Regulatory Watch – September 2024

Apple loses battle over back taxes

Apple will have to repay 13 billion euros to the Irish government over ‘illegal’ tax breaks that gave the company an unfair advantage. The ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) overturns a 2020 decision by the general court and backed the commission’s 2016 decision that Ireland had granted Apple unlawful aid relating to the tax treatment of profits generated by its activities outside the US, which Ireland is now required to recover. EU competition commissioner Margarethe Vestager hailed the ruling as a ‘big win for European citizens and for tax justice’.

Thierry Breton resigns as European Commissioner

The European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, has resigned ‘with immediate effect’ after his nomination for the new commission term was withdrawn by President Macron. In a resignation letter posted on X, he was critical of commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, saying that ‘you asked France to withdraw my name – for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me’. France has now nominated former foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné for the next Commission, expected to begin on 1 December 2024.

Australia plans age limit for social media

Legislation to block children under a certain age from using social media will be introduced before the end of 2024, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said. The age limit is yet to be defined, but is expected to be between 14 and 16. The Australian government has funded a trial of age verification technology. Critics say that the method is unknown and question whether a ban will be enforceable or effective.

New report analyses media finance legislation

The center for news, technology and innovation (CNTI) has published a report examining the legislative efforts designed to provide revenue streams for journalism. The report, ‘Enabling a Sustainable News Environment: A Framework for Media Finance Legislation’ reviews 23 enacted or proposed legislative efforts from 2018 to 2024. It looks at seven models grouped under digital interaction (or usage), subsidy and tax before considering the broader impacts of the legislation. The report can be downloaded here ( bit.ly/4gwMqj7)

Mobile phones don’t cause brain cancer

A study commissioned by the World Health Organization has concluded that there is no link between mobile phone usage and brain or other head and neck cancers. Led by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, the analysis included 63 observational studies in what was described as ‘the most comprehensive review to date’. It concluded that that was no association either with prolonged use (10 years or more) or amount of use (the number of calls made or the time spent on the phone).

UN report calls for global framework to govern AI

The UN Secretary-General’s high-level advisory body on artificial intelligence has released its final report, ‘Governing AI for humanity’. The report notes that ‘whole parts of the world’ have been excluded from the debate over AI governance. Out of 193 member states, only seven are party to recent AI governance initiatives, with 118 are missing entirely, mostly in the global south. The group urges the UN to lay the foundation for a globally inclusive architecture for AI governance based on international cooperation. The report can be viewed at un.org/en/ai-advisory-body

Sources:  The Financial Times, APNews, Euronews, CNN,  Le Monde, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Bloomberg, Economic Times, Ars Technica, Reuters, BBC, Politico, Telecoms.com