In 2025, the value of the data economy in the European Union will be comparable to the GDP of the Netherlands. The actual impact that data will have on European economies and societies, however, will depend as much on technological advancements as on the rules that will govern data use and data sharing. In February 2022, the European Commission is expected to publish a proposal for a Regulation to facilitate data sharing and use between companies (business-to-business, or B2B) and between businesses and governments (business-to-government, or B2G). Known as the Data Act, this long-awaited initiative will have far-reaching impacts on companies, the public sector, and consumers. In this two-part series, we look at what issues the Data Act should address to harness the value of data while ensuring innovation, property rights, and privacy. This blog focuses on business-to-business data-sharing.
Regulating data sharing (Part I) – How will the EU Data Act impact your business?
Written by Fabio Barbero on 27 Jan 2022
Is transparency the key for turning AI into a force for good?
Written by Pia Doering on 20 Jan 2022
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has become embedded in many of the processes of business operations, public life, and politics. Yet as AI is increasingly becoming a part of people’s lives, suspicions have mounted as to whether AI is a force for good, or whether its algorithms create bad outcomes for some of those on the receiving end of its calculations. In a 2020 survey by KPMG, only 26% of UK citizens were willing to rely on information provided by an AI or to share data with an AI. To combat the festering mistrust in AI, the UK Government published its novel Algorithmic Transparency Standard in late November 2021. This blogpost introduces the standard, evaluates its potential, and points to the questions which remain open.
Digital Services Act: EU institutions seek to tighten rules for online players
Written by Mathilde Quembre on 13 Jan 2022
The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), currently working its way through the legislative process, will create an unprecedented set of new rules for intermediary service providers. The legislation will establish a framework for content moderation and reinforce the rules for platforms that should serve to further protect the fundamental rights of all users of digital services across Europe. This blog looks at the DSA’s progress and the positions recently taken by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. We explore how they are seeking to re-shape the original proposal and what this means for businesses and consumers.
What do the UK’s cybersecurity plans mean for companies?
Written by Hannah Fuchs on 20 Dec 2021
With an increasing number of internet-connectable and interconnected devices, also known as the Internet of Things (IoT), being used in the UK, the Government has introduced the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill to protect these products. This blog will examine the bill, its potential impact, some criticisms of it, and the next steps in the legislative process.
EU-US Trade and Technology Council: new global tech superpower or just another talking shop?
Written by Shane Cumberton on 03 Dec 2021
The recently launched EU-US Trade and Technology Council is a landmark partnership that seeks to advance transatlantic cooperation in trade, economics, and technology. This blog discusses the importance of the partnership and what it plans to achieve, as well as the main policy areas that the Council will explore.
One year on: reviewing the impact of COVID-19 on the tech industry
Written by Garrick Long on 17 May 2021
As the leading political consultancy dedicated to advancing the policy priorities of the tech community, Inline works with some of the world’s most innovative and disruptive companies.
What does the New Consumer Agenda mean for the tech sector?
Written by Owain Richards on 03 Dec 2020
The European Commission’s recently adopted New Consumer Agenda frames its objectives for EU consumer policy up to 2025. In this blog we outline what it means for the tech and digital sectors, and what consumer policy initiatives we can expect.
Nine European policy initiatives for the tech sector in December 2020
Written by Angeliki Tsanta on 02 Dec 2020
The European Commission will launch several ambitious policy and legislative initiatives in December 2020, to deliver on its political priorities for this legislative term. In this briefing, we outline nine initiatives that will affect the tech sector.
Platforms’ actions against hate speech
Written by Alessandra Venier on 14 Sep 2020
Preventing illegal hate speech online is a priority for policymakers worldwide, and the need to do so is increasingly evident. How can governments strike the right balance between tackling the mechanisms and incentives behind the proliferation of illegal hateful content online, while also ensuring that platforms do not enable censorship? A closer look at present and future debates demonstrates the intricacies of keeping an ever-growing number of internet users safe and preserving their fundamental rights.
What’s next for the digital marketing sector, post-GDPR?
Written by Megan Stagman on 09 Sep 2020
Even with the UK’s digital marketing sector still grappling with the aftershocks of GDPR implementation in 2018, further regulation has been brewing over recent months. The UK Government undertook a consultation on online advertising earlier this year, which it is expected to respond to imminently with new policies in mind. Indeed, it seems if not 2020, then 2021 might be the next watershed moment for the industry. Drawing from recent developments over this summer - including the latest proposals of the Competition and Markets Authority, and the evaluation of the current framework in a DCMS-commissioned study – this blog post will map out what this new wave of regulation might look like.
Exploring the regulatory and legislative landscape for IoT devices
Written by Alex Rennie on 03 Sep 2020
The Internet of Things (IoT) promises to transform societies and economies. Such widespread transformation is bound to attract increased regulatory and legislative scrutiny. Here we explore the issues on which governments are most likely to focus their attention.
Introducing the Product Liability Directive (Part II): what about AI?
Written by Giulia Iop on 26 Aug 2020
As we explained in our previous blog, European policy makers are pondering whether to revise the 1985 Product Liability Directive to make it ‘future-proof’ and ensure it remains fit for purpose amidst the growth of new technologies. Both the European Commission and European Parliament have addressed the issue in various formats and within different frameworks, both as part of a broader revision of European product safety regulation and/or as part of a planned regulation on Artificial Intelligence – whose aim would be to address the legal challenges of new automated technologies.
Introducing the Product Liability Directive (Part I)
Written by Owain Richards on 19 Aug 2020
The continued growth and application of new technologies raises new challenges for regulators and policymakers. Alongside new policy frameworks, existing regulations need to be re-evaluated to ensure that they remain proportionate, effective, fit-for-purpose and ‘future proof’. One such regulation is the Product Liability Directive, with growing calls for it to be reviewed.
Government must take a holistic view of XR beyond just gaming
Written by Megan Stagman on 24 Jun 2020
The Government responded earlier this month to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee’s recommendations on ‘immersive and addictive technologies’. While it establishes a commitment to proportionate and enabling regulations for the virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) industry, both the Committee and the Government miss a trick by failing to see beyond initial gaming applications. Greater understanding of the broad scope that the technology potentially offers will be critical if the UK is to sustain its status as a leader in the space.
COVID-19: a turning point for online content regulation in the UK?
Written by Alessandra Venier on 10 Jun 2020
As the UK prepares some of the most ambitious online harms legislation in the world, the unprecedented efforts taken by tech companies to curb the spread of COVID-19 falsehoods have raised a number of questions for regulators and policymakers. The UK may need to adapt its original stance on online harms in order to face the ‘new normal’.
Covid-19 and data privacy pits European governments against US tech once again
Written by Alex Rennie on 03 Jun 2020
Covid-19 and the concerted push by European governments to develop contact-tracing apps has revealed the difficult trade-offs between privacy and public health. Like in previous debates, policymakers and Big Tech find themselves on opposite sides of the argument, although their roles have reversed, with US giants now positioning themselves as the guardians of their users’ privacy by refusing to facilitate centralised apps.
Understanding the EU technical regulation notification procedure
Written by Owain Richards on 20 May 2020
Strengthening and deepening the Single Market is a key strategic priority for the 2019-24 European legislative cycle. Following the publication of the European Commission’s Single Market Enforcement Action Plan in March 2020, we look at the role and importance of the EU Single Market Transparency Directive in addressing market barriers, promoting the growth of the single market, and supporting a more harmonised regulatory environment for businesses.
COVID-19 will force governments to show their hands on the gig economy
Written by Matthew Niblett on 06 May 2020
COVID-19 has shown us both how reliant we are on gig workers, and how vulnerable such workers are in major crises. After the crisis is over, policymakers will have to decide whether the gig economy and its ecosystem is something to be championed, or something to be managed via further regulations.
Five tech sector winners from COVID-19
Written by Giulia Iop on 30 Apr 2020
The tech sector, as all other sectors of the economy, has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, but not necessarily in a negative way. The pandemic could in fact represent an opportunity for five key tech sub-sectors to innovate their business models and show policy makers the potential of new technologies for good during (and beyond) global crises.
The copyright directive is a warning signal for Europe’s AI ambitions
Written by Elena Riva on 15 Apr 2020
The EU has set great ambitions around artificial intelligence, seeking to accelerate innovation and foster a much more competitive environment. But as the example of the copyright directive shows, much can go wrong for Europe’s AI businesses if they do not pay attention to what will be proposed.