Society and technology·since 26 May·587 entries
Culture, media and the new divides
The European information ecosystem faces pressure from collapsing traditional media business models, algorithmic polarization, and AI agents, while regulators, courts and governments set new limits on platforms, child access, media ownership and speech.
AI text how it is made
This week9 entries
State of playtoday 16:28
Platform Enforcement
On 10 November Spain's government asked TikTok to halt operations until child sexual-abuse material is removed, after an investigation found 1,183 explicit posts. The data-protection authority AEPD opened its own investigation on 11 November but declined to seek a nationwide suspension.
On 6 November the Commission issued preliminary findings that TikTok's For You feed breaches the Digital Services Act, with fines of up to 6% of worldwide annual turnover possible. On 12 November it asked TikTok and YouTube about protecting minors.
Rules in Draft
The Commission presented the Digital Fairness Act on 11 November. It would let users disable infinite scrolling and autoplay, ban dark patterns and restrict personalised advertising to children. Parliament and member states must still approve it.
Poland's president Karol Nawrocki vetoed the revised DSA implementing law on 13 November for a second time. A three-fifths majority would be needed to override, and the government says it will prepare another bill.
Media Freedom
Commissioner McGrath told MEPs on 11 November he would use "all relevant tools" on media freedom, without ruling on the Czech bill ending licence fees. The next test is the 30 November deadline for TikTok and YouTube answers to the Commission.
What comes next
- tomorrowGoogle must modify de-indexing procedures and justify refusals
- in 16 daysTikTok and YouTube answer Commission questions on child protection
- in 74 daysCMA and Ofcom report on Sky's bid for ITV media and entertainment arm
Open questions
- Will the Commission's AI Act information requests lead to formal proceedings against any company?
- Will TikTok's reply to the preliminary findings change its For You feed before a final Commission decision?
Who is who8
Henna Virkkunen European Commission Executive Vice-President
Says existing rules suffice for AI agent risks, was asked by the European Publishers Council to intervene on Meta's terms, and is linked to the 6 November preliminary findings against TikTok.
7 Nov
European Commission EU executive
Presented the Digital Fairness Act on 11 November, asked TikTok and YouTube on 12 November for child-protection information by 30 November, and defended its DSA fee method in court.
13 Nov
Michael McGrath European Commissioner
Presented the Digital Fairness Act and told MEPs he would use all relevant tools on media freedom, without saying whether the Czech licence-fee bill complies with EU law.
12 Nov
TikTok Social media platform
Must answer the Commission's child-protection request by 30 November, contests the DSA fee method in court, and faces a Spanish request to halt operations.
13 Nov
Spanish government Spanish executive
Asked TikTok on 10 November to suspend its Spanish operations until child sexual-abuse material is removed, and referred the case to prosecutors and the data-protection authority.
11 Nov
AEPD Spanish data-protection authority
Opened its own TikTok investigation on 11 November but declined to seek a nationwide suspension, saying action should target specific content.
12 Nov
Meta Social media and AI company
Suspended its planned 20 November ad-term updates and challenged the Commission's DSA fee method in court on 12 November.
13 Nov
Republika TV Polish broadcaster
Refused on 12 November a prosecutors' demand for recordings of a 16 October broadcast, citing journalistic confidentiality, and faces over 5,000 regulator complaints over its Kraków coverage.
13 Nov
Numbers
Detentions after Polish school attacks (cumulative)
76→135→167 people
10/10 → 12/10 → 13/10 · pollar.news
Russia-linked fake articles imitating legitimate media (NewsGuard, half-year)
44→421 articles
06/2025 → 06/2026 · europe.repubblica.it
Promises4
Polish governmentopen
Will prepare another version of the DSA implementing law after the presidential veto.
13 Nov · reuters.com
European Commissionopen
Will delay for at least 12 months any national bill overlapping the forthcoming EU Kids Act, including Austria's under-14 ban.
29 Oct · at least 12 months · pollar.news
Greek governmentopen
Under-15 social-media ban takes effect on 1 January 2027, with platforms required to build privacy-protecting age verification.
23 Oct · due 1 Jan 2027
Norwegian governmentopen
Will table a bill for under-16 social-media restrictions in parliament by end-2026, with companies responsible for age verification.
19 Oct · by end of 2026 · pollar.news
Chronicle587 entries since 26 May
9–15 November9 entries
President Karol Nawrocki rejected the bill on 13 November, arguing it gave state officials excessive power over online speech. It would have let regulators order platforms to block illegal content, with court appeals. The government said it would prepare another version.
The European Commission formally requested information from TikTok and YouTube on 12 November about safeguards for minors, including risks to children's mental and physical health under the Digital Services Act. Both companies must respond by 30 November.
At a 12 November Court of Justice hearing, Meta and TikTok argued the Commission had not properly established how platform users are counted when setting Digital Services Act supervisory fees. The Commission defended linking audience figures to each company's contribution.
Officers from the Central Cybercrime Bureau handed Republika TV management a Szczecin prosecutors' demand for recordings and concession papers on 12 November. The station refused, citing journalistic confidentiality, setting a press-freedom clash between prosecutors and a broadcaster.
Spain's data-protection authority AEPD said on 11 November it is investigating alleged child sexual-abuse material on TikTok after a media investigation. It declined to seek a temporary nationwide suspension, saying action should target specific content, narrowing the government's 10 November demand.
The European Commission presented the Digital Fairness Act on 11 November. It would let users disable infinite scrolling and autoplay, ban manipulative dark patterns, tighten influencer advertising and subscription cancellation, and curb pay-to-progress features for minors, with fines up to 6% of turnover.
Spain's government asked TikTok on 10 November to suspend its Spanish operations until child sexual-abuse material is removed, citing an investigation that found 1,183 explicit posts. It referred the case to prosecutors and the data-protection authority, which would need to act.
Poland's broadcasting regulator KRRiT has received more than 5,000 complaints about TV Republika's live coverage of the 7 November Kraków Main Square attack, which killed six. The complaints put the channel's reporting of the shooting under regulatory review.
An internal EU assessment seen by Reuters on 9 November concludes a covert Russian network used social media to exploit France's October riots, blaming unrest on uncontrolled immigration and portraying the French government as having lost control.
musically.com · sentinelcolorado.com · italytelegraph.com · techtimes.com
2–8 November11 entries
After a 24-year-old suspect opened fire on Kraków's Main Market Square on 7 November, killing six, false claims about the police response spread online. Police shot and subdued the suspect. The episode tests how platforms handle misinformation during a mass-casualty event.
A second day of false bomb alerts disrupted flights across Europe on 7 November and coincided with evacuations at at least ten Irish radio, television and newspaper organisations, La Repubblica reported, counting 22 incidents that day. Prime Minister Meloni called the pattern an attack on civilian infrastructure.
Meta said on 6 November it had suspended updates to its Commercial Terms, Product Catalog Terms, Self-Serve Ad Terms and Ad Creative Generative AI Terms, which were due on 20 November. Existing rules stay in force, following scrutiny from regulators and publishers.
The European Commission issued preliminary findings on 6 November that TikTok's For You feed repeatedly steers users to harmful content and that the company lacks proportionate mitigation. TikTok can reply before a final decision, and a fine could reach 6% of global annual turnover.
The Sejm banned wPolsce24 reporter Samuel Pereira from the parliament building for three months, counting from 30 October. He was refused a press card on 4 November, and PiS and a journalists' association condemned the restriction.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy issued a Public Interest Intervention Notice on 4 November over Sky's £1.6 billion bid for ITV's media and entertainment arm, citing media plurality and free expression. The CMA and Ofcom must report by 27 January.
A São Paulo state court issued a preliminary injunction on 3 November barring Meta from collecting content from media outlets represented by three national press associations for AI-model training. The associations allege Meta sought free access to their content while using their platforms.
Foreign ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór called Radio Wnet reports of an evacuation nonsense on 3 November, saying staff near the Constitutional Tribunal shifted to remote work for logistical reasons. The report had said staff were to leave by 14:00.
Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio held a one-day strike on 3 November that restricted broadcasts, protesting a bill to abolish licence fees, shift funding to the state budget and cut it by about 15%.
Advocate General Maciej Szpunar issued a non-binding opinion on 3 November that chatbot answers reusing news articles may breach publishers' rights under certain conditions. It is the first generative AI case before the EU Court of Justice, brought against Google by Like Company.
Poland's General Staff withdrew an X post on 2 November before noon. It had warned that Constitutional Tribunal protests could serve hostile actors through astroturfing. Spokesman Col. Marek Pietrzak said the post was scheduled earlier as part of an educational series.
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