Tech Brief: Online media oversight in debate and cyber-awareness month

Online media oversight in debate and cyber-awareness month

“X, who is not under the [voluntary EU disinformation] Code any more is the platform with the largest ratio of mis/disinformation posts.”

– said EU Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová, in charge of values and transparency, in a press statement on Tuesday (26 September).

Story of the week: It’s “not up to Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg to decide” what kind of content an EU newspaper or a television station should publish online, said MEP Christel Schaldemose (S&D) at a European Parliament event on Tuesday. For the first time, EU institutions are to discuss the introduction of binding rules for protecting media freedom online, but the question of what level of oversight should be applied to online media while ensuring the upholding of democratic standards is fuelling intense debates. Read more.

Don’t miss: The EU institutions launched their campaign to introduce October as the ‘European Cybersecurity Month’. To mark Cyber-October, ENISA and the Commission, in partnership with EU countries, aim to create a platform to trigger more action on cybersecurity. The focus will be on social engineering tactics attackers use to get sensitive information. “Cybersecurity attacks against EU institutions, EU governments, and public institutions pose a real threat to democracy,” Dita Charanzová, vice-president of the European Parliament, added, stating that EU law enforcement agency Europol has identified a notable rise in ransomware attacks against public institutions and large companies.

Also this week:

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AI-translated podcasts. Spotify is testing its AI-translated podcasts in a pilot project called Voice Translation. For now, the pilot project translated English-recorded podcasts into Spanish, French and German for a selected number of episodes. The initial bundle of episodes can be found here. Spotify’s CEO and Founder Daniel Ek also said on Tuesday that the music-streaming platform has no plans to ban AI-generated music, with one red line, that “AI should not be used to impersonate human artists without their consent”.

ChatGPT connects to the internet. OpeanAI confirmed on Wednesday that from now on, the chatbot will be browsing the internet to provide users with up to date information. Previously, it was trained to access data on a fixed database, last updated in September 2021. On Monday, OpenAI also shared a blog post saying that they will begin to roll out “new voice and image capabilities in ChatGPT” which will allow users to to have “a voice conversation or show ChatGPT what you’re talking about”.

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp AI bots. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp introduced at its Connect developer conference on Thursday AI bots “with unique interests and personalities”, building on celebrities including US singer Snoop Dogg or Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka in an attempt to drive engagement on its platforms. Developers will also be able to create new AI-driven persona chatbots.

Global call to stop facial recognition. Some 120 civil society organisations and 60 individual experts co-signed a letter calling on governments around the world to stop facial surveillance on Tuesday. “From the tracking of emotions and supposedly ‘suspicious behaviours’ in Europe, to the suppression of protesters in Hong Kong, to the violent false arrests of black men in the US, facial recognition has been turning us into walking barcodes across the world” reads the European Digital Rights website advertising the letter.

Photoshop powered by AI. Adobe launched Photoshop’s web version on Wednesday, accessible for its paid plan customers. Photoshop is now available with much more attention paid to user accessibility, such as full name tools for beginners, tools with help or AI tools, and collaboration features. The web version was previously in beta version for two years.

Uber Freight and AI. Uber Freight, Uber’s supply chain optimisation tool, introduced Insights AI on Thursday. Uber Freights’ website says that their AI-optimised network advances supply-chain management. Insights AI should allow customers to make queries, usually taking days for workers to compile. For example, routes with the worst on-time performance and the causes. The company’s AI will also allow shippers to estimate arrival times more precisely, Bloomberg reports.

OpenAI x Apple. Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief design officer, and OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman are reportedly discussing a possible collaboration on an artificial intelligence “hardware device”, though specifics are not yet known. Altman has previously partnered with another former Apple designer, Thomas Meyerhoffer, on new hardware.

AI Act but no exuberant regulation. On the topic of the AI Act which is expected to come into force not until 2025, according to Volker Wissing, Germany’s Digital Affairs Minister, “We need regulation that enables and does not hinder, that leaves room for innovation and does not restrict it. We want to apply, not push back,” he added. In his speech, Wissing also highlighted that for Germany, he plans to set up AI quality and innovation centers in the coming year as part of the National Initiative for AI-based Transformation into the Data Economy.

EU blocks Booking.com’s merger with flight technology company eTraveli. Under EU Merger Regulation rules, the European Commission on Monday blocked the merger of Booking.com and eTraveli, citing the former’s already dominant market position. Booking.com, an online accommodation and travel site, was set to takeover eTraveli, a flight-centric travel agency, in a deal worth €1.6 billion until the EU’s competition department put a stop to it. Commissioner for Justice and Competition Didier Reynders said that following an investigation and considering Booking.com has a dominant position in the hotel online travel agency (OTA) in Europe, it would be “very dangerous to see such a dominant position increasing.” Read more.

Quan-tition. The next tech race on the horizon looks set to feature quantum technologies – and it is one in which Germany is looking to make a mark, amid competition from the United States, China and Japan. Dr Natalya Stolyarchuk, Head of Future Computing & Microelectronics at Bitkom, said: “Now it’s a matter of making the potential known, supporting companies in its use and positioning Germany ahead in the global competition.” Quantum technologies are the next significant technological step, she said, comparable to the introduction of computers in industry. Quantum computing has the potential to solve problems that are still unattainable for today’s computers.

French Digital Minister asks French, EU AI businesses to respect copyright. In a French television show titled ‘Does artificial intelligence make us dumber?’ on Sunday, Jean-Noël Barrot, the French digital minister, explained that if France and the EU do not wish to “be on the defensive” with AI, the EU needs to “own and master this new technology”. A key part of this is tackling copyright controversies – according to Barrot, AI businesses stand in a win-win situation.

TikTok accused of spying? On Wednesday, Forbes reported that TikTok did not protect the intimate data of public figures, such as the Biden family, with a sufficient level of security. Such lack of control raises doubts about the possibility of the use of this data by Chinese intelligence agencies, or by individuals working closely with the Chinese government. Such controversies would not be new: previously, one Saudi Arabian national employed by Twitter used his credentials to spy on critics and political dissidents in the US.

Enforcement of the Data Governance Act. As of Monday, the Data Governance Act, the EU regulation complementing the General Data Protection Regulation on non-personal data, enters into force. The aim is to increase corporate data-sharing inside the EU and boost the Single Market. Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market, called the EU “the best place to share and use data safely & securely” since the Data Governance Act application.

Robbery: 60,000 US emails. According to State Department IT officials, about 60,000 emails were stolen by Chinese hackers from 10 State Department accounts via a Microsoft breach. Read more.

Schrems III. The International Center for Law & Economics’s Senior Scholar Mikołaj Barczentewicz published a new issue brief about Schrems III on Monday. The paper discusses such issues as an “adequate level of protection” for personal data, the issue of proportionality of “bulk” data collection and of effective redress, as well as of access to information about American intelligence agencies’ data processes.

Digi-meter, how do you like to travel? The Eurobarometer on digitalisation of travel documents finds that 81% of Europeans emphasised increased border security while 77% value accelerating border procedures, such as border checks, boarding and baggage drop. Some 68% of Europeans “are in favour of digital travel documents when travelling to or outside the Schengen Area” reads the poll, while two third of Europeans prefer to receive their documents with one single application at the EU level. The results represent over 26,000 people in the 27 EU States.

Another strategy to prevent action. In a resort vote this week, the Government passed the ‘Strategy for International Digital Policy’, the fifth strategy in the current legislative period in the digital sector. “In digital policy, we are getting lost in writing down more and more new strategies. Instead of launching effective measures, the Federal Government is producing the next toothless paper tiger with its Strategy for International Digital Policy,” commented Dirk Freytag, President of the German Digital Economy Association (BVDW). Adding, those who speak of ‘ambitious technology policy goals’ must also back them up with adequate projects.

Disinformation: what’s the problem? X decided to halve its global team dedicated to election integrity, including the head of the department, reported The Information on Thursday. Musk’s decision comes only a month after the enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU file tackling illegal content online, to push social media to toughen its content moderation teams.

Commission warns X over disinformation rates. Jourová said in a press statement that X was “the platform with the largest ratio of mis/disinformation posts”. Jourová explained that Elon Musk X’s CEO will not be off the hook when applying the DSA. A recent comparison of the data provided voluntarily by “very-large online plateforms” while part of the Code of Practice on Disinformation by the disinformation monitoring start-up TrustLab backs up Jourová’s statement that X has the biggest proportion of disinformation out of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn.

Big Tech delivers EU disinformation reports. Since the DSA’s first deadline came into force, “very-large online platforms” were encouraged by the EU Commission to join the Code of Practice on Disinformation, in order to prepare for the formal enforcement of the Digital Services Act. The first comprehensive six-month reports of Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and TikTok were published on the specific Transparency Centre on Tuesday. The Commission welcomed the publication of the data but stated that “further efforts are needed to provide more targeted, complete, and meaningful data”.

Commission launches Transparency Database. Under the DSA, all designated “very-large online platforms” and “very-large search engines” will have to submit data to the Transparency Database detailing “statements of reason” for each content moderation decision. For now, it looks like an endless Excel sheet, but the Commission assured it “will add new analytics and visualisation features in the coming months”, with the aim to make it the first-of-its-kind repository where the general public can browse through content moderation decisions taken by providers of online platforms.

25 candles for Google & ICANN. Although the search engine company and internet corporation coordinating the Internet’s naming system do not have a lot in common, apart from being Californian, they both celebrated their 25th birthdays this week. Google dedicated its anniversary to celebrating curiosity, which drove its business model. ICANN, which has been the Internet’s Phone Book of the world for the past 25 years, allows the transcription of each unique “internet’s phone number” (called URLs) – like https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/ into a webpage displaying actual content, where, following our example, you can kick back, relax and browse through plenary sitting dates of the European Parliament.

EU Court temporarily suspends DSA applicability for Amazon ads. The EU court gave an interim order in favour of Amazon on Thursday. The General Court ruled that the Seattle-based company did not have to comply with the obligations set in the Digital Services Act, suspending de facto the definition of Amazon Marketplace as a “very-large online platform”.

Antitrust lawsuit for Amazon. On Tuesday, a lawsuit was filed in front of the US district Court of Washington by the Federal Trade Commission against Amazon for the use of unfair practices. “Amazon’s anticompetitive conduct closes off each major avenue of competition—including price, product selection, quality, and innovation” reads the claim.

Digital Decade. The first report on the state of the Digital Decade was published on Wednesday, with key findings laying bare gaps in 5G network coverage and questions about the use of artificial intelligence by businesses. The report is the first in a series due to be published annually, and will be followed by national roadmaps by EU countries submitted by 9 October, then discussions with the Council, the Parliament, and the Digital Decade board. Read more.

France’s deals with Australia, Canada, a giant step for EU ‘raw materials diplomacy’. France’s signing of agreements on raw materials with Canada and Australia is a major step forward for European “raw materials diplomacy”, the French Energy Ministry said on Wednesday. Read more.

Tough French regulation of the digital sphere… unless you use a VPN. ‘Easy access to illegal content’ likely to be curbed in France. France wants to make it harder to access and punish illegal behaviour online, according to a text on securing and regulating the digital environment that lawmakers agreed in committee on 21 September. The bill, was discussed this week by a special committee in the National Assembly. “It is a text designed to ensure that the majority of people will no longer be able to easily access illegal content online,” Philippe Latombe, MP for the Démocrate group (MoDem, centre), told Euractiv. Read more.

Protecting encryption. The association European Digital Rights (EDRi) held its event ‘Encryption in the age of surveillance’ on Tuesday with several speakers emphasising the importance of encryption. President of Signal Meredith Whittaker said that they are not planning to leave the UK for now, even though not being satisfied with the Online Safety Bill’s pass. Carmela Troncoso, Assistant Professor at EPFL and expert in security and privacy said that technology that could detect Child Sexual Abuse Material without undermining encryption does not exist. “No one in the academic community thought that this is a good idea” or that it’s possible to build such technology, she explained.

Again, protecting encryption. After the Spanish Presidency delayed a vote of the European Council on the Child Sexual Abuse Material draft law due to disagreements on encryption, Proton published a blog post on Wednesday, discussing member states’ positions and risks. Proton said that “if the legislation is passed in its current form and we subsequently receive requests to undermine our encryption we would mount a robust legal challenge.”

What’s next for Child Sexual Abuse Material? Euractiv learned this week that the regulation to detect online child sexual abuse material might end up on the Committee of Permanent Representatives’ (COREPER) desk on 11 October and will go on to the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 19 October.

The Good, the Bad, and the DPC. The Irish government posted two job ads on Thursday for additional commissioners at Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC). The DPC looks at major tech firms’ compliance with the EU’s data protection framework, and has a record of issuing some of the largest world and EU fines on Big Tech.

Council of Europe concerned about unbalanced media amid Polish elections. A pre-electoral delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe went to Poland between Monday and Thursday and echoed concerns about “potential democratic backsliding” amid general election campaigns expected on 15 October. Among various concerns, they relayed “concerns of certain interlocutors about unbalanced media coverage by public outlets”. A delegation of European lawmakers and legal experts is expected to travel to Poland to observe the vote.

First success for Breton’s MediaInvest is… French! The European Commission and the European Investment Fund unveiled a €68.25 million financing package to support the EU audiovisual sector during the San Sebastian Film Festival on Monday. Out of this package, €25 million are equity investments dedicated to the Logical Content Ventures fund which finances films and TV productions across Europe. This investment is the first to fall under Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton’s MediaInvest instrument, which was created a year ago with the aim to mobilise private investment for the audiovisual sector. And guess what? Logical Content Ventures is operated by a French company, Logical Pictures SAS, and the public fund is in co-partnership with another French company: Pathé, a film production and distribution company.

Turn Reddit gold into money. Reddit announced on Monday that they would roll out the Reddit Contributor Program “where qualifying redditors, including mods, can be rewarded with money for their contributions to Reddit”.

A hint towards the Telecom Act? The Commission published on Wednesday its first Digital Decade Target report. Recommendations are given to member states by the Commission which suggests exploring “financing to complement private investment” and “embrace the pro-investment character of the EU regulatory framework”. It also encourages them “to quickly adopt the Gigabit Infrastructure Act so that companies investing in networks may benefit from the new rules as soon as possible”.

Save the date for the second US-EU summit. US President Joseph Biden, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet for a second time to “review the strong cooperation between the United States and the European Union”, including digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence.

Alina Clasen contributed to the reporting.

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald/Alice Taylor]

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