EU Tech Loop
Time is running out for EU Member States to decide on Chat Control
On September 12, European Member States will have to finalize their positions on the proposed regulation to force client-side scanning of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in messaging apps, also known as Chat Control. While the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU has previously stated they will push for CSAM-scanning during their Presidency, the number of people…
Return of Chat Control: something is rotten in the state of Denmark
The Scandinavian state has been a stalwart supporter of CSAM scanning and chat control. Now, they hold the keys to make it a reality. To break encryption, or not to break encryption, that is the question. Across the continent, tech-native Europeans are spinning up new LLMs and AI chatbots on their phones and computers and…
EU to lower ESG reporting metrics to boost competitiveness and reduce compliance costs
In a discussion over its Omnibus package in Brussels yesterday, the European Commission announced amendments to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, aiming to reduce the scope of firms forced to comply with the law, and further delaying the reporting requirement by up to two years. The previous version of the CSRD required companies in scope to submit detailed reports…
Europe can’t achieve AI prosperity on the data of others
If you’ve heard anything from the swanky flag-draped corner offices in Brussels, you know the EU wants “in” on the AI arms race. It’s been an obsession of the Commission and related bodies. Now that the AI Act is at least partly in force, and the European AI Office is beefing up its staff to help implement the regulations…
Breton’s Elon Musk regulatory troll earns one of the most epic ratios of all time
Yesterday, hours before American entrepreneur Elon Musk sat down with former President Donald Trump on a live “X space,” EU Commissioner Thierry Breton fired off a snarky letter to “remind” Musk of his obligations to the European Union’s Digital Services Act. As of publication, this X post has garnered over 67 million views, 15,000 retweets,…
Free speech platforms like ‘X’ will never pass the EU’s DSA test
Today, the European Commission released its initial findings in the investigation into X, formerly known as Twitter, and whether it has violated the Digital Services Act since begin designated a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) on April 25, 2023. That designation came just six months after the platform was purchased and taken private by tech mogul Elon Musk, after X…
Taking a bite out of MiCA, the EU’s comprehensive crypto legislation challenging the nature of decentralisation
To much fanfare, European Union legislators and commissioners last year negotiated the final framework of the bloc’s cryptocurrency regulation, known as the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). On June 30 of this year, Titles III and IV came into force, stipulating the requirements for issuers of “asset-referenced tokens” (commodity basket tokens) and “e-money tokens” (stablecoins). The rest…