All posts tagged: Platforms

Sánchez seeks to rally global left against rise of far right – POLITICO

Sánchez seeks to rally global left against rise of far right – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The two-day event aims to build a counter to advancing authoritarian and far-right forces, from the nationalist right in Europe — including parties aligned with the Patriots for Europe bloc — to global politics in the age of U.S. President Donald Trump. “This is not an isolated trend,” Löfven said. “It’s a shared challenge that requires a coordinated global response.” The Barcelona program includes a leaders’ dinner on Friday followed by a day of events featuring Socialist group chief Iratxe García and European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera as well as Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum. The gathering also gives Sánchez — the event’s host — a platform to elevate his international profile as a central figure of a renewed global socialist movement. “He’s not just acting as a Spanish leader,” said a senior European Parliament official, granted anonymity to speak freely. “He’s trying to exercise European leadership.” Sánchez could be eyeing a future role in Brussels, potentially challenging European Council President António Costa when the post …

Online age checks are coming in Europe – POLITICO

Online age checks are coming in Europe – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Gaining momentum Von der Leyen’s announcement — although technical — is indicative of the huge momentum behind social media bans to keep kids and teenagers away from platforms and their addictive algorithms. Seven countries that had already been working on their own apps in coordination with the EU will deploy their versions by the end of the year, the senior Commission official said: Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland and Spain. The app gives people three ways to prove their age: passports, national IDs and a third way dubbed a “QR code” under which a trusted provider such as a school or a bank can attest to a user’s age. The application will then store the information as to whether the user is over 13, 15 or 18 years of age without retaining other data, the Commission official said. Online services, like adult content sites or social media, can then call on the app to check if a user is over a certain age. Von der Leyen will present the solution to EU leaders on …

Motorola sues social platforms and creators over posts, raising speech concerns in India

Motorola sues social platforms and creators over posts, raising speech concerns in India

Published by skeptic

Motorola has filed a lawsuit in India against social media platforms and content creators over posts it alleges are defamatory, raising concerns it could dampen critical coverage of the company, experts say. The lawsuit, filed in a Bengaluru court and obtained by TechCrunch, names platforms including X, YouTube, and Instagram along with dozens of content creators, and seeks takedown of the content as well as broader restraint on what it describes as false or defamatory material related to the company’s devices. In its over 60-page filing, Motorola has sought a permanent injunction restraining the defendants from publishing or sharing what it describes as false or defamatory content about its products including reviews, videos, comments, and boycott campaigns. The complaint cites hundreds of posts across platforms, including videos alleging device issues and phones catching fire. But it is also targeting unfavorable product reviews and user commentary that the company alleges are false or defamatory. Two content creators named in the suit, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they learned about the case only after receiving …

Britain won’t support Trump’s Iran blockade, says Starmer – POLITICO

Britain won’t support Trump’s Iran blockade, says Starmer – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Starmer added on X: “This week the UK and France will co-host a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard shipping when the conflict ends.” Trump announced on his Truth Social platform Sunday that the U.S. would be “blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the strait of Hormuz” shipping route in the Middle East. It follows the failure of the first round of peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over the weekend. Starmer declined, when asked, to blame the U.S. for rising costs, instead accusing Iran of breaking international law by restricting vessels through the Persian Gulf. Increased costs to U.K. consumers are “largely because of Iran’s actions in closing or partially-closing the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. Clea Caulcutt contributed reporting. Source link

Ireland cuts tax on motor fuel as protests grip the country – POLITICO

Ireland cuts tax on motor fuel as protests grip the country – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“It’s beyond comprehension that we were on the precipice of losing oil refining capacity in the country in the middle of an unprecedented global supply shortage of energy,” Martin said. “It makes absolutely no sense what was going on.” But the premier conceded that the package might not end the protests, which have been organized largely on social media apps and platforms. Several scattered road blockades, largely targeting rural motorways, continued Sunday. “We haven’t any guarantees of what protesters may or may not do,” Martin said. The government’s advisory National Emergency Coordination Group warned Sunday that much of the economy and public services, including health care, would face heightened disruption this week even if the protesters end all road obstructions now. Sunday’s package will be subject to the passage of emergency legislation Tuesday — the same day the main opposition Sinn Féin party will bring a motion of no confidence in the government over its handling of fuel taxes and the past week’s street standoffs. The new government plans further excise tax cuts of 10 …

Europe should regulate Big Tech instead of banning kids from social media, Estonia says – POLITICO

Europe should regulate Big Tech instead of banning kids from social media, Estonia says – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Banning kids from social media won’t “actually solve the problems” and “kids will find very quickly the ways to go around and to still use social media,” the Estonian minister said. “The way to approach this, to me, is not to make kids responsible for that harm [stemming from social media platforms] and start self-regulating,” said Kallas, speaking at POLITICO’s European Pulse Forum in Barcelona. The “responsibility is on the governments and on the corporation side,” she said. “Europe pretends to be weak when it comes to big American and international corporations,” but that’s a “pretense,” Kallas said. She called on the EU to “actually take this power and start regulating the big American corporations.” Australia, the first country to implement a ban for kids having social media accounts below 15, has noted significant gaps in the way platforms implement the measures. Sonja Rijnen contributed reporting. Source link

Minnesota lawmakers push felony ban on prediction market betting platforms

Minnesota lawmakers push felony ban on prediction market betting platforms

Published by skeptic

Minnesota lawmakers from both parties are moving ahead with a bill that would outlaw most forms of betting on prediction markets, adding steep criminal penalties for companies and individuals tied to the fast-growing space. Originally filed on March 17, Senate Bill 4511 targets platforms where people stake money on future outcomes. Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, is leading the push, and the proposal has already cleared its first committee stop this month with more hearings on the way. Excellent commentary from Atty General Keith Ellison! Prediction markets are used for illegal gambling in MN. I'm pleased my legislation, SF 4511, to clarify that this is illegal, passed the Senate Judiciary Comm. with strong bipartisan support last week! open.substack.com/pub/keithell… — Senator John Marty (@senjohnmarty.bsky.social) 2026-04-04T00:09:29.519Z The bill describes a “prediction market” as “a system that allows consumers to place a wager on the future outcome of a specified event that is not determined or affected by the performance of the parties to the contract.” The list spans sports and esports contests, elections, court rulings, and weather, along …

Orbán’s government accuses Facebook of undermining his reelection campaign – POLITICO

Orbán’s government accuses Facebook of undermining his reelection campaign – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Facebook is an important platform in Hungarian politics, and Magyar has regularly used it to appeal to voters and react to events, clocking millions of views with his self-authored posts. While Orbán has 1.6 million followers to Magyar’s 930,000, the latter has received more user engagement in terms of comments and likes: In March, Magyar made 287 posts, generating 14,077,000 interactions — nearly double the 7,868,000 interactions Orbán received from his 342 posts, according to a Telex tally published on April 3. “He speaks the language of the algorithm … and he can keep up with the speed of the news cycle without losing strategic clarity,” said Márton Hajdu, EU affairs chief for Magyar’s Tisza party and one of its parliamentary candidates. Poll of Polls — Hungary national election voting intention For more polling data from across Europe visit POLITICO Poll of Polls. But according to Kovács, Magyar’s success on the social network is due to two different user profiling systems used by Meta, which are putting Orbán at a disadvantage. “The prime minister is …

Greece proposes law to keep kids off social media

Greece proposes law to keep kids off social media

Published by Sam Flores

ATHENS — The Greek government is set to ban children under the age of 15 from using social media platforms. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the draft law by addressing young people directly in a TikTok video, where he accused “the addictive design of some apps” and their “profit model that’s based on your attention” of taking away “some of your innocence and freedom.” “I am certain that many of you … will be angry with me,” he added. Under the proposed legislation, anyone under the age of 15 would be barred from using social media, with parents or guardians required to install an app enforcing the restriction across all devices — whether they agree with the reform or not. The ban will come up in parliament during the summer and is expected to take effect from Jan. 1, 2027. Mitsotakis said that even though the measures might seem unfair, they were necessary to protect kids’ mental health. In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the prime minister called for collective …

Australia says it can’t go it alone on social media ban for kids – POLITICO

Australia says it can’t go it alone on social media ban for kids – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Over time, international community concern is what will produce substantive, enduring change globally to the algorithms and a change to the design behaviours of big tech companies,” Angus Campbell, Canberra’s envoy to the EU, told POLITICO.  “If it was just Australia, tech companies could work with the carrots [positive enforcement mechanisms] and absorb the penalties, to some national benefit, but if progressively, it becomes the wider community of the world demanding change, I think you will see significant positive change,” Campbell said. His comments come as multiple European countries work to introduce social media bans for young people. France leads the pack with a draft law to come into effect as soon as September, while the European Parliament has also urged the European Commission to propose an EU-wide system. That’s despite the fact that Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said in an assessment last week that Australia’s measures have not yet succeeded in keeping most kids away from platforms, and neither have reports of online harms dropped discernibly. It found significant gaps in enforcing the ban, including platforms allowing and even encouraging kids to try age-assurance methods several times until they got around them. …