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Metro
4 days ago
- Business
- Metro
UK government could force Google to make changes - what are they?
If you found this article via a search engine, it was probably Google. In the UK, 90% of general search queries use the search engine, and more than 200,000 businesses rely on its advertising. Now, the UK government has given an update in their investigation into whether Google has too much power, saying it is a 'key gateway to the internet' and may need to loosen its control. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said today that it is minded to give the tech firm 'strategic market status', after starting to look into this in January. This would require Google to follow certain rules around competition with other search engines and ad providers. At the moment, Google is the default search engine for Apple and Samsung phones in the UK after making deals with their makers, but in future this may have to change. Users could be given a 'choice screen' to pick between search engines, in case they want DuckDuckGo, Bing, Ecosia, or something else instead. It could be forced to introduce new 'fair ranking' measures for its search results, and avoid giving its own products preferential billing (such as YouTube or Google Maps). Advertising costs might indirectly become lower: the government said that the amount spent by UK business entitites for search advertising was equivelent to over £33,000 per advertiser and 'if competition was working well, we would expect these costs to be lower.' News publishers might get more control of how their content appears in search results and AI summaries, such as potentially more credit and direct links, as well as more extensive previews. It might also become easier to port search data to another provider. The government said: 'Innovative businesses struggle to compete as people can't easily share their search data with firms developing innovative new services which could benefit them.' The particular investigation by the CMA is, but there have been similar actions in other jurisdictions too. In the US, Google may be forced to sell off part of its ad business after it was found to be too dominant, violating antitrust law. Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater said: 'The Court's ruling is clear: Google is a monopolist and has abused its monopoly power. 'Google's unlawful dominance allows them to censor and even deplatform American voices. And at the same time, Google destroyed and hid information that exposed its illegal conduct. Today's opinion confirms Google's controlling hand over online advertising and, increasingly, the internet itself.' The EU has also taken action to regulate Google under competition law. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: 'Online search engines are the door through which users discover and find information, products and services. 'Our initial view is that Alphabet, in the ranking of Google Search results, gives more prominence and treats its services, like shopping or travel, more favourably than similar services of third parties. 'We also initially found that Alphabet was not enabling free offers and choice for developers and users on its Google Play app store, even though it is required to do so under the Digital Markets Act. 'Both practices negatively impact many European and non-European businesses that rely on Google Search or Google Play to reach their users in the EU.' Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said: 'Google search has delivered tremendous benefits – but our investigation so far suggests there are ways to make these markets more open, competitive and innovative. 'Today marks an important milestone in our implementation of the new Digital Markets Competition Regime in the UK. 'Alongside our proposed designation of Google's search activities, we have set out a roadmap of possible future action to improve outcomes for people and businesses in the UK. 'These targeted and proportionate actions would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Google's search services – as well as unlocking greater opportunities for innovation across the UK tech sector and broader economy.' A final decision on giving Google strategic market status in the UK is due to be made by October following a consultation process. In a blog post today, Oliver Bethell, then company's senior director of competition, said: 'The outcome could have significant implications for businesses and consumers in the UK. 'The positive impact of Google Search on the UK is undeniable. Our tools and services contribute billions of pounds a year to the UK — £118 billion in 2023 alone. More Trending 'The CMA has today reiterated that 'strategic market status' does not imply that anti-competitive behaviour has taken place — yet this announcement presents clear challenges to critical areas of our business in the UK. We're concerned that the scope of the CMA's considerations remains broad and unfocused, with a range of interventions being considered before any evidence has been provided. 'Delivering certainty matters to businesses like ours that relentlessly invest in innovation. It also matters to every UK business that benefits from services like Search to reach customers — and to every user that relies on Search to get things done. 'The UK has historically benefitted from early access to our latest innovations, but punitive regulations could change that. Proportionate, evidence-based regulation will be essential to preventing the CMA's roadmap from becoming a roadblock to growth in the UK. 'As we move into the next phase of this process, we will continue working constructively with the CMA to avoid measures that would limit opportunities for UK businesses and consumers.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Keir Starmer makes new promise to spend billions extra on defence after Iran strikes MORE: Victory for Metro after grassroots venues handed £30,000,000 in support MORE: 'I was the only out lesbian MP for 13 years – here's how Parliament has changed'
Fashion United
18-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Counterfeits, dangerous products: AliExpress threatened with EU fine
The European Commission on Wednesday took a significant step towards imposing a substantial fine on Chinese e-commerce giant AliExpress. The Commission preliminarily found that AliExpress has not adequately managed risks related to the sale of illegal products, despite numerous improvements. The Brussels-based regulator, acting as the EU's digital watchdog, believes AliExpress breached its obligation to assess and mitigate risks associated with the distribution of illegal products—ranging from counterfeits to items that fail to meet European safety standards. This marks the first time the Commission has targeted this Alibaba subsidiary under the EU's new Digital Services Act (DSA), which came fully into force last year to strengthen protections for internet users. In its statement, the Commission highlighted that AliExpress underestimated these risks due to the limited resources allocated to its moderation system. It also failed to correctly enforce its sanctions policy against sellers repeatedly posting illegal content. The regulator pointed to systemic failures that rendered moderation efforts ineffective and easily circumvented by malicious sellers. AliExpress now has access to the case file and may respond in writing to the preliminary findings. Should the Commission's accusations be confirmed, the platform could face a fine of up to six percent of its annual global turnover and be placed under enhanced supervision until corrective measures are implemented. The formal challenge announced Wednesday follows an investigation launched by the Commission in March 2024. However, it also acknowledged progress made over the past year, with AliExpress proposing improvements that the Commission has validated. The regulator specifically noted that AliExpress addressed concerns related to monitoring and detecting illegal products—such as medicines, food supplements, and adult content that could harm users' health and minors' well-being. The platform's reporting mechanisms and complaint handling systems were deemed satisfactory. Brussels also confirmed that AliExpress complies with legal requirements regarding advertisement transparency, recommendation systems, seller traceability, and data access for researchers. 'The measures taken today demonstrate the strength of the Digital Services Act in creating a safer online environment,' said European Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen. She welcomed AliExpress's commitment to becoming a safer platform for its users. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
Gulf Today
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
New push in Europe to curb children's social media use
From dangerous diet tips to disinformation, cyberbullying to hate speech, the glut of online content harmful to children grows every day. But several European countries have had enough and agree the EU should do more to prevent minors' access to social media. The European Union already has some of the world's most stringent digital rules to rein in Big Tech, with multiple probes ongoing into how platforms protect children - or fail to do so. Backed by France and Spain, Greece spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children's use of online platforms as a rising body of evidence shows the negative effects of social media on children's mental and physical health. They discussed the plan on Friday with EU counterparts in Luxembourg to push the idea of setting an age of digital adulthood across the 27-country bloc, meaning children would not be able to access social media without parental consent. France, Greece and Denmark believe there should be a ban on social media for under-15s, while Spain has suggested a ban for under-16s. Australia has banned social media for under-16s, taking effect later this year, while New Zealand and Norway are considering a similar prohibition. After the day's talks in Luxembourg, it appeared there was no real appetite at this stage for a EU-wide ban on children under a specific age. But Danish Digital Minister Caroline Stage Olsen indicated there would be no let-up. 'It's going to be something we're pushing for,' she said. Top EU digital official Henna Virkkunen admitted specific age limits would be 'challenging' for multiple reasons, including cultural differences in member states and how it would work in practice. But the European Commission, the EU's digital watchdog, still intends to launch an age-verification app next month, insisting it can be done without disclosing personal details. The EU last month published non-binding draft guidelines for platforms to protect minors, to be finalised once a public consultation ends this month, including setting children's accounts to private by default, and making it easier to block and mute users. French Digital Minister Clara Chappaz said it would be 'a very big step' if the EU made platforms check the real age of their users, as theoretically required under current regulation. The worry is that children as young as seven or eight can easily create an account on social media platforms despite a minimum age of 13, by giving a false date of birth. 'If we all agree as Europeans to say this needs to stop, there needs to be a proper age verification scheme, then it means that children below 13 won't be able to access the platform,' Chappaz said. France has led the way in cracking down on platforms, passing a 2023 law requiring them to obtain parental consent for users under the age of 15. Agence France-Presse
Business Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Times
New push in Europe to curb children's social media use
[LUXEMBOURG] From dangerous diet tips to disinformation, cyberbullying to hate speech, the glut of online content harmful to children grows every day. But several European countries have had enough and agree the EU should do more to prevent minors' access to social media. The European Union already has some of the world's most stringent digital rules to rein in Big Tech, with multiple probes ongoing into how platforms protect children - or fail to do so. Backed by France and Spain, Greece spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children's use of online platforms as a rising body of evidence shows the negative effects of social media on children's mental and physical health. They discussed the plan on Friday with EU counterparts in Luxembourg to push the idea of setting an age of digital adulthood across the 27-country bloc, meaning children would not be able to access social media without parental consent. France, Greece and Denmark believe there should be a ban on social media for under-15s, while Spain has suggested a ban for under-16s. Australia has banned social media for under-16s, taking effect later this year, while New Zealand and Norway are considering a similar prohibition. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up After the day's talks in Luxembourg, it appeared there was no real appetite at this stage for an EU-wide ban on children under a specific age. But Danish Digital Minister Caroline Stage Olsen indicated there would be no let-up. 'It's going to be something we're pushing for,' she said. Top EU digital official Henna Virkkunen admitted specific age limits would be 'challenging' for multiple reasons, including cultural differences in member states and how it would work in practice. But the European Commission, the EU's digital watchdog, still intends to launch an age-verification app next month, insisting it can be done without disclosing personal details. 'Very big step' The EU last month published non-binding draft guidelines for platforms to protect minors, to be finalised once a public consultation ends this month, including setting children's accounts to private by default, and making it easier to block and mute users. French Digital Minister Clara Chappaz said it would be 'a very big step' if the EU made platforms check the real age of their users, as theoretically required under current regulation. The worry is that children as young as seven or eight can easily create an account on social media platforms despite a minimum age of 13, by giving a false date of birth. 'If we all agree as Europeans to say this needs to stop, there needs to be a proper age verification scheme, then it means that children below 13 won't be able to access the platform,' Chappaz said. France has led the way in cracking down on platforms, passing a 2023 law requiring them to obtain parental consent for users under the age of 15. But the measure has not received the EU green light it needs to come into force. France also gradually introduced requirements this year for all adult websites to have users confirm their age to prevent children accessing porn - with three major platforms going dark this week in anger over the move. TikTok, also under pressure from the French government, on Sunday banned the '#SkinnyTok' hashtag, part of a trend promoting extreme thinness on the platform. In-built age verification France, Greece and Spain expressed concern about the algorithmic design of digital platforms increasing children's exposure to addictive and harmful content - with the risk of worsening anxiety, depression and self-esteem issues. Their proposal - also supported by Cyprus and Slovenia - blames excessive screen time at a young age for hindering the development of minors' critical and relationship skills. They demand 'an EU-wide application that supports parental control mechanisms, allows for proper age verification and limits the use of certain applications by minors'. The goal would be for devices such as smartphones to have in-built age verification. The EU is clamping down in other ways as well. It is currently investigating Meta's Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok under its mammoth content moderation law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), fearing the platforms are failing to do enough to prevent children accessing harmful content. And last week, it launched an investigation into four pornographic platforms over suspicions they are failing to stop children accessing adult content. AFP
Straits Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
New push in Europe to curb children's social media use
A rising body of evidence has shown the negative effects of social media on children's mental and physical health. PHOTO: AFP New push in Europe to curb children's social media use LUXEMBOURG - From dangerous diet tips to disinformation, cyberbullying to hate speech, the glut of online content harmful to children grows every day. But several European countries have had enough and agree the EU should do more to prevent minors' access to social media. The European Union already has some of the world's most stringent digital rules to rein in Big Tech, with multiple probes ongoing into how platforms protect children – or fail to do so. Backed by France and Spain, Greece spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children's use of online platforms as a rising body of evidence shows the negative effects of social media on children's mental and physical health. They discussed the plan on June 6 with EU counterparts in Luxembourg to push the idea of setting an age of digital adulthood across the 27-country bloc, meaning children would not be able to access social media without parental consent. France, Greece and Denmark believe there should be a ban on social media for under-15s, while Spain has suggested a ban for under-16s. Australia has banned social media for under-16s, taking effect later this year, while New Zealand and Norway are considering a similar prohibition. After the day's talks in Luxembourg, it appeared there was no real appetite at this stage for an EU-wide ban on children under a specific age. But Danish Digital Minister Caroline Stage Olsen indicated there would be no let-up. 'It's going to be something we're pushing for,' she said. Top EU digital official Henna Virkkunen admitted specific age limits would be 'challenging' for multiple reasons, including cultural differences in member states and how it would work in practice. But the European Commission, the EU's digital watchdog, still intends to launch an age-verification app next month, insisting it can be done without disclosing personal details. 'Very big step' The EU in May published non-binding draft guidelines for platforms to protect minors, to be finalised once a public consultation ends this month, including setting children's accounts to private by default, and making it easier to block and mute users. French Digital Minister Clara Chappaz said it would be 'a very big step' if the EU made platforms check the real age of their users, as theoretically required under current regulation. The worry is that children as young as seven or eight can easily create an account on social media platforms despite a minimum age of 13, by giving a false date of birth. 'If we all agree as Europeans to say this needs to stop, there needs to be a proper age verification scheme, then it means that children below 13 won't be able to access the platform,' Ms Chappaz said. France has led the way in cracking down on platforms, passing a 2023 law requiring them to obtain parental consent for users under the age of 15. But the measure has not received the EU green light it needs to come into force. France also gradually introduced requirements this year for all adult websites to have users confirm their age to prevent children accessing porn – with three major platforms going dark this week in anger over the move. TikTok, also under pressure from the French government, on June 1 banned the '#SkinnyTok' hashtag, part of a trend promoting extreme thinness on the platform. In-built age verification France, Greece and Spain expressed concern about the algorithmic design of digital platforms increasing children's exposure to addictive and harmful content – with the risk of worsening anxiety, depression and self-esteem issues. Their proposal – also supported by Cyprus and Slovenia – blames excessive screen time at a young age for hindering the development of minors' critical and relationship skills. They demand 'an EU-wide application that supports parental control mechanisms, allows for proper age verification and limits the use of certain applications by minors'. The goal would be for devices such as smartphones to have in-built age verification. The EU is clamping down in other ways as well. It is currently investigating Meta's Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok under its mammoth content moderation law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), fearing the platforms are failing to do enough to prevent children accessing harmful content. And last week, it launched an investigation into four pornographic platforms over suspicions they are failing to stop children accessing adult content. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
