While the initial hype surrounding the Metaverse may have given way to AI, development of its technological foundations continues. In light of the potential implications for policymakers, we've identified six areas where their attention should be focused
What Brexit means for UK telecoms
Both sides are looking to maintain regulatory alignment with things like data protection set to continue, although Ofcom should be able to regulate with more flexibly. While the roaming regulation no longer applies, there may be sufficient incentives for it to continue
Telecoms and Big Tech under a Biden administration
The Biden administration is expected to bring significant change for telecoms and Big Tech. Overhauling broadband policy to foster competition and reduce the gap between urban and rural areas, restoring net neutrality rules, and continued restrictions on Chinese equipment vendors all seem likely
COVID-19 contact-tracing apps could turn out to be a failed experiment
Despite a promising start in some countries, nearly all contact-tracing apps have failed to meet expectations – either due to technical problems, barriers to interoperability, or lack of public trust. Different approaches have emerged, however the collaboration between Apple and Google on a decentralised API is now becoming the most prevalent option. Adoption of the apps will need to grow significantly for contact-tracing to succeed. For this to happen, governments will need to show they take privacy seriously.
The industry’s response to COVID-19 so far
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way people interact with each other all over the world. Given the essential need for connectivity, regulators and policymakers have been swift to change their priorities and focus on ensuring network resilience and support for consumers. In this note we share some of the measures regulators and policymakers have been taking, along with those of the operators, and identify some of the challenges that lie ahead.
The European data strategy explained
A big part of the EC’s mandate will be defined by shaping Europe’s digital future – an objective that it will pursue by various means such as policies for AI, the reshaping of competition rules, and a data strategy. These are in turn linked to the Green Deal and the Industrial Strategy. The success of this vision will determine whether Europe can become less dependent on foreign big tech, and ensure its own businesses finally compete on a global scale.
Apple’s Tim Cook says regulation of big tech is inevitable, but what it will look like?
The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, made the headlines with his recent interview in which he called regulation of tech companies “inevitable”, and concluded that the free market has failed to deliver. His prediction is likely to be accurate, as policymakers increasingly see cases for intervention with regard to data protection and disinformation.
EU Council at a standstill over Digital Taxation and e-Privacy
On 4 December 2018, ministers of EU member states gathered in the respective groups of the European Council, to discuss two proposals on a Digital Service Tax and on the e-Privacy regulation. On both issues, EU countries are still clearly divided, and are failing to make significant progress.
Summary of the global inquiries into the spread of misinformation (and data privacy)
This note will be updated as and when witnesses appear in front of various committees that are addressing the topic of misinformation and the use of personal data.
The debate on privacy regulation in the US has unequivocally begun
On 26 September 2018, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee of the US Senate hosted a hearing with representatives of ISPs (AT&T, Spectrum) and tech companies (Amazon, Apple, Google, Twitter). The hearing examined privacy policies of those companies and reviewed the current state of consumer data privacy regulation in the US.
