Neowin News Feed for: Regulation

Bluesky COO warns social media regulations could destroy competition from small startups

Paul Hill — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 03:04:01 +0000

New warnings emerge over government social media bans and rules, with claims that current regulatory approaches could accidentally help Big Tech cement its monopoly power. Read more...

Ofcom hits suicide forum with £950k fine and probes porn sites under OSA

Paul Hill — Wed, 13 May 2026 13:04:01 +0000

New enforcement actions under the Online Safety Act target sites failing to protect minors and vulnerable users. Here is what happens next for the platforms. Read more...

Telegram faces UK ban threat as Ofcom launches massive safety investigation

Paul Hill — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:14:01 +0000

Ofcom is playing hardball. From multimillion-pound penalties to total platform blocks, see why Telegram is in the crosshairs and what this means for the future of the app in the UK. Read more...

Starmer slams tech giants as UK prepares a major crackdown on social media child safety

Paul Hill — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:26:01 +0000

A massive regulatory wave is hitting Big Tech. From mandatory age verification to AI chatbot bans, find out how the UK plans to force social media platforms to protect your kids. Read more...

UK watchdog to probe Microsoft business software over market dominance concerns

Paul Hill — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:10:02 +0000

Microsoft's grip on the UK business software market is under fire. A new investigation could change how Windows, Teams, and Copilot are licensed and used. Read more...

Snapchat faces EU probe over minor grooming, illegal drug sales, and weak age verification

Karthik Mudaliar — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 19:14:01 +0000

The European Commission has launched a formal investigation into Snapchat under the Digital Services Act (DSA), citing concerns over child safety, grooming, and the sale of illegal products. Read more...

This lawsuit could actually force Big Tech to completely redesign Reels, Shorts, and TikTok

Karthik Mudaliar — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 07:50:02 +0000

Your favourite social media apps might change forever as a historic jury verdict just found Meta and Google liable for addictive design. Read on to know what might change. Read more...

EFF sounds the alarm on Chat Control, a regulation allowing scanning of private messages

Usama Jawad — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 20:16:01 +0000

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has criticized Europe's Chat Control regulation, which potentially allows governments to spy on phones. Read more...

Google joins Apple in criticizing Europe's DMA

Usama Jawad — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:52:02 +0000

Google has joined Apple's call for a 'reset' of the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), saying that it actually hurts consumers. Read more...

EU moving to block Big Tech from new data system

Paul Hill — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 09:04:01 +0000

The EU will exclude major US tech giants from a new financial data sharing system. It's a move to protect the EU's financial ecosystem and digital sovereignty, but Big Tech says consumers will lose. Read more...

Ofcom investigates more porn sites for age-check failures

Paul Hill — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:28:01 +0000

Ofcom, the UK digital regulator, has said it's investigating five companies that run 22 porn sites for not implementing age verification. Read more...

UK's new age verification law puts your privacy at risk

Paul Hill — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:54:01 +0000

The Open Rights Group has asked for Online Safety Act age assurance companies to be regulated due to fears over privacy. Read more...

Bluesky needs to be more professional to meet increasing regulatory demands

Paul Hill — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 16:16:01 +0000

A recent gaffe by Bluesky chief executive and a complaint from the European Commission show that Bluesky needs to get its act together to meet regulatory scrutiny. Read more...

Google will appeal to pause implementation of the Epic Games case remedies

Pradeep Viswanathan — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 04:48:01 +0000

Google plans to appeal the decision, arguing that the injunction misrepresents the market dynamics between Android and iOS. Read more...

Telegram releases official statement as its CEO remains in French custody

Martin Hodás — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 10:26:02 +0000

Popular messenger app Telegram insists it complies with EU law and claims that its detained CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide. The platform is known for ignoring authorities and even the media. Read more...

The US could get a new federal agency to regulate big tech

Paul Hill — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:16:01 +0000

A bipartisan bill called the Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act could give the United States a new regulator that could police big tech and deal with potential new threats like AI. Read more...

Google shares its concerns regarding tougher rules for political advertising in the EU

Usama Jawad — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 08:50:01 +0000

With the European Union (EU) working on tougher rules for political content and advertising on digital platforms, Google has shared five concerns that should be addressed for fairer laws. Read more...

Upcoming 8K TVs likely won't be available in the EU due to energy rules

Steve Bennett — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 18:44:01 +0000

Upcoming, power hungry, 8K TVs may not be available in the EU starting from 2023 due to a potential change in regulations that set a limit on how much energy a television can consume. Read more...

Ofcom announces probe into cloud offerings from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google

Paul Hill — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 13:42:01 +0000

Ofcom has launched a study into large cloud service providers, communications apps such as WhatsApp, and connected devices like smart TVs and smart speakers. It wants to identify competition concerns. Read more...

India delays controversial regulations that require VPN providers to store customer data

Usama Jawad — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 09:08:01 +0000

India has delayed its new regulations which require VPN and cloud service providers to store customer information and provide it to the government. The delay allows firms to adapt or exit the country. Read more...

New Chinese policy mandates reviewing every comment on all websites before publishing

Karthik Mudaliar — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 08:08:01 +0000

China has passed a new policy that requires every website to review and verify real names of those who comment and its content. The information will be sent to the Chinese government if it is illegal. Read more...

Leaked document reveals Facebook has no control over user data and where it's going

Karthik Mudaliar — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 21:22:01 +0000

According to a leaked document, Facebook engineers have admitted that Facebook itself doesn't know what it does with its own users' data and where it goes after entering its servers. Read more...

UK government gets with the times as it plans to regulate stablecoins for everyday payments

Paul Hill — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 17:54:01 +0000

The UK government has announced that it's planning to regulate stablecoins. This would ensure that they're reliable and safe. It's also seeking to improve the tax system for cryptoassets. Read more...

EU Parliament committee decides not to ban proof-of-work cryptos

Paul Hill — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 18:48:01 +0000

A European Union Parliament committee has decided not to ban proof-of-work cryptocurrencies in the bloc. Such a ban would have affected the most popular cryptos including Bitcoin and Ethereum. Read more...

Bank of England's head calls for regulation of stablecoins

Paul Hill — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 18:06:02 +0000

The Bank of England's Andrew Bailey has called on the G20 to regulate stablecoins and other crypto-assets. He said this must be done to prevent money laundering and monetary policy destabilisation. Read more...

UK's media regulator will force social media firms to remove harmful content

Paul Hill — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 09:46:01 +0000

The UK's media regulator is set to get new powers which will allow it to fine social media companies if they don't act promptly to remove harmful content. The government will make a statement later. Read more...

Google's Sundar Pichai wants more regulation on artificial intelligence

Paul Hill — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 19:06:01 +0000

Google's Sundar Pichai has said in a piece for the Financial Times that governments should create new regulations for artificial intelligence technologies in a bid to prevent abuse. Read more...

G7 group report says Facebook must show Libra to be safe and secure before any launch

Paul Hill — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 14:40:01 +0000

The G7 has drafted a new report that will be presented to finance ministers this week during a meeting. It looks at the dangers of stablecoins, like Libra, and highlights what needs to be addressed. Read more...

PayPal withdraws its support from Facebook's Libra Association

Paul Hill — Sat, 05 Oct 2019 06:24:01 +0000

PayPal has announced that it has withdrawn itself from the Libra Association, the governing body of the Libra cryptocurrency started by Facebook. The news follows speculation that the firm had doubts. Read more...

UK's Financial Conduct Authority says crypto assets have no intrinsic value

Paul Hill — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 16:22:01 +0000

The Financial Conduct Authority in the UK has stated that it doesn't believe that some cryptocurrencies including bitcoin don't need to be regulated. It also claimed they have no intrinsic value. Read more...

Facebook opens door to broader FTC scrutiny over its data privacy practices

Jay Bonggolto — Fri, 03 May 2019 17:18:01 +0000

Facebook has reportedly told the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that it is open to granting the agency broader control over its privacy practices in exchange for ending the federal probe on the firm. Read more...

UK proposes regulatory measures to fine internet firms over harmful content

Jay Bonggolto — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 12:30:01 +0000

The UK Government is considering penalizing individual executives of social media firms and tech companies who may fail to curb the spread of harmful content on their services, among other measures. Read more...

OpenAI won't release an AI model due to its ability to create fake news

Usama Jawad — Sat, 16 Feb 2019 06:50:01 +0000

OpenAI has developed a model that can produce realistic textual responses, however, the firm has opted not to release it due to its potentially malicious applications in fake news and impersonation. Read more...

Egypt threatens to sue Apple for allegedly stifling competition in the country

Jay Bonggolto — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 17:18:01 +0000

Egypt has given Apple 60 days to end restrictions it has been imposing on local retailers in the country that block them from buying from other distributors and, thus, limit competition. Read more...

White House considering launching an antitrust probe on Google and Facebook

Jay Bonggolto — Sun, 23 Sep 2018 11:20:02 +0000

An early-stage draft order is said to be under consideration by the White House as part of the government's effort to look into potential antitrust violations by Google and Facebook, among others. Read more...

U.K. government could introduce internet regulators as it considers “all options”

Paul Hill — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 02:40:01 +0000

The U.K. could be set to get one or two internet regulators in future as the government works out its proposals for such an idea. It could see regulation of junk food ads, and content on social media. Read more...

Microsoft appeals to the U.S. government to regulate facial recognition tech

Sharath Ravishankar — Sat, 14 Jul 2018 16:44:01 +0000

Microsoft has appealed to the U.S. government to appoint a commission to regulate facial recognition technology, laying out various concerns that come with its proliferation among consumers. Read more...

My Data Request makes requesting your data easy with arrival of GDPR

Paul Hill — Sun, 20 May 2018 09:34:01 +0000

With the EU's GDPR rules coming into effect on Friday it's a good time to point out My Data Request, a website which makes it easy to request your data from all the most popular services online. Read more...

Google is clamping down on cryptocurrency ads in June

Paul Hill — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 19:34:01 +0000

Google has said that it is banning cryptocurrency advertising on its AdWords platform due to a lack of regulations. The decision comes just over a month since Facebook decided to slap on a ban too. Read more...

White House official says bitcoin regulation not near

Paul Hill — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 17:32:02 +0000

Rob Joyce, head of cybersecurity at the White House, has cast doubt on the possibility of bitcoin regulation in the near term. The White House is still weighing up the benefits and risks of bitcoin. Read more...