Ofcom has published an update on its progress to bring the Online Safety Act 2023 into effect.  The Act means that companies that operate a wide range of online services are legally responsible for keeping people, especially children, safe online. Online platforms and services will soon have new duties to protect UK users by assessing…

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The European Commission has sent a request for information to YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok under the Digital Services Act, asking them to provide more information on the design and functioning of their recommender systems. Under the DSA, platforms must assess and adequately mitigate risks stemming from their recommender systems, including risks for the mental health…

Read More… from European Commission requests for information about recommender systems under the Digital Services Act

Coimisiún na Meán has published its finalised Online Safety Code. The Code sets binding rules applying to video-sharing platforms who have their EU headquarters in Ireland. The general obligations contained in the Code will apply from November 2024 and platforms will have an implementation period for certain detailed provisions, which require IT build, to come…

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UK law Regulating quantum technology applications government response to the RHC The UK National Quantum Strategy was published in 2023 and aims to “create a national and international regulatory framework that supports innovation and the ethical use of quantum technologies, and protects UK capabilities and national security”. The previous government commissioned the Regulatory Horizons Council…

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The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled in Case C-446/21 | Schrems.  It said that an online social network such as Facebook cannot use all the personal data obtained for targeted advertising, without restriction as to time and without distinction as to type of data. In 2018, Meta Platforms Ireland started using…

Read More… from Court of Justice rules in another case brought by Max Schrems

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has announced its final decision following an inquiry into Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (MPIL). In March 2019, MPIL notified the DPC that it had inadvertently stored certain passwords of social media users in ‘plaintext’ on its internal systems (that is, without cryptographic protection or encryption). MPIL also published information regarding…

Read More… from Irish Data Protection Commission fines Meta Ireland €91 million

Meta provides digital display advertising services.  These are a type of digital advertising where advertisers pay online companies (for example, social media platforms) to display advertising on the websites or apps. In June 2021, the Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation under Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998 into suspected breaches of competition…

Read More… from CMA approves Meta’s changes to data use rules