EU legislation Archives

AppWizard

July 24, 2025

Alphabet Hit with EU Antitrust Complaint Over Android App Restrictions

A coalition of six civil society organizations has filed an antitrust complaint against Alphabet in Europe, alleging violations of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The complaint claims that Alphabet has not complied with DMA requirements that mandate tech "gatekeepers" to allow users to easily uninstall pre-installed applications. The organizations involved include ARTICLE 19, European Digital Rights, Free Software Foundation Europe, Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte, Homo Digitalis, and Vrijschrift.org. They argue that Google's Android operating system makes it difficult for users to remove pre-installed apps and that Alphabet discourages users from disabling these applications. The complaint requests an investigation by the European Commission into Alphabet's potential breach of the DMA. Alphabet has dismissed the allegations, stating that uninstalling apps on Android is easy and that similar complaints have been rejected by other regulatory bodies. The European Commission is currently assessing the complaint.

AppWizard

May 5, 2024

EU plan to force messaging apps to scan for CSAM risks millions of false positives, experts warn | TechCrunch

Security and privacy experts are concerned about the EU's proposed legislation that would require messaging platforms to scan private communications for child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This could lead to millions of false positives daily, and critics argue that the measures could disrupt internet security and privacy. Efforts by MEPs to suggest more targeted scanning and protection of end-to-end encryption have not gained traction with the European Council. The proposed approach could result in a massive number of false positives, impacting a wide range of messaging services. Encryption is at the heart of the debate, with experts warning that introducing detection capabilities compromises the confidentiality of end-to-end encryption. European police chiefs have called for platforms to provide lawful access while preserving encryption. If the EU continues with its current trajectory, experts warn of dangerous consequences for internet filtering and digital privacy rights.