Neowin News Feed for: Watchdog

UK regulator puts YouTube and TikTok on notice over children's online safety

Hamid Ganji — Thu, 21 May 2026 05:54:01 +0000

YouTube and TikTok have faced scrutiny from the UK watchdog Ofcom over insufficient safety measures to protect underage users. Read more...

Microsoft 365 price hikes 'deliberately mislead' consumers, company sued

Usama Jawad — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 04:36:01 +0000

Microsoft has been sued in Australia for "deliberately misleading" customers regarding recent price hikes for Microsoft 365. Read more...

A UK consumer watchdog sues Apple for $3.75 billion over iCloud rules

Hamid Ganji — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 16:50:02 +0000

The consumer watchdog Which? alleged that Apple has locked its users into iCloud and discouraged them from using alternative services. Read more...

Austrian privacy group goes after Microsoft for allegedly tracking children

Paul Hill — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 13:30:01 +0000

None of Your Business (NOYB), an Austrian privacy organisation, has filed two complaints against Microsoft with the Austrian privacy watchdog. It said Microsoft 365 Education is tracking kids. Read more...

Japan's antitrust regulator approves Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Usama Jawad — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 13:32:02 +0000

Japan has become the latest country to approve Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion. It seems like the tides are finally turning in Microsoft's favor. Read more...

Google protests €500M fine imposed in France over row with news agencies

Usama Jawad — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 14:32:01 +0000

Google France's chief has filed an appeal against France's €500 million fine that was imposed in July. The executive claims that the penalty is disproportionate and undermines existing efforts. Read more...

Google fined €500 million in France over lack of agreement with news publishers

Usama Jawad — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 11:58:01 +0000

Google has been fined a whopping €500 million ($592 million) in France for failing to reach an agreement with news agencies about how they will be compensated for their content being displayed. Read more...

ACCC soliciting feedback regarding Google's acquisition of Fitbit

Usama Jawad — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 06:28:01 +0000

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is now soliciting feedback from the public regarding Google's acquisition of Fitbit. The process will continue till December 9, 2020. Read more...

Samsung accused of using child labor in China to meet demand

Steven Parker — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 09:54:58 +0000

Samsung is facing fresh allegations that it used child labor at one of its suppliers in China. The allegation states that underage workers were required to work 11 hour shifts without overtime pay. Read more...

Consumer group feels Google's relationship with government inappropriate

Brandon Boyce — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:09:17 +0000

Consumer Watchdog feels that Google is getting special treatment from the US government because of a secret relationship Google has with it. The group is asking the public to speak up and get congress to... Read more...

French Watchdog Takes EBay to Court

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:47:52 +0000

The French regulatory authority, called the Council of Sales, said Monday that eBay's French site should be held to the same standards as other auction houses in France -- which must acquire a special permit... Read more...

German watchdog opposes Google purchase of DoubleClick

Daniel Fleshbourne — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:59:55 +0000

The proposed $3.1bn merger of search giant Google and online advertising company DoubleClick would lead to "a massive violation of data privacy rights", a German privacy watchdog has warned. The Data Protection Commissioner of the... Read more...

Syria intensifying Internet crackdown: watchdog

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 03:06:55 +0000

The National Organization for Human Rights in Syria has noted the country's government has stepped up its censorship of the Internet, blocking access to a string of websites critical of the regime, including some run... Read more...

Microsoft responds to Watchdog

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 20:41:36 +0000

Microsoft has responded to claims by the BBC's Watchdog programme that it is charging excessive amounts for Xbox 360 repairs, stating that there is "no systemic issue" with the console. Last night's episode of the... Read more...

BBC's Watchdog Lays into 360

Joe Cashman — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:29:19 +0000

Watchdog, a British consumer programme last night examined the fact that a large number of consumers consoles had died, just after the warranty had run out. It's a well known fact that some of the... Read more...

Winpooch Watchdog 0.6.4

Razvan Serea — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 19:22:21 +0000

Winpooch is a Windows watchdog, free and open source. It watches running programs and prevents them from doing dangerous operations. This version of Winpooch also includes an antivirus (ClamAV) and can provide a real-time virus... Read more...

Japan antitrust watchdog bites Intel

Tue, 08 Mar 2005 15:27:24 +0000

Intel's Japan unit tried to stifle competition by offering unfair rebates to PC makers, the country's antitrust watchdog said Tuesday in a warning to the chip giant. The warning was the Japanese... Read more...

China Blocking Access to Google News Site - Watchdog

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 15:16:02 +0000

China is blocking access to the Web site Google News, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said on Tuesday, and accused the U.S.-based company of being complicit by filtering its Chinese-language site. The Paris-based group said... Read more...

Microsoft gives Japanese watchdog the brushoff

Tue, 27 Jul 2004 01:40:12 +0000

Never one to let a government agency push it around, Microsoft has politely declined to follow the Japanese Fair Trade Commission's (JFTC) request that it alter sales practices when dealing with Japanese PC makers. ... Read more...

Ad watchdog cracks down on spam

Tom Warren — Wed, 12 Mar 2003 00:30:13 +0000

UK firms should adhere to new Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rules introduced last week, designed to crack down on spam, say experts. Organisations that adopt the ASA guidelines will be better equipped to... Read more...

Ad watchdog critical of Domain Registry of Europe

Daniel Fleshbourne — Fri, 16 Aug 2002 12:09:01 +0000

The Advertising watchdog has slammed Domain Registry of Europe (DRoE) for misleading consumers over its mailshots that "look like bills". DRoE maintains that the letters point out that the notice is "not... Read more...

Porn watchdog under fire

Mon, 18 Feb 2002 14:09:16 +0000

Britain's online porn watchdog, the Internet Watch Foundation, has announced a new chief executive and a tough new policy on child pornography amid resignations and criticisms. The IWF was set up in... Read more...

Porn watchdog chief stands down

Wed, 09 Jan 2002 09:15:00 +0000

Head of the UK's Internet Watch Foundation, David Kerr, is to stand down as chief executive after five years in the job. The IWF is the UK's only internet pornography watchdog and... Read more...

Ad Watchdog slaps AOL

Wed, 31 Oct 2001 21:41:09 +0000

This month it's AOL's turn to be told off by the Advertising Standards Authority. In a recent national press ad, it went with its usual Free! Free! Free! approach (even though it never is for... Read more...