The European Commission fined Meta another €400 million for failing to comply with GDPR requirements around targeted advertising. The ruling reinforces that consent must be freely given, not buried in a pop-up. Meta will appeal, but the direction of travel is clear.
Apple announced it will open its NFC chip to third-party developers in the EU. This is a direct response to the Digital Markets Act. It means rival payment apps can now compete with Apple Pay on iPhones. Expect a wave of banking apps to roll out their own tap-to-pay features by the end of the year.
In culture, the debate around AI-generated music reached a new peak. A viral track using cloned vocals from a deceased artist was pulled from streaming services after the estate threatened legal action. The technology is moving faster than the law. Labels are scrambling to update contracts and rights management.
The UK government published its response to the AI Safety Summit white paper. It focuses on voluntary commitments from frontier labs rather than binding legislation. Critics say this leaves the door open for harm. The government argues it keeps the UK competitive. Time will tell which side is right.
Paul