposing the Net Zero Industry Act, loosening its strict rules on state aid and antitrust enforcement for climate change projects.
March 16 – Critical Raw Minerals Act
The European Commission proposes the Critical and Raw Minerals Act to ensure that by 2030 the EU can produce at least 10% and process at least 40% of strategic materials needed annually.
March 16 – Content Moderation
The UK government bans TikTok on government phones, the latest European country to crack down on the Chinese social media app.
March 15 – Privacy and Digital Rights
A Dutch court ruled that Facebook misused data for targeting advertising, requiring the social media company to negotiate a settlement with 190,000 Dutch complainants.
March 14 – Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI unveils ChatGPT-4, as the paid latest version of the generative AI popular chatbox, announcing new partnerships with DuoLingo, Morgan Stanley, and Khan Academy.
March 14 – Tech Diplomacy
The EU launches a new Digital Partnership with CELAC focused on developing Latin America’s digital infrastructure and regulatory environment.
March 14 – Layoffs
Meta announces an additional 10,000 layoffs, 13% of the company’s workforce, in a move following CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s inauguration of a “year of efficiency”.
March 13 – Competition
A US Federal Court fines Dish Network with $469 million for infringing patents held by parental-control tech maker ClearPlay.
March 13 – Competition
A California Court ruling preserves gig-economy workers’ status as independent contractors, a big win for Uber and Lyft.
March 10 – Finance
Silicon Valley Bank collapses after a bank run, endangering the solvency of thousands of entrepreneurs and small businesses in the technology industry.
March 10 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s main railway company, chooses Huawei to supply most of its communications infrastructure, ignoring concerns over the use of Chinese technology.
March 10 – Critical Minerals
European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and US President Joe Biden announce moves to defuse tensions over US clean tech subsidies.
March 9 – Hardware
The Netherlands joins the US in expanding export controls on semiconductor technology to China, restricting global leader ASML’s sales.
March 9 – Green Subsidies
Europe relaxes its state aid rules for “green” products, in response to the US Inflation Reduction Act.
March 8 – Content Moderation
The Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency warns against downloading TikTok, labeling the app a “security threat” and encouraging the public to “think twice” before using it.
March 7 – Critical Minerals
Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources announces more than $344 million in investment in the country’s critical minerals strategy.
March 7 – Artificial Intelligence
Salesforce launches a $250 million fund dedicated to investing in generative AI startups, coinciding with the rollout of Einstein GPT, the company’s own artificial intelligence.
March 7 – Cybersecurity
US Senators introduce the RESTRICT Act, a bill targeting Chinese and foreign investments in the US technology to address national security concerns. The bill empowers the Commerce Department to review and prohibit transactions that pose “undue” risk.
March 7 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The Irish Data Protection Commissioner, long criticized for lax enforcement of Europe’s strict privacy rules releases its annual report, describing 17 large-scale inquiries that could result in more than €1 billion in fines.
March 7 – Hardware
Germany reportedly plans to ban Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from 5G mobile networks over security concerns despite the country’s dependence on Chinese network equipment.
March 6 – Critical Minerals
The Canadian and British Governments announce a new Critical Minerals Supply Chain Dialogue to ramp up their joint transition to clean technology.
March 6 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Meta-owned Whatsapp complies with EU consumer regulations to increase transparency on contract updates, the most recent EU investigation into the apps’ consumer protection practices.
March 3 – Competition
The US Commerce Department blacklists two dozen units from Chinese genetic sequencing firm BGI, signaling national security concerns over the use of biotechnology.
March 3 – Cybersecurity
The EU and the US resume cooperation over an agreement to facilitate access to electronic evidence in criminal investigations.
March 2 – Cybersecurity
The Polish government announces it will continue to use TikTok, including for elections, contradicting the European Commission’s recent decision to ban the app from staff devices.
March 2 – Privacy
The US Federal Trade Commission fines online counseling service BetterHealth $7.8 billion after misusing sensitive data for advertising, the first major US action to compensate consumers whose health data was compromised.
March 2 – Cybersecurity
The Biden-Harris Administration releases a new National Cybersecurity Strategy calling for new rules to hold “software makers liable for insecure products.”
March 1 – Competition
China attacks EU bans against TikTok, accusing the EU of abusing security to restrict competition from Chinese companies.
February 28 – Competition
The European Commission drops half of the original charges in its competition inquiry looking at Apple’s App Store, a rare narrowing of a European antitrust inquiry.
February 28 – Hardware
The US Department of Commerce bans chipmakers receiving money from the CHIPS & Science Act from expanding capacity in China for ten years – and, among other requirements, to agree to provide affordable childcare for their workforce.
February 28 – Cybersecurity
The White House gives government agencies 30 days to erase the Chinese-owned app TikTok from federal devices and systems.
February 24 – Cybersecurity
The US Treasury Department sanctions 19 Russian technology executives or cybersecurity companies, six of which have alleged ties to Russian intelligence services.
February 24 – Tech Diplomacy
New York’s US attorney charges Russian national Ilya Balakaev with smuggling electronic devices back to his homeland in violation of US sanctions.
February 23 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton announces a long-awaited “fair share” consultation responding to demands by incumbent European telecom operators that large streaming and internet companies pay a new tax to finance bandwidth investments.
February 23 – Cybersecurity
The EU Commission asks its employees to remove TikTok from their corporate phones and their personal devices with sensitive material.
February 22 – Content Moderation
The US Supreme Court hears arguments about whether Twitter can be sued for aiding a 2017 terrorist attack; like in the previous day’s Google case, judges seem reluctant to hold social media sites liable for dangerous content.
February 21 – Artificial Intelligence
Spotify announces the rollout of “DJ”, its own artificial intelligence personalized guide and commentator on consumer music choices in a move to rival Open AI’s ChatGPT.
February 21 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The Irish Data Protection Commission challenges the European Data Protection Board’s recent decisions against Meta which the DPC argues constitute an “overreach.”
February 21 – Content Moderation
The US Supreme Court hears arguments in Gonzalez v. Google, a case about whether the search engine should be liable for recommending terrorist content. Judges expressed skepticism that Google should be held responsible.
February 17 – Competition
The US Federal Trade Commission launches a new Office of Technology to support its growing number of antitrust suits against tech leaders.
February 16 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Meta begins moving its UK Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp users to US terms of service from the company’s Irish subsidiary, finalizing a decision announced after Brexit. The update will move Meta’s UK users out of the jurisdiction of the EU’s GDPR.
February 16 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security approves Chinese telecommunications provider ZTE’s 5G products. Despite pressure from both Washington and Brussels, Chinese vendors continue to dominate Germany’s telecommunications networks.
February 16 – Cybersecurity and Hardware
The US Justice and Commerce Departments launch an interagency task force designed to limit China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea’s ability to steal advanced US technology.
February 16 – Big Tech
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki steps down for personal reasons.
February 16 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Germany’s top court declares unconstitutional police usage of Palantir surveillance software in two German regions, Hesse and Hamburg.
February 15 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
The European Commission approves the creation of a joint venture between Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone, allowing them to combine forces to compete against tech companies in digital advertising.
February 14 – Competition
Christine Wilson, the only remaining Republican on the US Federal Trade Commission, resigns and accuses FTC Chair Lina Khan, a Democrat, of “disregard[ing] the rule of law and due process” in a series of antitrust cases against tech companies including, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft.
February 9 – Cybersecurity
The US and UK issue joint sanctions on the Russian cybercrime group Trickbot, underlining their cooperation in fighting cybercrime.
February 9 – Digital Services Act
Twitter submits an incomplete report to the European Commission about its implementation of a code of conduct on misinterpretation – the only participating company to receive such a failing grade.
February 9 – Tech Governance
The EU launches an Information Sharing and Analysis Center to counter Russian and Chinese disinformation. Both Russia and China denounce the move as “censorship.”
February 8 – Digital Services Act
TikTok expects the EU to subject the company to strict regulations under the DSA after surpassing a threshold of active users.
February 8 – Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft revamps its Bing search engine and Edge web browser using ChatGPT, presenting a direct challenge to Google’s dominance of the online search industry.
February 7 – Competition
The UK’s Competition and Market Authority provisionally concludes Microsoft’s $75 billion acquisition of gaming company Activision Blizzard would stifle competition, concerns shared by the US and EU.
February 7 – Tech Governance
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak creates the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology as part of a wide-ranging restructuring of UK government ministries.
February 7 – Tech Governance
In his second State of the Union speech, US President Joseph Biden calls for Congress to pass legislation increasing algorithmic transparency and limiting targeted advertising aimed at children.
February 7 – Artificial Intelligence
Baidu and Google announce Ernie and Bard, the companies’ respective responses to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, signaling the beginning of an “AI arms race.”
February 6 – Layoffs
Dell Technologies and Disney both announce lay offs of around 7,000 workers, between 3-5% of each company’s workforce, in an effort to cut costs amid restructuring.
February 6 – Artificial Intelligence
Google invests $300 million in artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic, underlining its urgency to respond to the launch of Microsoft-affiliated ChatGPT and integrate AI into its products.
February 2 – Big Tech
Alphabet, Apple, and Amazon stocks drop after poor earnings reports reflect declining consumer demand and persistent supply chain issues.
February 1 – Big Tech
Meta increases its share buyback authorization by $40 billion, surprising the tech industry after three consecutive quarters of declining stock prices.
February 1 – Competition
Meta wins court approval to acquire Within Unlimited, a virtual reality startup, in a blow to the FTC’s suit to block the deal and FTC Commissioner Lina Khan’s broader campaign against Big Tech.
February 1 – Competition
A US National Telecommunications and Information Administration report describes Google and Apple’s dominant app stores as “harmful to developers and consumers.” The report could be cited in efforts to shape future Congressional and antitrust agency action.
January 31 – Quantum Computing
The US Defense Department’s DARPA Program names Microsoft as a “Quantum Partner” to build an industrial-scale quantum computer within ten years, part of the US strategy to ensure quantum leadership.
January 31 – Tech Diplomacy
The US and India launch an “initiative on critical and emerging technologies” as Washington moves to make New Dehli a counterbalance against China.
January 30 – Hardware
The Biden administration halts all licenses for US companies to export American technology to China’s Huawei, ending a policy of approving shipments of older generation tech to Huawei on a case-by-case basis.
January 26 – Digital Currencies
The Office of Science and Technology Policy publishes a request for information on opportunities and needs for R&D related to developing a US Central Bank Digital Currency.
January 28 – Hardware
In a confidential agreement, the Netherlands and Japan join US restrictions on exporting advanced chip manufacturing equipment to China.
January 27 – Artificial Intelligence
The US and EU sign an agreement to boost research collaboration on the uses of AI in climate, public health, infrastructure, and agriculture policy.
January 25 – Content Moderation
Germany sues Twitter for failure to remove anti-Semitic content.
January 24 – Competition
The US Department of Justice files a lawsuit accusing Google of monopolizing multiple digital advertising technologies.
January 23 – Content Moderation
France accuses Youtube influencers of promoting dangerous products such as dietary supplements, weight loss programs, cosmetics, and betting services.
January 23 – Layoffs
Spotify will lay off around 600 employees, or 6% of its workforce.
January 23 – Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft will invest $10 billion in OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a cutting-edge generative AI and popular chat box.
January 20 – Layoffs
Google will lay off 12,000 workers (6% of its workforce), the largest layoff in the company’s history.
January 19 – Privacy Rights
Ireland’s Data Protection Committee fines WhatsApp €5.5 million for GDPR violations.
January 18 – Layoffs
Microsoft will lay off 10,000 employees, or less than 5% of its workforce.
January 18 – Hardware
European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyern presented new plans to subsidize clean and green industries in the EU in response to the US Inflation Reduction Act.
January 17 – Hardware
British firm Britishvolt building a £3.8 billion EV battery’ factory declares bankruptcy, leaving the UK with a single EV battery factory.
January 13 – Hardware
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin blocks a proposed Ford Motor Co. EV battery factory over concerns of Chinese dominance in the US battery production industry.
January 13 – Online Commerce
The US House of Representatives creates a Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion aiming to set “clear rules of the road” for federal regulation of cryptocurrency.
January 12 – US-UK Comprehensive Dialogue on Technology & Data
The US and UK convene the inaugural meeting of the US-UK Comprehensive Dialogue on Technology & Data, aiming to boost cooperation on data flows, emerging technologies, and telecommunications.
January 12 – Privacy and Digital Rights
France’s data privacy watchdog CNIL fines TikTok $5.4 million for not giving users the ability to easily refuse cookies on tiktok.com.
January 11 – Privacy and Digital Rights
In an open letter, US President Joe Biden calls for strong regulation of tech companies. But he put forward no specific proposals.
January 11 – Hardware
US computer manufacturer Dell announces it will stop using chips made in China by 2024 and will “significantly reduce” its usage of other Chinese-made components.
January 10 – Digital Services Act
TikTok’s CEO meets with EU officials to discuss the social media platforms’ compliance with the Digital Services Act and recent admissions of user data being sent to China.
January 10 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
The European Commission reportedly requests European telecom providers disclose future cloud investment plans before announcing “fair share” legislation that Big Tech criticizes as an internet traffic tax.
January 9 – Cybersecurity
The US Supreme Court allows Meta to sue NSO Group, an Israeli spyware maker, in a ruling that could boost the odds of success for other lawsuits, like Apple’s, against the spyware firm.
January 4 – Privacy and Digital Rights
France’s digital privacy watchdog CNIL fines Apple €8 million for deploying targeted advertising tools on French iPhone users without their consent.
January 4 – Cybersecurity
Chinese researchers claim they can now use quantum computers to break the most common form of online encryption in what experts are calling “one of the biggest” moments in the history of computer security.
January 4 – Layoffs
Amazon is laying off more than 18,000 employees, or roughly 1% of its workforce, in the biggest staff reduction in the firm’s history.
January 4 – Cybersecurity
The New York State Department of Financial Services fines major crypto-exchange Coinbase $50 million for breaking US anti-money laundering laws with “wide-ranging and long-standing [compliance] failures.”
January 4 – Hardware
The US Department of State establishes the Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology.
January 4 – Privacy and Digital Rights
In a ruling that could potentially damage Meta’s targeted advertising business model, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission fines the social media platform €390 million for violating Europe’s GDPR rules.
January 3 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Twitter will relax the platform’s longtime ban on political advertising allowing elected officials and advocacy groups to purchase “cause-based” promotions.
January 2 – Cybersecurity
Dutch Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Micky Adriaansens announces the Netherlands will investigate whether to block a Chinese acquisition of a Dutch chips startup.
December 30 – Cybersecurity
Numerous US states ban, or are investigating banning, TikTok from the devices of state government agencies and employees.
December 28 – Privacy and Digital Rights
A US appeals court revives a lawsuit targeting Google for violating the privacy of children by tracking their YouTube activity without parental consent.
December 23 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission launches an investigation of a breach at Twitter that exposed the email addresses and/or telephone numbers of about 5.4 million Twitter users worldwide.
December 23 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Meta settles for $725 million a long-running US class action lawsuit for allowing third parties, including English data firm Cambridge Analytica, to access user personal data.
December 23 – Hardware
Two major Asian chip and electric vehicle battery manufacturers, TSMC and CATL respectively, announce plans to build their first European factories in Germany.
December 22 – Privacy and Digital Rights
ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, admits to “inappropriately obtaining” the user data of US journalists, including IP addresses, in an internal leaks investigation.
December 22 – Privacy and Digital Rights
France’s data privacy watchdog CNIL fines Microsoft EUR 60 million for privacy violations stemming from the company’s Bing search engine’s cookies policy.
December 22 – Hardware
UK international trade secretary Kemi Badenoch joins the EU in condemning the Inflation Reduction Act as protectionist for excluding British and EU-made electric cars from US tax benefits.
December 20 – Competition
Amazon officially strikes a deal with the European Commission to settle antitrust charges about favoring its own products on its marketplace. The deal avoids billions of euros of potential fines.
December 19 – Hardware
The US Treasury Department, under pressure from European countries, delays proposed guidance on sourcing materials for electric vehicle batteries required by the Inflation Reduction Act until March.
December 19 – Competition
The European Commission accuses Meta of unfairly leveraging its social media network to send classified ads to Facebook Marketplace, potentially leading to changes in the company’s business practice and billions of euros of fines.
December 19 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The US Federal Trade Commission settles with Epic Games, creator of Fortnite, over violations of a children’s online privacy law and use of deceptive marketing. The settlements require Epic to pay $520 million in fines and change certain settings and interfaces.
December 19 – Digital Services Act
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola invites Twitter owner Elon Musk to testify before the EU Parliament for a “frank exchange” about the social media platform’s content moderation policies.
December 16 – Digital Markets Act
Apple reportedly will reduce fees and open up its app store to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
December 16 – Cybersecurity
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency discovers that Russian military hackers, known as Fancy Bear or APT28, infiltrated a US satellite network used in US critical infrastructure.
December 15 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The EU adopts the “European declaration on digital rights” blueprint for legal protections to be enacted over the next decade.
December 15 – Hardware
The Biden administration blacklists chipmaker YMTC, China’s largest memory chip producer, and 36 other major firms in China’s artificial intelligence chip industry, the latest escalation of US efforts to block China’s access to high-end computer chips.
December 15 – Cybersecurity
Meta bans at least seven surveillance-for-hire firms and calls for increased government action to counter private companies who secretly track users.
December 14 – Content Moderation
Israel’s outgoing Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel proposes regulations, based on the EU’s Digital Services Act, aimed at moderating offensive and illegal content on social media.
December 14 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The OECD adopts the world’s first international agreement on privacy safeguards for personal data accessed by governments for “national security and law enforcement purposes.” The US reportedly floated a clause excluding its digital surveillance practices, but European objections led to the measure being dropped.
December 14 – Cybersecurity
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation seizes 48 websites and charges six people accused of allowing paying users to launch powerful distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, cyberattacks.
December 13 – Regulation
EU member states agree to implement the OECD’s proposed global minimum corporate tax of 15% on companies with more than €750 million in annual turnover.
December 13 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The EU issues a draft adequacy decision endorsing the new EU-US Data Privacy Framework. A final EU adequacy decision, expected by July 2023, will likely be challenged in the European Court of Justice.
December 13 – Hardware
China files a complaint at the World Trade Organization protesting US export controls on advanced chips.
December 13 – Hardware
Japan and the Netherlands plan to join the US in restricting exports of advanced chips to China.
December 12 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Twitter disbands the Trust & Safety Council, an advisory group of roughly 100 independent researchers and activists consulted on online safety issues.
December 8 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The Court of Justice of the European Union rules that Google must remove data from online search results if users can prove it is inaccurate in a case concerning the “right to be forgotten” online.
December 8 – Cybersecurity
The Greek parliament is set to approve a ban on commercial spyware that includes a two-year minimum prison sentence for the use, sale, or distribution of spyware and new safeguards for legal wiretaps.
December 8 – Competition
The US Federal Trade Commission sues to bar Microsoft from acquiring video game company Activision Blizzard, citing competition concerns. Experts view the lawsuit as a test of FTC Chair Lina Khan’s push to greatly expand US antitrust enforcement powers.
December 7 – Hardware
US Undersecretary for Industry and Security Alan Estevez says that China has relented and will allow inspection of its companies that use US advanced chip technology. Without inspections, the companies faced being put on a US blacklist.
December 6 – Cybersecurity
Russian state-owned bank VTB suffers the largest cyberattack in its history, which officials described as “an unprecedented cyberattack from abroad.”
December 6 – Competition
According to a Financial Times scoop, Amazon will settle an anti-competition probe with the EU Commission by, among other changes, increasing the visibility of other companies’ products in Amazon’s “buy box.” The agreement would allow Amazon to avoid fines of up to 10% of global revenue.
December 6 – Hardware
Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) triples its investment to build a new Arizona chip factory to $40 billion. Apple CEO Tim Cook confirms Apple will use chips from the plant as the company plans to move production out of China.
December 6 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The European Data Protection Board ruled that Meta should stop using users’ data to sell personalized ads, potentially upending the firm’s core business. The social media firm also could face millions of euros in fines.
December 5 – Competition
Meta threatens to remove news from Facebook if the US Congress passes the proposed “Journalism Competition and Preservation Act” which would force the social media network to pay fees to media outlets for their content.
December 5 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Italy’s privacy watchdog fines Clubhouse, an audio-based social media app that gained popularity during COVID-19 lockdowns, 2 million euros for privacy violations.
December 5 – Trade and Technology Council
Officials from the EU and US meet at the University of Maryland for the third ministerial meeting of the TTC, producing a collection of “quiet victories,” but failing to settle big disputes over domestic electric car subsidies and Internet regulation.
December 2 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
Developers of the world’s first fiber-optic cable across the Arctic seabed secure their first investment for the $1.15 billion project. The cable aims to link Europe and Asia and cut delays in data transmission between the continents by 30%.
November 30 – Competition
One hundred thirty thousand UK businesses file a class-action lawsuit against Google alleging the company’s dominance of online advertising deprived them of “billions in advertising revenue.”
November 30 – Digital Services Act
EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton warns Twitter owner Elon Musk in a video call that the social media network must “significantly increase efforts” to comply with the European content moderation rules.
November 29 – Hardware
The EU agrees on a new General Product Safety Regulation which places additional responsibilities and liability on e-commerce marketplaces for dangerous products.
November 28 – Cybersecurity and Online Commerce
Kraken, a cryptocurrency exchange, agrees to pay $360,000 in a settlement with the US Treasury Department for violating US sanctions on Iran. This follows Treasury fining crypto exchange Bittrex $24 million for sanctions violations.
November 28 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission fines Meta 265 million euros for GDPR violations stemming from a 2021 data breach.
November 24 – Cybersecurity
The US Federal Communications Commission bans the import or sale of phones, cameras, and Wi-Fi routers made by Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE citing “an unacceptable risk to [US] national security.”
November 23 – Cybersecurity
The European Parliament suffers a cyberattack shortly after MEPs overwhelmingly backed a non-binding resolution to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
November 23 – Hardware
The EU gives final approval to a regulation mandating a common charger for all mobile devices by fall 2024, forcing Apple and other smartphone manufacturers to adopt the USB-C port.
November 22 – Cybersecurity
Meta acknowledges that the US military used fake Facebook and Instagram accounts to amplify pro-US messaging in the Middle East and Russia. Experts consider the operation “the most extensive case of covert pro-Western” use of social media to date.
November 22 – Competition
The UK launches an 18-month investigation into Apple and Google’s dominance of mobile browser and app store markets in the country.
November 21 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Digital rights activist Tanya O’Carroll sues Meta over Facebook’s use of “surveillance advertising.” The lawsuit, filed in the UK, seeks a declaration that Meta violated the UK GDPR.
November 17 – Cybersecurity
The UK blocks a Chinese firm from purchasing Britain’s largest microchip factory under the authority of the UK’s new National Security and Investment Act.
November 17 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
The EU agrees to spend six billion euros to build a new satellite internet system intended to provide secure communication networks and increased high-speed broadband coverage.
November 14 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Italy’s Data Protection Agency bans facial recognition systems that rely on biometric data with an exception in judicial investigations and “fighting crime.” The European Parliament is considering a similar ban in the EU’s upcoming Artificial Intelligence Act.
November 10 – Cybersecurity
The European Commission announces two new cyber defense plans to combat a “deteriorating security environment” for EU energy networks, transport infrastructure, and space projects.
November 9 – Cybersecurity
Germany blocks Chinese firms from investing in two German computer chip factories, citing the need to protect “critical production areas.”
November 8 – Competition
The European Commission opens an investigation into Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard in response to concerns that the deal could reduce competition in console and PC distribution markets.
November 8 – Privacy and Digital Rights
A European Parliamentary committee releases a report calling for the EU to receive increased power to combat spyware.
November 4 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Twitter announces massive layoffs as advertisers flee the platform.
November 3 – Competition
Amazon, Lyft, and Stripe announce layoffs as Big Tech reels from a series of declining earnings reports.
November 1 – Cybersecurity
Representatives from 36 countries and the European Union meet in Washington to strategize ways to combat “ransomware” including setting up a joint task force next year.
October 27 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Elon Musk completes his takeover of Twitter. Although he reassures European policymakers that he will keep the company’s strong content moderation rules, he also has signaled that he might allow banned users including former US President Donald Trump back on the platform.
October 25 – Competition
The European Parliament held hearings on platform work, featuring the Uber whistleblower who supported efforts by lawmakers to force platforms to hire almost all gig workers as full-timers.
October 18 – Competition
Meta agrees to sell Giphy, a search engine for GIFs, responding to an order from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The case represents the first time antitrust investigators have forced a major tech platform to accept a breakup, although it is partial.
October 13 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
The UK orders its telecom network operators to remove equipment made by Chinese firm Huawei from their 5G networks by the end of 2027 and from sites sensitive to national security by January 2023. The new rules implement the UK’s 2020 decision to ban Huawei from its 5G networks.
October 7 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
Europe’s telephone regulators BEREC publishes research criticizing proposals to make Netflix, Google, and other data-consuming platforms pay the continent’s telecom operators for their Internet infrastructure.
October 7 – Data and Privacy
President Biden signs an executive order establishing a new transatlantic data privacy framework. The order seeks to assuage European privacy concerns by setting new requirements for US intelligence collection and creating a US court to review and redress violations. But privacy activists are already threatening to file a new case before European courts to invalidate a transatlantic data deal.
October 7 – Digital Markets Act
MEP Andreas Schwab of Germany announces the DMA will be published in the EU’s Official Journal on Wednesday, October 12. The DMA will enter into force 20 days later, beginning a six-month period adjustment period before the rules apply. Compliance enforcement will begin around March 2024 after gatekeeper platforms are designated in mid-2023.
October 7 – Hardware
The Biden administration releases two sweeping export control rules aimed at limiting China’s access to dual-use semiconductor chips made with US technology. The rules are a significant escalation of US efforts to stymie Chinese tech innovation and will most likely face backlash in Europe.
October 4 – Hardware
The European Parliament approves a plan that requires all mobile devices sold in the EU, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops, to use a USB-C charging port. The law is expected to make Apple switch to USB-C ports in all future iPhones sold worldwide.
October 4 – Digital Services Act
The European Council gives final approval for the EU’s Digital Services Act, formally adopting the legislation.
October 4 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The Biden administration released its blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, outlining five principles seeking to ensure accountability for automated systems. Critics say it is a non-binding white paper that will have little influence.
October 3 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The US Supreme Court agrees to hear Gonzalez v. Google LLC, the first time the court will evaluate liability protections provided to tech platforms by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The lawsuit could stop platforms like YouTube from recommending content to users, a critical part of their business model.
October 3 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The US and UK’s “Access to Electronic Data for the Purpose of Countering Serious Crime” agreement entered into force, streamlining the process for law enforcement in each country to request and send data for criminal investigations.
September 29 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
The US’s Doreen Bogdan-Martin defeated a Russian candidate in an election to lead the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the next four years. The election pitted a Western vision of a democratic, open internet against authoritarian countries’ government-controlled approach.
September 28 – Regulation
The European Commission proposed new liability rules which would allow victims of artificial intelligence-powered software and products to sue for compensation.
September 19 – Hardware
The European Commission proposed an emergency tool to protect supply chains in times of crisis, including requiring the stockpiling of critical materials to develop electronics, including rare earth minerals and semiconductors.
September 16 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The European Commission proposed a Media Freedom act to protect media companies from authoritarian governments. But some press groups expressed concern that the new rules could give regulators too much power to meddle in the free press.
September 15 – Cybersecurity
The US Senate unanimously confirms Nathaniel C. Fick as the inaugural Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy. Ambassador Fick will lead the US State Department’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy which was created in April to negotiate international cybersecurity partnerships.
September 14 – Antitrust
The State of California sued Amazon, accusing the company of anticompetitive business practices. This lawsuit marks the most significant legal challenge the company has faced in the United States, building upon existing legal pressure from European regulators.
September 14 – Competition
A European Union court upheld a record EUR 4.34 billion fine against Google for illegally using its Android mobile phone operating system to secure the dominance of its search engine. The victory came after a pair of stinging court losses in antitrust cases against Intel and Qualcomm.
September 9 – Competition
European Commissioner Thierry Breton announced a consultation on whether large US tech companies should pay a special tax to European telecom companies for use of their networks.
September 8 – Competition
The White House released a set of “Principles for Enhancing Competition and Tech Platform Accountability” designed to reform the US’ key intermediary liability law Section 230. But Congress looks unlikely to enact them into legislation.
September 1 – Privacy
The California State legislature passed the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act requiring platforms to vet their products for potential threats to child privacy before rolling them out.
September 1 – Competition
The UK opened an antitrust investigation into Microsoft’s planned purchase of video game studio Activision Blizzard.
August 24 – Regulation
California voted to ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars from 2035.
August 23 – Cybersecurity
Twitter deceived regulators about “deficiencies” in its defenses against hackers and spam, according to a whistleblower complaint from its former security chief.
August 22 – Privacy
Noways’ data authority recommends fining Meta for continuing transatlantic data transfers after a European court ruling outlawing them. The US and EU are continuing negotiations for a replacement of Privacy Shield, the now annulled data sharing agreement across the Atlantic.
August 19 – Cybersecurity
Estonia repelled a major cyberattack launched by Russia-aligned hackers, showing how much progress it has made since a similar attack in 2007 paralyzed some of its public institutions.
August 7 – Hardware
The US Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 dedicating almost $400 billion over ten years to promote technology fighting climate change, encouraging consumers to buy electric vehicles and jolting utilities to use wind and solar renewables.
August 3 – Competition
The UK’s competition authority approved an $8.6 billion merger between the United States NortonLifeLock and the Czech Republic’s Avast, two leading cybersecurity firms. Significant competition remains in the cybersecurity market, with Microsoft increasing its offerings and McAfee and other small players present, the authorities explained.
August 1 – Privacy
In a ruling that increases the danger of a transatlantic split over abortion data, the European Court of Justice found that data that can be used to reveal a person’s sexual orientation or identity is protected under the continent’s GDPR privacy rules.
July 29 – Hardware
After the Senate, the US House of Representatives passes the Chips and Science Act of 2022, providing $39 billion for semiconductor manufacturing and billions more in tech research. It’s the first major tech policy initiative of the Biden Administration and a rare show of bipartisan consensus.
July 29 – Competition
As investors ponder the depth of a tech slowdown, US tech firms present their second-term earnings, with Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta missing estimates. But the results are better than expected and their stocks rise.
July 29 – Competition
US Big Tech firms present their earnings for the second quarter this week. Netflix and Snap had already announced their results, with the former losing subscribers, but fewer than expected, and the latter not “satisfied” with its results. Both Alphabet and Microsoft miss their estimates, but the damage isn’t as bad as many estimators feared. Meta Platforms also share disappointing earnings.
July 28 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The European Commission publishes its annual Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), showing the Nordics still leading but countries such as Greece and Poland catching up.
July 28 – Competition
The European Commission announces plans to open a new tech office in San Francisco, designed to dialogue with Silicon Valley about compliance with the new Digital Services and Markets Regulations.
July 27 – Competition
The Federal Trade Commission filed suit to block Meta’s acquisition of a small virtual reality company Within, marking Commissioner Lina Kahn’s first major action and a move that pushes the boundaries of antitrust action.
July 21 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The UK and the US sign a law enforcement data pact, with the UK becoming the first European country to enter into such an agreement with the US.
July 18 – Competition
The European Council approves the Digital Markets Act (DMA), marking the final step to passage. It goes into effect in six months.
July 7 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Ireland’s data protection authority orders Meta to stop sending user data from the EU to the US. While data transfers won’t stop immediately, the decision will trigger a vote among European data protection authorities. The announcement comes four months after the EU and the US agreed to a new Privacy Shield, designed to address the concerns around transatlantic data flows.
July 6 – Competition
Germany designates Amazon as “paramount significance for competition,” making it the third large US tech company after Alphabet and Meta to be subject to new German national antitrust rules, which show that national authorities will continue to push their own cases even before the DMA enters into force. Amazon will now be required to share more information with its third-party merchants using its platform, among other obligations.
July 5 – Digital Markets Act / Digital Services Act
The European Parliament formally adopts the landmark Digital Markets Act targeting the largest tech companies, and the Digital Services Act, increasing responsibilities for tech to fight illegal content. The acts will come into force in 2023.
June 30 – Online Commerce
The EU agrees on new rules to regulate cryptocurrencies, with the goal of eliminating their use for money laundering.
June 23 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Italy becomes the third European country after Austria and France to prohibit Google Analytics, judging that it unlawfully transfers data to the United States. The decision underlines the continued uncertainty of transatlantic data flows despite the announcement of a new Privacy Shield deal earlier this spring.
June 21 – Competition
France’s national competition authority approves Google’s proposed commitments to press publishers under the EU’s new copyright rules. The decision comes a year after France’s competition authorities fined the search engine EUR 500 million.
June 16 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The European Commission updates its Code of Practice on Disinformation, requiring social media networks, among other voluntary commitments, to increase cooperation with fact-checkers and allow researchers access to their data.
June 7 – Online Commerce
Two key US Senators propose a bipartisan bill to regulate cryptocurrencies, eliminating taxes on small scare purchases, and opening the way to treating crypto like a regular currency. The full Congress still needs to approve.
June 7 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The European Union’s terrorist content regulation enters into force, requiring social media and other online content platforms to take down content that authorities identify as glorifying or promoting terrorism. In some cases, platforms must act within an hour to remove the content or face a fine.
June 7 – Hardware
The European Union agrees that smartphones and tablets sold in the EU must use a common USB-C charging port, starting in the fall of 2024. Apple sought to keep using its proprietary Lightning charging port.
June 3 – Privacy and Digital Rights
US Congressional leaders released a draft of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, a bipartisan proposal to create a federal privacy standard. The draft proposal, if successful, would end more than 50 years of deadlock on US privacy rights.
May 31 – Competition
The US Supreme Court suspends a law introduced by the Texas state government which would have prevented social media platforms from removing user content based on political views.
May 17 – Cybersecurity
The Justice Department announces a revised policy that creates an exception for good-faith security researchers to not be prosecuted under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986.
May 16 – Trade and Technology Council
EU and US officials conclude the second Trade and Technology Council meeting in Paris. This forum was initially positioned transatlantic counterweight to China but has shifted a clear focus to combat Russia. Read the final statement here.
May 13 – Cybersecurity
EU bodies agree on the details of the Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2 Directive), a new law forcing critical industries to improve their cyber resilience.
May 11 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The European Commission publishes its draft proposal to combat child sexual abuse online through widespread obligations on major tech platforms to find, report, and remove such content. However, tech executives and some MEPs fear that the Act would strip away basic privacy protections.
May 3 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The European Commission publishes its proposed European Health Data Space, a regulation that would align health data-sharing practices across the bloc. Proponents claim it will expand healthcare and innovation and unlock €11 billion in economic gains while critics fear that technical and political challenges will limit its benefits.
May 2 – Competition
German competition authorities designate Meta as a “digital firm of paramount significance,” lowering the threshold for future anti-trust action.
April 28 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The US, European Commission, and 54 other governments endorse the Declaration for the Future of the Internet, a non-binding pledge to ensure internet freedom, protect privacy rights, and avoid the use of algorithms and mis/disinformation to infringe on civil liberties.
April 26 – Online Commerce
The EU’s top court rules against the Polish government’s effort to strike down a core component of the 2019 Copyright Directive that forces major platforms to check user uploads for pirated content.
April 23 – Digital Services Act
Europe finalizes its signature legislation forcing social media platforms to combat misinformation and restrict certain online ads or face billions in fines.
April 6 – Data Governance Act
The European Parliament approves the rules aimed at increasing data sharing within Europe, paving the way for formal adoption.
April 4 – Cybersecurity
The State Department launches its Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy tasked with negotiating international cybersecurity partnerships.
March 30 – Online Commerce
The European Commission proposes new ecodesign rules, its latest move in an effort to increase the responsibility of online platforms to ensure that products sold online minimize their impact on the environment.
March 29 – Competition
A French court fines Google €2 million for engaging in abusive commercial practices by imposing unfair clauses on independent app developers.
March 25 – Privacy Shield
US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen strike an agreement in principle on a revamped “Privacy Shield” data transfer agreement. Details are left to be filled in by the end of the year. Privacy campaigner Max Shrems derides it as “lipstick on a pig.”
March 24 – Digital Markets Act
Europe finalizes its signature legislation to corral what it calls gatekeepers, large US companies such as Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft. All will face extensive new obligations and restrictions – and risk fines of up to 20% of their worldwide turnover.
March 11 – Competition
The European Commission opens a case against Google and Facebook for anti-competitive behavior in display advertising.
March 9 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Italy’s data protection authority fines Clearview AI €20 million for privacy violations, orders it to delete all data processed from Italian citizens, and bans it from collecting any facial biometrics.
February 23 – Data Act
The European Commission proposes new rules about transferring data between businesses, governments, and consumers. It aims to ease access to data collected by tech companies. But critics fear increased security risks and building new barriers to reducing competition between major technology firms.
February 10 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The US Senate Judiciary Committee passes the EARN IT Act that would require the scanning of digital devices for Child Sexual Abuse material. Supporters argue that children must be protected, but critics worry about compromising security, encryption, and privacy.
February 8 – European Chips Act
In one of the most ambitious state-funded industrial schemes, the European Commission proposes to spend €43 billion subsidizing the European production of semiconductors.
January 26 – Competition
Intel wins its appeal against a $1.2 billion fine issued by the European Commission in 2009 for anti-competitive behavior, in a major loss for EU competition authorities. The Luxembourg-based General Court which granted the appeal found that the Commission failed to prove that Intel’s actions produced anticompetitive effects.
January 20 – Digital Services Act
The European Parliament approves its version, which goes beyond the original proposal. Parliament wants a ban on dark patterns and introduces strict restrictions on services targeting minors. But it backs away from making Internet Platforms filter their sites or make them liable for products and services offered by third parties.
January 13 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Austria’s data protection authority rules that Google Analytics violates the European privacy GDPR rules, opening the door for similar action by other EU countries.
January 10 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Europe’s data watchdog orders Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency, to remove all data for individuals unaffiliated with criminal activity, finding that the law enforcement agency’s data policies violate European privacy law.
January 5 – Competition
German competition authorities rule that Google benefits from “paramount significance across markets,” a move to impose restrictions on the search engine.
December 14 – Digital Services Act
The European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee adopts the Act, paving the way for a final Parliamentary vote. The committee version expands on the original proposal by introducing more robust transparency obligations, new provisions against dark patterns, and banning micro-targeting for minors.
December 10 – Data Governance Act
EU officials reach an agreement on the Data Governance Act, aimed at easing the reuse of public sector data.
December 9 – Competition
Italy’s competition authority fines Amazon almost €1.13 billion for abusing its dominant position to force third-party merchants to use its warehouse and delivery services.
December 9 – Online Commerce
The European Commission proposes requiring Uber, Deliveroo, and other platforms to treat most gig workers as employees.
December 4 – Digital Markets Act
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo lashes out against Europe’s proposed legislation, criticizing its “disproportionate” impact on US tech companies.
November 29 – Privacy and Digital Rights/Competition
Italy’s competition authority fines Google and Apple €10 million each for “aggressive practices” in their commercial use of user data.
November 23 – Competition
Italy’s competition authority fines Amazon €68.7 million and Apple €134.5 million for colluding to restrict the resale of Apple products on Amazon.
November 23 – Digital Market Act
The European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee adopts the Act, paving the way for a full parliamentary vote. Compared to the European Commission’s initial proposal, this version reduces the number of gatekeepers while increasing the list of digital markets subject to regulation.
November 10 – Digital Markets Act
Ambassadors from the EU’s Member States adopt their position on the Act, paving the way for trialogue negotiations. Their version reduces the time for designating gatekeepers and expands upon the role of national courts and regulatory authorities.
November 10 – Competition
Google loses an appeal against a €2.8 billion antitrust decision, a major win for Europe’s competition chief, who accused the search engine of leveraging its own price comparison shopping service to gain an unfair advantage over smaller European rivals.
October 21 – Competition
The US reaches a compromise with five European countries after a dispute over taxes on American tech giants.
October 8 – Competition
Governments around the globe agree on a sweeping overhaul of global corporate tax rules, signaling a new approach to tackling the taxation of digital companies in countries where they sell their products. If successful, Europe agrees to drop its plans for a digital levy.
October 1 – Data Governance Act
EU’s Member States adopt their position. They expand on the original Commission proposal by removing references to cloud service providers, adding codes of conduct for “data altruism,” empowering national authorities to share public-held data, and setting moderate penalties for non-compliance.
September 29 – Trade and Technology Council
Europe and the US leaders meet in Pittsburgh and launch a new initiative designed to facilitate transatlantic cooperation. The next meeting is scheduled for May 2022 in Paris.
September 2 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Ireland’s data protection authority fines WhatsApp €225 million over the app’s lack of transparency surrounding its data-sharing practices with other Meta companies.
July 22 – Data Governance Act
The European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee adopts the Data Act, calling for the establishment of a Data Innovation Advisory Council, expanding the initially proposed oversight body to include academics, private industry, and civil society.
July 1 – Online Commerce
New Value-Added Tax (VAT) rules for online shopping enter into force, requiring marketplaces to collect the tax on behalf of their merchants. Consumers receive extra charges to receive packages.
June 20 – Online Commerce
The European Commission proposes a new regulation that would increase responsibilities for e-commerce marketplaces to ensure that no dangerous products are sold on their platform.
June 3 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The European Commission proposes new rules to ease digital identification across its 27 member states.
June 1 – Digital Markets Act
Lead Rapporteur, MEP Andreas Schwab, submits his draft report on the proposed Act to the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee. He proposes narrowing the definition of “gatekeepers” to target major US tech firms (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft).
June 1 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Europe’s new copyright law comes into effect, increasing pressure on digital platforms to pay rightsholders to link to their content.
May 28 – Digital Services Act
Lead Rapporteur, MEP Christel Schaldemose, submits her draft report on the proposed Act to the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee. She calls for making online marketplaces liable for all products listed for sale.
May 12 – Competition
Europe’s General Court dismisses the Commission’s antitrust case against Amazon on the basis that it received preferential tax treatment in Luxembourg, in a blow to Brussel’s antitrust agenda.
May 6 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Microsoft announces that it will store and process EU data within the EU as a result of the continued fallout from the Schrems II decision on transatlantic data flows.
April 23 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
Germany, one of the last holdouts, joins most other European countries in labeling the Chinese telecommunications company a security risk.
April 21 – AI Act
The European Commission publishes its draft proposal to regulate Artificial intelligence. It would designate various types of programming as high and low risk and impose restrictions on “high-risk” AI applications, such as facial recognition.
February 12 – Privacy and Digital Rights
Sweden’s data protection authority issues a €250,000 to police authorities for their use of Clearview AI facial recognition technologies in violation of national data laws.
December 16 – Cybersecurity
The European Commission proposes cybersecurity rules to toughen the bloc’s defenses of critical infrastructure. But a planned certification system proves controversial, with critics fearing it could undermine security.
December 15 – Digital Services Act
The European Commission publishes its draft proposal to oblige platforms to combat illegal content, non-transparent advertising practices, and disinformation. Non-compliant platforms would face fines of up to 6% of annual revenue.
December 15 – Digital Markets Act
The European Commission publishes its draft proposal to monitor and prevent major platforms from engaging in anti-competitive behavior. The proposed Act would ban, among other practices, digital “gatekeepers” from self-preferencing. Platforms could face fines of up to 10% of annual global revenue.
December 10 – Privacy and Digital Rights
France’s data protection authority hands out its largest fines to date, issuing penalties of €100 million to Google and €35 million to Amazon Web Services for failing to obtain user consent to collect personal data.
November 25 – Data Governance Act
The European Commission publishes its draft proposal to facilitate the sharing of non-personal and industrial data across the EU.
October 15 – Infrastructure and Telecommunications
European MEPs label Chinese telecommunications company Huawei a security threat.
October 14 – Privacy and Digital Rights
French courts rule that Microsoft could not transfer personal health data outside of the EU, even though the government had contracted it to host the information.
July 16 – Competition
The European General Court rules in favor of Apple, finding that the US tech firm did not unlawfully benefit from Ireland’s corporate tax laws, denying the European Commission a claim of €13 billion in back taxes.
July 15 – Privacy Shield
The European Court of Justice invalidates the EU-US Privacy Shield agreement, saying that US surveillance violates European privacy rights established under Europe’s GDPR privacy law. This ruling threatens transatlantic data flows.
June 23 – Online Commerce
Germany’s Federal Supreme Court orders Facebook to stop sharing data across WhatsApp and Instagram.
June 23 – Online Commerce
Norway’s Supreme Court rules in favor of Apple that independent firms violated trademark rules by using cheaper repair parts, in a move condemned by “right to repair” groups.
February 4 – Privacy and Digital Rights
The Irish Data Protection Commission launches a formal investigation into Google over how the company processes user location data.