The groups complain about "the increasing concentration of power and lack of alternatives in digital markets, the push for deregulation, and the urgent need to enforce digital laws to protect our fundamental rights and create a level playing field for competition and innovation."
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.
US President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his criticism of Europe, saying the continent was "going in some bad directions" as he condemned a multimillion-euro EU penalty against Elon Musk's social media platform X. Here are the key points: Trump slams EU's 120 million ($140 million) fine on X Warns Europe is heading in "bad directions" Musk denounces the penalty US officials say EU is targeting American firms EU cites transparency and data-access breaches New US strategy warns of democratic "erosion" in Europe
Meta and other tech companies refusing to sign content deals with Australian news outlets face millions in new fines, with Labor's proposed media bargaining incentive set to impose penalties based on the local revenue of major platforms. Large social media and search platforms with Australian-derived revenue of at least $250m will be subject to the new rules, irrespective of whether they carry news content, according to new detail released by the assistant treasurer, Daniel Mulino.
Khan has been an ally of Mamdani's, praising him in a New York Times op-ed about his outreach to small business owners. But her appointment to a formal role on his transition team sends a message to Wall Street and the tech industry, whose most powerful players have already been critical of Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who ruffled the feathers of the tech elite by criticizing billionaires and proposing a 2% tax of incomes over $1 million.
Her case and others are documented on sheets of paper laid out on school desks outside the European Union's headquarters in Brussels. It's part of a rally by children's rights campaigners, who are furious that the bloc's member states have once again delayed decisions on controversial online protection laws which would force tech companies to scan images, videos and links for evidence of child sexual abuse.
A lot of good can be done with the help of social media, such as raising awareness for a cause. At the same time, there's a darker side that can cause harm. Regardless of whether social media is a net positive or negative, New York City has had enough. The city, along with its school districts and health department, is now suing the tech giants that run these platforms.
Lyft CEO David Risher told the audience that the company's deal with California state lawmakers that paves the way for its drivers to unionize will actually save the company $200 million per year in insurance costs. Jeffrey Katzenberg predicted that passing laws in the U.S. to protect children from online harms would be a slog, noting that it took 80 years to get seat belt laws passed in the U.S.
End-to-end encryption is an essential security tool that protects our personal data, including our bank details, health information, private conversations and images. It'd be an entirely reckless and unprecedented move from the UK Government to open up a backdoor to this data, and one that will have global consequences.
