Spotify to Allow In-App Purchases for Subscriptions, Audiobooks on iPhone in Europe After March DMA Deadline

Spotify to Allow In-App Purchases for Subscriptions, Audiobooks on iPhone in Europe After March DMA Deadline

Spotify users in Europe from March will be able to buy audiobooks and subscription plans from within the music-streaming app as a result of the region’s new competition law for Big Tech, the Swedish company said on Wednesday. The move will help the company avoid Apple’s 30 percent fee for…

Meta Allows EU Users to Access Instagram, Facebook, Messenger Separately to Comply With Regulations

Meta Allows EU Users to Access Instagram, Facebook, Messenger Separately to Comply With Regulations

Facebook parent Meta will allow users in the European Union, European Economic Area, and Switzerland to prevent information from being shared across the company’s apps. As a result, people who live in these regions will be able to use Instagram and Facebook separately, even if they are connected on the…

Coinbase Gains Licence to Operate as Virtual Asset Services Provider in France

Coinbase Gains Licence to Operate as Virtual Asset Services Provider in France

US-based crypto exchange Coinbase has successfully acquired a licence to operate as a virtual asset service provider (VASP) in France. This also means that Coinbase is now a registered entity with Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), the French financial markets authority. While Binance has amassed approval internationally outside US, Coinbase…

Google, Meta, Qualcomm Form Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems in Light of New EU Tech Rules

Google, Meta, Qualcomm Form Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems in Light of New EU Tech Rules

Alphabet’s Google, Meta Platforms, Qualcomm and seven other tech companies on Wednesday teamed up to push for open digital ecosystems in response to new EU tech rules in a move that may also take the edge of possible future legislation. Calling itself the Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems (CODE), the…

YouTube Faces Criminal Complaint for ‘Spying’ on Users While Detecting Ad Blockers: Report

YouTube Faces Criminal Complaint for ‘Spying’ on Users While Detecting Ad Blockers: Report

YouTube could face criminal charges in Europe for allegedly spying on users, according to a report. The Alphabet-owned video streaming platform recently introduced restrictions on ad blockers on the service, preventing users who used specific browser extensions from viewing videos. A privacy consultant, who has deemed Google’s new system to…

Apple Filing Reveals iPhone Maker Expects to Change App Store Policy to Comply With EU Regulation

Apple Filing Reveals iPhone Maker Expects to Change App Store Policy to Comply With EU Regulation

Apple expects it will be compelled to make changes to its App Store policies, as the firm must comply with the European Union’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA). The iPhone maker’s recent filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shows the company expects to make policy changes related to applications…

Apple to Update Software on iPhone 12s in France to Settle Radiation Dispute

Apple to Update Software on iPhone 12s in France to Settle Radiation Dispute

Apple pledged on Friday to update software on iPhone 12s in France to settle a dispute over radiation levels, but concerns in other European countries signalled it may have to take similar action elsewhere.  France this week suspended sales of iPhone 12 handsets after tests which it said found breaches…

Meta Set to Contest EU Antitrust Charges at Friday Hearing to Avoid Hefty Fine

Meta Set to Contest EU Antitrust Charges at Friday Hearing to Avoid Hefty Fine

Facebook owner Meta will contest EU antitrust charges at a closed hearing on Friday in a bid to stave off a possible hefty fine after regulators charged it with tying its classified advertisements service to its social network, people familiar with the matter said. The European Commission sent a charge…

Amazon Challenges EU Online Content Rules, Other Big Tech Firms Expected to Follow Suit

Amazon Challenges EU Online Content Rules, Other Big Tech Firms Expected to Follow Suit

Amazon has launched a legal challenge against its inclusion in a group of companies subject to tough European Union online content rules, in a move that technology experts have said may prompt other tech giants to follow suit. Amazon’s challenge at the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe’s second highest, is the…