Booking.com Becomes “Gatekeeper”

Booking.Com Now Classed as a Gatekeeper

Online travel marketplace, Booking.com, has been designated a ‘gatekeeper’ company by the EU under its new Digital Markets Act (DMA) competition law, meaning that Booking.com now has six months to comply.  Gatekeepers?  Under the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA), ‘gatekeepers’ are large digital platforms that play a pivotal role in the digital economy. They…

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FM Market Dominance Concerns

FM Dominance

Following an initial report on AI Foundation Models (FMs) last year, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has expressed “real concerns” about it and is investigating the dominance of a small number of big tech firms at the centre of the FM market.  Foundation Models  Foundation models (FMs) are AI systems / large-scale machine learning…

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Legal Aspects Of Online Writing And Publishing

Some Legal Considerations Of Online Writing And Publishing

With ChatGPT’s makers OpenAI facing a possible defamation lawsuit from an Australian mayor, we look at the legal aspects of online writing and publishing.  Defamed?  Last November, when ChatGPT was first released for public use, Brian Hood, the mayor of Hepburn Shire, 120km northwest of Melbourne, was told by members of the public that ChatGPT…

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Don’t Get Sued For Using ChatGPT

Tech News : Don't Get Sued For Using ChatGPT

One recent example of how ChatGPT may be the subject of a defamation lawsuit after it reportedly created completely incorrect (and highly damaging) content is in the case of Brian Hood, the mayor of Hepburn Shire, 120km northwest of Melbourne, Australia. Mr Hood reported being told by members of the public that ChatGPT had (falsely)…

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ChatGPT Gets User’s Parking Ticket Revoked

Tech Insight : ChatGPT Gets User's Parking Ticket Revoked

Following the news that a student made a successful appeal against a parking ticket by using a letter written by the ChatGPT chatbot, we look at how it happened, how to get the best results from ChatGPT, and we look at some of the recent concerns about the advances in AI technology.  £60 Parking Ticket …

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WhatsApp’s UK Threats Over Online Safety Bill

Featured Article : WhatsApp’s UK Threats Over Online Safety Bill

The boss of WhatsApp, Will Cathcart, has said he would rather stop users in the UK from using the app than lower its security, as suggested by the UK’s Online Safety Bill.  End-to-end Encrypted App  One of the key security features of Meta’s WhatsApp is its end-to-end encryption. This ensures that only the intended recipient…

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New Powers So UK Regulator Can Hold Big Tech Firms To Account

New Powers So UK Regulator Can Hold Big Tech Firms To Account

The UK government has announced that it is giving statutory powers to the new Digital Markets Unit (DMU) regulator to enforce pro-competition rules and protect users from the “unfair practices” of big tech companies.  New Watchdog To Prevent Abuse of Market Power  Following a consultation in July 2021, the government says that it is giving…

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Recording Phone Calls On Your Mobile

Recording Calls On Your Mobile

In this article, we look at the legal issues around recording calls on your mobile, and the different methods for doing so.  Is It Legal To Record Phone Calls On Your Mobile?  In the UK, as an individual mobile phone user, generally speaking, secretly recording a conversation is not a criminal offence and is not…

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EU To Limit Power Of Large Tech Platforms

EU To Limit Power Of Large Tech Platforms

The EU Parliament, Council negotiators and lawmakers have agreed new rules under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that will limit the market power of the big technology companies and open up the market for competitors.  What Is The Digital Markets Act?  The Digital Markets Act (DMA) from the European Commission has been designed to ensure…

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CEOs Could Go To Jail Quicker

CEOs Could Go To Jail Quicker

A recent revision to the (draft) Online Safety Bill could mean that executives who don’t comply with the regulator’s information request could start facing penalties such as jail just two months after the bill becomes law.  The Online Safety Bill  The UK government’s Online Safety Bill, published in May 2021 and now introduced to parliament,…

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