Regulatory Blog

Provisions on AI literacy and prohibited systems apply as of 2 February 2025 under the EU AI Act, which came into force on 1 August 2024. While most provisions of the EU AI Act will not take effect until August 2026, the ban on certain prohibited AI practices (Article 5) and the obligations to promote AI literacy (Article 4), began on 2 February 2025.

On 8 January 2025, the EU General Court ruled in favour of a German citizen in Bindl v Commission (Case T-354/22), ordering the European Commission to pay €400 in damages for unlawfully transferring personal data to the US.

On 12 July 2024, the European Commission notified X (formerly known as Twitter) of its preliminary findings indicating breaches of the Digital Services Act. The alleged violations relate to dark patterns, advertising transparency and data access for researchers.

In February 2024, the EDPB adopted the “Opinion on the notion of main establishment on the criteria for the application of the One-Stop-Shop mechanism" following a request by the French Data Protection Authority.

On 11 April 2024, the Advocate General Priit Pikamäe rendered an opinion in case C-768/21 Land Hessen, shedding light on the obligations of data protection authorities when addressing breaches of personal data.

On 22 April 2024, the European Commission initiated a second formal proceedings against TikTok pursuant to the Digital Services Act. Under the DSA, very large online platforms are required to submit a risk assessment report before launching new features with significant potential systemic risks. The Commission is investigating whether TikTok breached these obligations by launching TikTok Lite in France and Spain without prior diligent assessment of its potential risks, particularly its potentially addictive nature, especially for children due to the lack of effective age verification mechanisms.

On 25 March 2024, in a significant move aimed at ensuring fair competition and consumer choice in the digital sphere, the European Commission initiated non-compliance investigations against tech giants Alphabet, Apple, and Meta under the Digital Markets Act.

On 21 May 2024, the European Council gave its final approval to the pioneering Artificial Intelligence Act, the first comprehensive AI regulation of its kind worldwide. This significant legislation aims to standardise AI rules across the EU, using a risk-based approach to ensure safety and trust in AI systems. The higher the potential harm to society, the stricter the regulations will be.

On 17 February 2024, the Digital Services Act (DSA) came into effect, applying to all online intermediaries operating within the EU. This comprehensive regulation aims to enhance online safety, fairness, and transparency for users.