Google has fired a lobbying pot-shot at a looming change to the law in Australia that will force it to share ad revenue with local media businesses whose content its platforms monetize — seeking to mobilize its users against “big media.”Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of a mandatory code that seeks to address what it described as “acute bargaining power imbalances” between local news media and tech giants (Facebook and Google) by engaging in good faith negotiations and via a binding “final offer” arbitration process.Back in the country’s government announced it would...…Google has fired a lobbying pot-shot at a looming change to the law in Australia that will force it to share ad revenue with local media businesses whose content its platforms monetize — seeking to mobilize its users against “big media.”Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of a mandatory code that seeks to address what it described as “acute bargaining power imbalances” between local news media and tech giants (Facebook and Google) by engaging in good faith negotiations and via a binding “final offer” arbitration process.Back in the country’s government announced it would...WW…

The use of third party cookies for ad tracking and targeting by data broker giants and is the focus of class action style litigation announced today in the UK and the Netherlands.The suits will argue that mass surveillance of Internet users to carry out real-time bidding ad auctions cannot possibly be compatible with strict EU laws around consent to process personal data.The litigants believe the collective claims could exceed €10BN, should they eventually prevail in their arguments — though such legal actions can take several years to work their way through the courts.In the UK, the case...…The use of third party cookies for ad tracking and targeting by data broker giants and is the focus of class action style litigation announced today in the UK and the Netherlands.The suits will argue that mass surveillance of Internet users to carry out real-time bidding ad auctions cannot possibly be compatible with strict EU laws around consent to process personal data.The litigants believe the collective claims could exceed €10BN, should they eventually prevail in their arguments — though such legal actions can take several years to work their way through the courts.In the UK, the case...WW…

Facebook has joined in saying it will allow employees to work from home until the middle of next year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.“Based on guidance from health and government experts, as well as decisions drawn from our internal discussions about these matters, we are allowing employees to continue voluntarily working from home until July 2021,” a spokeswoman told the news agency.Facebook also said it will provide employees with an additional $1,000 to spend on “home office needs.”Late Google also extended its coronavirus remote work provision, saying staff would be able to...…Facebook has joined in saying it will allow employees to work from home until the middle of next year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.“Based on guidance from health and government experts, as well as decisions drawn from our internal discussions about these matters, we are allowing employees to continue voluntarily working from home until July 2021,” a spokeswoman told the news agency.Facebook also said it will provide employees with an additional $1,000 to spend on “home office needs.”Late Google also extended its coronavirus remote work provision, saying staff would be able to...WW…

Twitter has disclosed it’s facing a potential fine of more than a hundred million dollars as a result of a probe by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which believes the company violated a by using data provided by users for a security purpose to target them with ads.In an , reported on earlier by The , Twitter revealed it received the draft complaint from the FTC late last month. The activity the regulator is complaining about is alleged to have taken place between 2013 and 2019.Last the social media firm publicly disclosed it had used phone numbers and email addresses provided by users...…Twitter has disclosed it’s facing a potential fine of more than a hundred million dollars as a result of a probe by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which believes the company violated a by using data provided by users for a security purpose to target them with ads.In an , reported on earlier by The , Twitter revealed it received the draft complaint from the FTC late last month. The activity the regulator is complaining about is alleged to have taken place between 2013 and 2019.Last the social media firm publicly disclosed it had used phone numbers and email addresses provided by users...WW…

A highly anticipated ruling by Europe’s top court has just landed — striking down a flagship EU-US data flows arrangement called Privacy Shield.“the requirements of US national security, public interest and law enforcement have primacy, thus condoning interference with the fundamental rights of persons whose data are transferred to that third country”, and that mechanisms in the EU-US Privacy Shield ostensibly intended to mitigate this interference (such as an ombudsperson role to handle EU citizens’ complaints) are not up the required legal standard of ‘essential equivalence’ with EU...…A highly anticipated ruling by Europe’s top court has just landed — striking down a flagship EU-US data flows arrangement called Privacy Shield.“the requirements of US national security, public interest and law enforcement have primacy, thus condoning interference with the fundamental rights of persons whose data are transferred to that third country”, and that mechanisms in the EU-US Privacy Shield ostensibly intended to mitigate this interference (such as an ombudsperson role to handle EU citizens’ complaints) are not up the required legal standard of ‘essential equivalence’ with EU...WW…

Automattic, the open source force behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Longreads, Simplenote and , has made a $4.6M strategic investment into — the creators of an open, decentralized communications standard called . They also develop a Slack rival () which runs on Matrix.The investment by Automattic, which is at a higher valuation than the last tranche New Vector took in, extends an , from enterprise tech specialists  and plus European seed fund — and brings the total raised to date to $18.1M (which includes an earlier in strategic investment from an Ethereum-based secure chat and...…Automattic, the open source force behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Longreads, Simplenote and , has made a $4.6M strategic investment into — the creators of an open, decentralized communications standard called . They also develop a Slack rival () which runs on Matrix.The investment by Automattic, which is at a higher valuation than the last tranche New Vector took in, extends an , from enterprise tech specialists  and plus European seed fund — and brings the total raised to date to $18.1M (which includes an earlier in strategic investment from an Ethereum-based secure chat and...WW…