Europe approves draft Digital Services Act; Google appeals €2.4B EU fine

TOP NEWS IN TMT

* The European Parliament agreed on draft measures under the proposed Digital Services Act, which defines more clearly how online platforms, including social media and marketplaces, need to be held responsible and accountable. The draft measures outline how online platforms should remove illegal products, services or online content, with separate rules for very large online platforms, to avoid the spread of misinformation.

* Alphabet Inc.'s Google LLC is appealing against a €2.4 billion antitrust fine with the EU Court of Justice, seeking "legal clarification" regarding the 2017 penalty, Bloomberg News reported. The EU had fined Google for promoting its own shopping service.

➤ Q&A: Public Knowledge CEO lists top internet policy issues in 2022

Public Knowledge CEO Chris Lewis said content moderation should join competition and privacy as key tech issues worth more time and study by U.S. legislators in 2022, as Big Tech platforms hold outsized influence on communications.

➤ Wireless Investor: UK mobile projections, 2021-2031

The 5G rollout is in full swing in the U.K. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive effect on work and leisure patterns and, consequently, on data usage.

TECHNOLOGY

* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech that the commission will propose the European Chips Act in early February to help strengthen Europe's research and innovation capacity, among other areas.

INTERNET & OTT

* The Paris appeals court required Twitter Inc. to disclose the measures it takes to address online hate speech in France, Reuters reported. The decision upheld a ruling by a lower court last year that ordered Twitter to confirm information about people it employs to moderate content in France.

* Italy's antitrust watchdog recalculated fines imposed on Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. because of a "material error" in the initial calculation, Reuters reported. Apple is now facing a fine of €114.7 million, down from €134.5 million, while Amazon will pay €58.6 million instead of €68.7 million.

* Meta Platforms Inc. removed 41 Facebook accounts, 133 pages, three groups and 14 Instagram LLC accounts originating in Turkey and targeting users in Libya over coordinated inauthentic behavior. Meta also deleted eight Facebook accounts and 126 Instagram accounts from Iran that targeted people in the U.K., especially Scotland.

* Dutch online file-transferring platform WeTransfer BV will make its stock market debut in Amsterdam next Friday, reported Datanews. The company is aiming for a market capitalization of up to €716 million, with a share costing between €17.50 and €20.50.

* France's lower house of Parliament voted to support a draft law aimed at protecting children from inappropriate online content, reported Telecompaper. If approved by the French Senate, the law will require device manufacturers to include free-of-charge activation of parental control tools.

* Social media accounts of Britain's Prince Andrew, particularly on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube LLC, were deactivated after he was stripped of military affiliations and patronages amid sexual abuse claims, the Wall Street Journal reported.

* German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE plans to unify its streaming platforms under the Joyn app, wrote German news site Boerse-Express.

MEDIA

* ViacomCBS Inc.'s ViacomCBS Networks International named Mark Specht as executive vice president for central and Northern Europe and Asia, while Till Weidemüller was appointed country manager for Germany and chief commercial officer for central and Northern Europe and Asia.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

* British Telecom announced a monthly £3.50 price increase for its customers amid inflation. The telco said subscribers of its BT Home Essentials, BT Home Phone Saver and BT Basic will be spared from the price hike.

* OneWeb Ltd. and Hughes Network Systems LLC struck a six-year distribution partnership deal to bring low Earth orbit connectivity services to India.

* The Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications launched a consultation on the draft decision on the allocation of exclusive frequency bands in the 70GHz/80GHz band for the use of radio links to Orange Belgium SA, Proximus and Telenet, reported Telecompaper.

FILM & TV

* AMC Networks Inc.'s AMC Networks International renewed its distribution agreement with Slovak Telekom units Magio, Digi Slovakia sro and T-Mobile TV Czech Republic. Deutsche Telekom AG owns Slovak Telekom and T-Mobile TV Czech Republic.

* ITV PLC struck a deal to broadcast live, free-to-air Gallagher Premiership Rugby games until the end of the 2023-24 season.

* The British Broadcasting Corp. extended its deal to air North West 200 racing events on BBC Sport NI by two years.

* Cosmote SA secured exclusive broadcast rights for the FIA World Rally Championship in Greece until 2025, Telecompaper reported.

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Anne Freier, Amanda Kelly, Charlotte van Hek and Gerard O'Dwyer contributed to this report.

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