Technology News Roundup - September 2022
Summary
Early September
New US restrictions and rules on the sale of AI chips to china have hit US chip makers hard (Nvidia and AMD).
Microsoft’s deal with Activision faces a UK Competition probe from the CMA.
Irish regulators fine Instagram €405 million over children’s data privacy.
Mid September
Google faces legal action worth up to €25 billion, due to their dominance in the digital advertising sphere.
Google loses appeal over record EU Anti-trust fine on using Andriod’s platform to cement its search engine dominance.
Late September
September 28th - Sue the search engine: EU mulls new law on AI.
Analysis
Early September
It was widely reported that the US had restricted sale of Artificial intelligence chips to address the risk of them being used for a ‘military end use’ in China and Russia. This has magnified the long running tensions and disputes between China and the US. It led to Beijing saying that the US should ‘immediately stop wrongdoing’ and treat companies from all over the world, including Chinese companies, fairly.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority has stated that Microsoft’s plan to buy Activision Blizzard could lessen competition in the gaming industry. They further noted that if their current concerns are not addressed, they will conduct a ‘phase 2 investigation’ to reach a decision. Other countries are also carrying out their own anti-trust investigations.
Irish regulators have fined Instagram for violating children’s privacy; this comes after it was too easy for children to upgrade to a ‘business account’. This made their profile public and without realising it, it also made their data, such as phone numbers and email addresses public. According to the NSPCC, this is a major breach that needs the new Prime Minister to deliver the Online Safety Bill!
Mid-September
Google was hit hard with litigation during September; they are facing two legal cases from the UK and the Netherlands, which could result in them paying up to €25 billion. This comes after the company was accused of ‘anti-competitive conduct’ within the digital advertising sphere. Their struggles had compounded after it was announced that the EU had upheld a record fine (€4.125 billion) against Google for a separate anti-trust issue – using the Android platform to cement its search engine’s dominance. However, analysts have claimed that, although it is a positive outcome for consumers, this fine will hardly affect Google.
Late September
The European Commission has proposed The AI liability directive - this would reduce the burden of proof for anyone wishing to sue over incidents involving AI and digital drones. It is possible that this could include other forms of technology, such as self-driving cars and voice assistants. It is hoped that this directive could run along with the proposed EU Artificial Intelligence Act (this will be the first comprehensive act which could provide the field of AI with some much-needed regulation).