Society and technology·since 26 May·574 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 10:43
AI and Publisher Rights
On 3 November Advocate General Maciej Szpunar advised the EU Court of Justice that chatbot answers reusing press articles may infringe publishers' rights in certain circumstances. It is the first generative AI case before the court, brought by Like Company against Google. The opinion is non-binding.
Meta has postponed from 31 October to 20 November the entry into force of terms giving it broad rights to access, copy and commercially use publishers' content. Publishers' associations say the terms may breach the Digital Markets Act, and the Commission is examining the complaint. A Norwegian court, the UK CMA and a São Paulo court have already acted.
Regulators and Press Access
UN-appointed experts warned on 5 November of a "revolving door" between Irish regulators and tech firms. Czech public broadcasting staff struck on 3 November against a bill ending the licence fee. In Poland, the Sejm barred wPolsce24 reporter Samuel Pereira for three months, which PiS condemns as press repression. In the UK, the CMA and Ofcom report by 27 January on Sky's £1.6 billion ITV bid.
Child Access
The Commission's freeze, for at least 12 months, on national youth bans overlapping the EU Kids Act, including Austria's planned under-14 ban, is the test to watch. The next dated marker is Meta's 20 November terms date.
What comes next
- in 9 daysGoogle must modify de-indexing procedures and justify refusals
- in 14 daysMeta's postponed commercial terms take effect, contested by publishers
- in 82 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 Turkey's under-15 social-media ban be enforced through effective age verification by providers?
Who is who8
Henna Virkkunen European Commission Executive Vice-President
Says existing rules suffice for AI agent risks, and has been asked by the European Publishers Council to intervene on Meta's terms.
22 Oct
OpenAI AI developer
Faces lawsuits from eight US states over ChatGPT's effects on minors, has received an AI Act information request from the Commission, and its ChatGPT browser version is barred on Swedish government computers since 26 October.
27 Oct
European Commission EU executive
Will delay for at least 12 months any national bill overlapping the forthcoming EU Kids Act, including Austria's under-14 ban, to avoid fragmenting the single market.
29 Oct
Meta Social media and AI company
Postponed its new publisher terms to 20 November but is barred by a Norwegian court from enforcing them for now, faces a UK CMA probe and a São Paulo injunction barring use of press content for AI training, and lost its UK bid against Ofcom data demands.
5 Nov
Ofcom UK media regulator
Won a High Court ruling on 30 October forcing Meta, TikTok and X to hand over moderation data, and must now report with the CMA on Sky's ITV bid by 27 January.
5 Nov
Czech governing coalition Czech government parties
Is pressing a bill replacing broadcasting fees with state funding and cutting Czech Television and Czech Radio financing by about 15%, despite protests and a 3 November strike that restricted broadcasts.
4 Nov
UK Competition and Markets Authority UK competition regulator
Is investigating Meta's terms on publisher content and must also report on Sky's ITV bid by 27 January.
5 Nov
Maciej Szpunar Advocate General, EU Court of Justice
Advised on 3 November that chatbot answers reusing press articles may infringe publishers' rights in certain circumstances, in a non-binding opinion.
3 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
Promises3
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
Chronicle574 entries since 26 May
2–8 November7 entries
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.
26 October – 1 November20 entries
A Norwegian court temporarily barred Meta from enforcing its revised commercial terms after 10 media outlets challenged their effect on publishers' content, according to reporting published on 1 November. Meta had already postponed the effective date to 20 November.
France's Senate approved 229–105 a bill letting authorities order removal of online calls for violence or looting without prior court approval, with website blocking if content stays up 24 hours. It also lets courts deduct damages from families' allowances when minors cause damage.
The UK High Court rejected a challenge by Meta, TikTok and X against Ofcom's demands for detailed content-moderation data on 30 October. The companies must hand over data, including material seen by children, on users' exposure to harmful content.
Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta announced on 30 October it is shutting down, after licence revocation, website blocking and a search of a senior editor's home, according to Le Monde, DW and the BBC.
lemonde.fr · dw.com · bbc.com
The UK Competition and Markets Authority opened an investigation on 30 October into whether Meta's commercial terms let it collect publishers' content for AI products without meaningful choice. It will first assess dominance, then possible abuse, covering publishers and advertisers.
The European Commission will delay for at least 12 months any national bill overlapping the forthcoming EU Kids Act, including Austria's planned under-14 ban. Spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the aim is to avoid fragmenting the single market.
The head of Serbia's public broadcaster RTS resigned on 29 October, following the Student List's election win and its demand for new senior executives and editors. Reporters Without Borders ranked Serbia 104th of 180 in its 2026 press freedom index.
The Warsaw Regional Court ruled on 28 October that activist Zbigniew Komosa may not publicly suggest Lech Kaczyński contributed to the 2010 crash, and ordered an apology. The ruling is not final, and Komosa has announced an appeal.
Politico Europe reported on 28 October that Frontex's planned overhaul would let the EU border agency monitor publicly available social-media posts for information on migration flows, extending an EU agency's role into a politically sensitive information space.
Bydgoszcz prosecutors secured the phone of a hospital director in Aleksandrów Kujawski who had been in contact with a Wirtualna Polska reporter in the Lenz case. Justice minister Waldemar Żurek says he learned of it from the media and is examining the step.
The Dutch public broadcaster NPO said the Netherlands will not take part in next year's Eurovision Song Contest, citing sensitivities connected with Israel's participation. The decision adds a public-broadcasting dimension to disputes over Israel's role in European cultural events.
Noyb filed complaints in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria on 27 October with five freelance workers, alleging Outlier collects extensive personal data and installs device trackers. It seeks investigations and administrative penalties.
Serbia's student-led election winners called on 27 October for the replacement of senior executives and editors at state broadcaster RTS, accusing it of pro-government bias and weak critical reporting, Bloomberg reported.
Politico reported on 27 October that France's interior ministry asked telecom operators about blocking TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and X, possibly mobile internet, where protests occurred. The idea was explored, not implemented. A separate bill would set 24-hour and one-hour takedown deadlines for riot content.
Germany's Federal Court of Justice referred questions to the EU Court of Justice on 27 October in the case of Green politician Renate Künast against Facebook. The court is asked whether platforms must remove materially similar copies of a reported false quote, not only the reported post.
Protesters entered pro-government Informer TV in Belgrade on 27 October, interrupting broadcasting and demanding its editor's arrest. Serbia's journalists' association said it would seek revocation of the station's licence.
Major Norwegian media companies filed for a provisional injunction at Oslo District Court to block Meta's revised terms, which they say allow automated access to articles, archives, photographs and videos without licensing payments. They are weighing further legal action if regulators do not intervene.
The BBC has paid more than £400,000 to Lucie Kon, a former executive producer on Mr Nobody Against Putin, who says colleagues made antisemitic remarks after the 7 October attacks. The BBC says it did not uphold any of her allegations.
From 26 October 2026, Swedish government staff can no longer use the browser versions of ChatGPT or Claude on work computers, citing data security. They are steered to Microsoft Copilot instead.
The European Commission accepted Temu's plan to remedy a Digital Services Act breach, Reuters reported on 26 October. Temu has four months to run an interim risk assessment, including scrutiny of content-moderation weaknesses, after an earlier €200 million fine over illegal-product risks.
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