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Top EU court upholds Google Android fine in landmark antitrust case
23 days ago
- Europe's top court dismissed Google's appeal against a €4.1 billion Android antitrust fine.
- The ruling upheld a 2022 judgment that Google abused its dominant position by imposing restrictions on smartphone makers and mobile operators.
- The fine was adjusted from €4.34 billion to €4.125 billion, marking a major victory for the European Commission in its antitrust battle with Big Tech.
Europe's Largest Unions Demand Right to Cancel Work on Days Above 30C
16 days ago
- Unions in Europe are demanding laws to protect workers from extreme heat, prompted by the hottest June on record in western Europe.
- Three major trade unions representing 12.6 million workers are urging the European Commission to set maximum working temperatures based on scientific metrics, such as 30°C for demanding jobs and 32.5°C for low-intensity work, with sanctions for non-compliance.
- Research indicates that around 130 million European workers face heat stress annually, leading to approximately 277,000 injuries and 230 deaths.
- Current heat-protection rules vary across Europe, with some countries relying on employers to adjust working conditions, lacking clear, enforceable protections.
- In the UK, the Trades Union Congress is advocating for maximum working temperatures, including stopping work at 30°C (or 27°C for manual labor), supported by a petition with over 64,000 signatures.
Disable autoplay and infinite scroll or risk fines, EU tells Meta
15 days ago
- The European Commission has preliminarily found that Meta's Facebook and Instagram features like autoplay, infinite scroll, and personalized content recommendations are addictive and harmful to users' physical and mental wellbeing, particularly for minors and vulnerable adults.
- Meta has been given an opportunity to dispute these claims and has defended its actions, highlighting the introduction of Teen Accounts that allow parental controls such as blocking nighttime access and capping daily screen time at 15 minutes.
- The EC criticized Meta's mitigation efforts as insufficient, stating that time management tools and parental controls are not effectively tackling the risks, and recommended disabling addictive features by default, implementing screen time breaks, and adjusting the recommender system to be less engagement-oriented.

Hasty Briefsbeta

european union

Top EU court upholds Google Android fine in landmark antitrust case

Europe's Largest Unions Demand Right to Cancel Work on Days Above 30C

Disable autoplay and infinite scroll or risk fines, EU tells Meta