Austria’s data protection authority has found that the use of Meta’s tracking technologies violated EU data protection law as personal data was transferred to the US where the information was at risk from government surveillance

A top data protection firm from Austria says Meta is making use of tracking technology that violates laws in the EU.

In the US, TikTok received 26% of the app revenue that was collected in 2023 so far. Instagram and Facebook are both far behind, receiving 14% and 10% respectively. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that TikTok is not just finding success in the United States of America. It is also starting to dominate several European markets such as Germany and the UK.

TikTok wants to conter growing security concerns from European states and institutions with a new data protection concept named "Project Clover".
By 2024, the video platform plans to store all data of European users in new data centres located in Ireland and Norway. Both centers should be operated by third parties.
In the US, the company drives a similar strategy under "Project Texas".

Twitter has ruffled more regulatory feathers in the European Union by going ahead with a rollout of a much criticized paid verification feature without informing its lead data protection watchdog ahead of time — despite previously saying it would.

The ban follows similar actions on government devices by multiple U.S states and the EU Commission

Calls for restrictions are rising, amid concerns that TikTok is sharing data with the CCP.

TikTok was caught off guard by an order from the European Commission to restrict the use of the short-video app on government devices.

This move by the E.U. executive body follows similar, bans in the U.S. affecting federal and state employees

Chinese social media company TikTok plans to open two more data centers in Europe, a senior executive said on Friday, a move that could mitigate concerns over the security of users' data and ease regulatory pressure on the company. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Sandra Maler

According to a draft on planned, so called "chat control", EU states want to massively tighten blocking of content and access to it via technical tools. Meanwhile, researchers expose false claims by the EU to bring the laws into place.

Have you ever heard of the statement, too much fame can spark controversy?

Twitter's efforts against disinformation lagging behind, EU says. The company's voluntary report to EU regulators on how it was tackling disinformation lacked data and didn't include commitments on empowering fact-checkers.

In an interview with german newsmagazine "Spiegel" EU Commissioner Thierry Breton remembers Twitter and TikTok that they need to comply with the Digital Services Act in future. From September on, platforms must employ more female content moderators, and ensure their algorithms do not promote fake news. Violations could result in fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover.

The EU fined WhatsApp nearly $6 million (€5.5 million). Authorities found the Meta platform violated the bloc’s privacy laws just weeks after Facebook and Instagram were handed similar penalties.

Chinese social media company TikTok could face a ban in the European Union if it does not step up efforts to comply with EU legislation before September, the top official overseeing the EU's internal market told the company's CEO on Thursday.

Spotify and a group of European companies are calling on the European Commission to take “swift and decisive action” against Apple over what they describe as anti-competitive practices that have hampered their businesses.

TikTok is under increasing political pressure in the US and Europe, especially on the issues of security and privacy. TechCrunch gives an overview of what was discussed.

A new report is shedding light on a massive array of companies in the EU being fined huge sums in the past three years.

The German digital director met with Elon Musk this week regarding the European Union's online misinformation policy.