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<span style="font-size:9pt">2</span>
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<p class="header" style="margin-right:18.000000pt" awml:style="header">
European Regional Bureau Newsletter: 30 December 2017 – 5 January 2018
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<span style="font-family:'Hind Light';color:#3a82e4">Internet Access</span>
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<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">EU: WP on Telecommunications and Information Society meeting</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"></span></p>
<span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">The Working Party on Telecommunications and Information Society</span> <a href="http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/CM-5550-2017-INIT/en/pdf"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">meets</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> on 10 January. There, the new Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission will present their respective work programmes.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">The meeting will also be an occasion to exchange views on the proposal for a Directive establishing the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), currently being discussed by the co-legislators (Commission, European Parliament and Council) at trilogue meetings.</span> <p style="text-align:justify;margin-bottom:10.000000pt">
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<span style="font-family:'Hind Light';color:#3a82e4">Trust</span>
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<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Global: CEO Zuckerberg sets “fix” Facebook as a New Year’s challenge</span>
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<span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Mark Zuckerberg</span> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/zuck"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">pledged</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> to work on fixing Facebook’s numerous problems which came up in 2017. Among other things he announced that he planned to study encryption and cryptocurrencies to “see how best to use them in our services.”</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">In his Facebook post, Zuckerberg noted that the world felt “anxious and divided”. The social network itself has faced</span> <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-enforcement-hate-speech-rules-mistakes"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">criticisms</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> for leaving a window open to discriminatory content and allowing fake news.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Zuckerberg now claims he is determined to make a change and “protect Facebook’s community from abuse and hate.”</span> <p style="text-align:justify">
<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Germany: New Social Media Hate Speech Law now fully enforced</span>
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<span class="list_paragraph" style="background:#ffffff"></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">The beginning of the New Year 2018 marks the start of </span> <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/germany-implements-new-internet-hate-speech-crackdown/a-41991590"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light';color:#1287c8">full enforcement</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light';color:#333333"> of</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Germany’s anti-hate speech law, the Network Enforcement Act (“NetzGD”). This does not add new elements to the definition of “hate speech”, already included in the country’s</span> <a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_stgb/"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light';color:#1287c8"> criminal code</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">, but forces companies to police hate speech or face fines up to €50 million.</span><span class="list_paragraph" style="background:#ffffff"></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Under NetzDG, social media companies must respond to government requests to remove illegal content, notably hate speech and fake news, within 24 hours of receipt. It allows a week to consider more ambiguous cases.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">The law, which passed in July, does not apply to messaging applications.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Following the full enforcement of the law, Twitter and Facebook have already temporally</span> <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/19f89fb2-efc7-11e7-b220-857e26d1aca4"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">blocked</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> some accounts and content online.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Critics believe the NetzDG undermines free speech and forces companies to take decisions on issues that should be a matter for Germany’s courts while deleting innocuous content in their eagerness to avoid fines.</span> <p style="text-align:justify">
<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Global: Chip security flaws hit computer processors worldwide</span>
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<span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">A major security bug was</span> <a href="https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/02/intel_cpu_design_flaw/"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">discovered</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> in Intel’s computer chips manufactured after 1995. It is considered that it may be a “fundamental design flaw” which will require changes at the OS level to be fixed.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">This flaw could enable hackers to access sensitive data such as passwords, login keys and more from the chip itself. Hackers could also insert malware into PCs via the opening, and could potentially affect servers in data centres that run cloud computing services (i.e. Amazon Web Services).</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">“Meltdown” is the name given to the vulnerability affecting Intel chips; while “Spectre” is the name given to the vulnerability affecting in other chip vendors (as well as Intel, including ARM, and AMD).</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued</span> <a href="https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/meltdown-and-spectre-guidance"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">guidance</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> on Meltdown and Spectre, including advice on what people can do to protect themselves.</span> <p style="text-align:justify">
<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">UK: Security Minister threatens to tax “ruthless profiteer” companies if they do not do more to fight extremism</span>
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<span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">The UK government is considering new taxes on big tech companies like Facebook and Google because of their alleged inaction against extremist groups.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Security Minister, Ben Wallace,</span> <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/33542a08-ee1e-11e7-ac08-07c3086a2625"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">called</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> tech companies “ruthless profiteers”, accusing them of not doing enough to help the government to fight terrorists that take advantage of their platforms.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">He</span> <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/facebook-google-and-whatsapp-among-tech-titans-told-to-join-fight-against-terror-or-face-tax-blitz-plv9778nv"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">added</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> that “because of encryption and radicalisation, the cost is heaped on law enforcement agencies,” and if tech giants continue to be less than co-operative, the government should look at means like a tax as to encourage them or compensate for their inaction”.</span> <p style="text-align:justify">
<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Belgium: Privacy watchdog threatens fines for eavesdropping apps</span>
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<span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">The Belgian Commission for the Protection of Privacy has</span> <a href="https://www.tijd.be/tech-media/technologie/Honderden-apps-die-u-afluisteren-schenden-privacy/9969028?ckc=1&ts=1515160996"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">said</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> it may take action against eavesdropping apps that listen to what a smartphone user is watching on TV, over privacy concerns.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Fines may follow once the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes effect on May 25.</span> <p style="text-align:justify">
<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">EU-Japan: data transfer deal expected in spring 2018</span>
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<span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">During a visit to Tokyo, European Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová</span> <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-17-5307_en.htm"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">met</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> with the Japanese Data Protection Authority to advance the dialogue on the promotion of high data protection standards. Commissioner Jourová</span> <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-17-5308_en.htm"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">reaffirmed</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> the EU’s aim of finalising a data transfer agreement with Japan as soon as possible in 2018.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">She</span> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-data-japan/eu-sees-data-transfer-deal-with-japan-early-next-year-idUSKBN1E91HU"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">added</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> that an adequacy decision would allow the flow of personal data between EU and Japan without the need for extra authorisations, thus cutting costs and red tape. A number of issues remain unsolved, however the Commissioner said she was confident that, if they breach these differences, an agreement will be concluded in spring this year.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">The next high-level meeting is expected to take place in the near future in Brussels with a view to finalising the discussions.</span> <p style="text-align:justify">
<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">France: President Macron announces bill against fake news</span>
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<span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">On January 3, during a New Year's address to the press corps at the Elysee Palace in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron</span> <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4ad6aed8-1f57-3985-8990-136e5e9ef075"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">announced</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> a new law to combat “Fake News”.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">President Macron said he wanted to change the country’s legal system to protect democratic life from fake news. “During the election period, on the Internet, content will no longer have exactly the same rules,” he said.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">The proposed law would allow for “content to be taken down, user accounts deleted and websites blocked if needed,” he added.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">President Macron aims to make platforms more transparent and give media regulators (e.g. the media watchdog CSA) more power to fight fake news.</span> <p style="text-align:justify;margin-bottom:10.000000pt">
<span style="font-family:'Hind Light';color:#3a82e4">Other</span>
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<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">EU: Bulgaria Presidency of the Council of the EU’s programme and priorities</span>
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<span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">On January 1,</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Bulgaria formally took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU from Estonia. Its mandate will last until 30 June 2018. The</span> <a href="http://mmail.dods.co.uk/wf/click?upn=ylTnCxh9zvUxpjPh46TRxBFiQ9OF8pxlUMz70j-2Btnc9i6Y8dKppc7jRck-2FXhAO7QN63rqNVQ39yob28IVt8hHnwLaOCwhAuVzn5d9shZ9M8-3D_Wy3vPGL3E8forwHZaEwsJA14du4bPGpwsJ9l14sNIccPjEo4UDY3sPwbjVFBu7D-2FVuTgk-2B-2BBKHnh0fYIYUgC2ZO8amtm4X9yqVpBwMp-2FQgIElC-2FW5fOWZkzUmx9fQjLIxPlTSwrgW-2FfgC4XE0gnerctxFX8pEShJrdN7zH6EPXSi-2Fi2NRCM1x5nS0QiNjZ4Tk2LXvq2e1Fu4l0meV0HSbaOdUpZaFu77YIJ5CYzezN4-3D"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">programme</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> of the Presidency is now available, along with its</span> <a href="http://mmail.dods.co.uk/wf/click?upn=ylTnCxh9zvUxpjPh46TRxMKjZBbzn1GMtifVhIxLAdFdIvhv45d12GbjEbBzuUvt_Wy3vPGL3E8forwHZaEwsJA14du4bPGpwsJ9l14sNIccPjEo4UDY3sPwbjVFBu7D-2FVuTgk-2B-2BBKHnh0fYIYUgC2cV1kevzNAVONBApRqjDSmcf5mL9OxK9FCoqquaCqSTM8PtIFxKfpTPi4KzOV45KFzB7WGcrayMr99itHSfJmyIyodvMviQNwyE9QLeWV5QIA6xKQ8qVxATw6drHDc9QboLBpw2LwiO5lxN3fqz-2F1WU-3D"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">priorities</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">, as well as the</span> <a href="http://mmail.dods.co.uk/wf/click?upn=77RLqgktrfF6d3irm1AHO75-2FiI8-2BPIdm40hXHDLBZsyiScEWtAEWfItEEptkW6VgGVsQYz04S9iUyqQpBtHYEfbRASj-2BtvB-2FIPTKmWSxemoayuqfWu7tS-2BU92AYd8Yzh_Wy3vPGL3E8forwHZaEwsJA14du4bPGpwsJ9l14sNIccPjEo4UDY3sPwbjVFBu7D-2FVuTgk-2B-2BBKHnh0fYIYUgC2SidL8XJSDYnG-2FDZm0csFejsPhvnmizFIuA9t6oV7RJ4MH4w1TcQwqnNm68RJbTstfdDDu7MJh-2BH7Xp1-2FeMmivB5IHdeP6eVwIQCZWrUsXK6uidwh74LFt5L0HYnrnRtZMaiVT-2FvPPKQCn3jQdL3u9E-3D"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">calendar</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> and</span> <a href="http://mmail.dods.co.uk/wf/click?upn=pyBPr3ODec9edJBLOTR3tuyY4k-2FGk-2BlI3WCasNCFHL-2F7fJqcCI6duC7iMrz0V3VtvXMOgPkAVN-2FVp1KYXRndKmSYVsQKyNqgpDZhGnXZIQo-3D_Wy3vPGL3E8forwHZaEwsJA14du4bPGpwsJ9l14sNIccPjEo4UDY3sPwbjVFBu7D-2FVuTgk-2B-2BBKHnh0fYIYUgC2VX2N-2FVkeSpQ5aqBUBwumZTM-2Fo7ACQucM5kb7Cqr4uThx09xWPrhyG8CNF2nh1-2FdzTYhPGY1gITJVcOZcNReHXQzNKE5l8Va8iC1JR-2BQ4TMn3KTNLD8LLqTVYNZO4dSfyopsLQnHNRmqXEwFoWrVRic-3D"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">provisional agendas</span></a><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'"> of the Council meetings</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Bulgaria aims to continue working and make significant progress on a number of crucial files, including the free movement of non-personal data and the Cybersecurity Act.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">Bulgaria also considers the step-by-step adoption of the EU Roaming Rules by the Western Balkan countries (through gradual reduction of the charges and increasing the broadband Internet access opportunities) to be an important initiative for digital connectivity.</span> <span></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:'Hind Light'">The country also puts a strong emphasis on the need to further invest in research and innovation, as well as digital skills.</span> <p style="text-align:justify;margin-bottom:12.000000pt">
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