Of the 90 million vehicles (cars, trucks, and buses) produced worldwide in 2024, 31.3 million were produced in China, i.e. 34% of the glob al total, according to an Inovev report.

France is also following this trend, with many consumers now opting for cars from Chinese brands such as BYD, Xpeng, Beiking and Hongqi.

Against this backdrop, Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, is drawing users’ attention to how their personal data could be used for malicious purposes.

Indeed, it is inadvisable to synchronize one’s phone or any other device with a vehicle, whether their own or even more so in the case of a rental car, as the car could use its internet connectivity to make a copy of contacts and other sensitive data and upload to the Internet, long before one have the ability of deleting it when returning the rental car, for example.

A modern vehicle is packed with computers, lidars, various radios, and external cameras.

What’s more, it is also equipped with aerial updating capabilities that could very well be repurposed as a surveillance platform.

According to Nate Drier, Technical Lead, Red Team, Sophos:

“As with any technology, given the opportunity, necessity, intent, and capability, in-vehicle technology can be misused. Car manufacturers can track the movements of modern vehicles in real time, and this is likely to be even truer for electric vehicles. Yet this information could be used to build rich maps of an environment encompassing both the physical and electromagnetic environment (by searching for Wi-Fi networks, the positions of cell phone towers, etc.).”

Sophos, therefore, recommends being aware and checking what manufacturers are collecting on vehicles, and what they can do using over-the-air update capabilities.

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The ruling, announced on Monday, accuses the tech giant of abusing its position by imposing unfair restrictions on mobile app developers.

At the heart of the issue is Apple’s ATT system, which since 2021 has required apps to obtain explicit user permission before tracking activity across multiple platforms. 

While regulators acknowledged that the policy was designed to protect privacy, they ruled that its execution unfairly restricted competition, particularly hurting smaller businesses reliant on digital advertising.

The French Competition Authority’s decision adds to Apple’s current issues in Europe. Just last year, the European Commission fined the company €1.8 billion for anti-competitive practices related to music streaming services. 

Meanwhile, regulatory bodies in Germany, Italy, Poland, and Romania are conducting their own investigations into Apple’s ATT system, which could lead to further penalties.

In response to the ruling, Apple stated: “While we are disappointed with today’s decision, the French Competition Authority has not required any specific changes to ATT.” However, French regulators maintain that Apple’s implementation of the privacy tool “particularly penalised smaller publishers” and was neither necessary nor proportionate to the company’s stated objective of safeguarding personal data.

The complaint that led to this fine was lodged by several advertising and media organisations, including Alliance Digitale and the Syndicat des Régies Internet. 

They argued that Apple’s policy created an uneven playing field, making it harder for third-party advertisers to compete while allowing Apple’s own ad business to thrive.

Benoît Cœuré, head of the French Competition Authority, dismissed talks that the decision might provoke backlash from U.S. authorities, particularly amid ongoing tensions between American tech firms and European regulators. 

“We apply competition law in an apolitical manner,” he stated. “But what we have heard… is that they [U.S. authorities] intend to apply antitrust law to the big digital platforms as strictly as their predecessors.”

Apple may have to adjust its practices depending on the outcomes of ongoing investigations in other European countries, ensuring a balance between protecting user privacy and fair competition in digital markets.

The post France Fines Apple $162M For Restricting App Developers with Tracking Rules appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The lawsuit, filed in a Paris court this week, was brought by the National Publishing Union (SNE), the National Union of Authors and Composers (SNAC), and the Society of People of Letters (SGDL).

The organisations claim that Meta has been using their protected works without permission, describing the company’s act as a form of economic “parasitism.”

This is the first case of its kind in France against a top AI company. Similar lawsuits have been filed in the United States, where Meta and other tech giants are dealing with court cases over the use of copyrighted material in AI training.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, SNAC’s general delegate, Maia Bensimon, condemned Meta’s acts, stating, “We are witnessing monumental looting.”

Renaud Lefebvre, director general of SNE, described the lawsuit as a “David versus Goliath battle,” emphasising the scale of the challenge smaller organisations face when confronting global technology firms.

While Meta has yet to respond to the allegations, the case adds to the list of copyright disputes involving AI development. 

In the U.S., Meta is already being sued by several authors, including actress and writer Sarah Silverman, over similar claims. Lawsuits against OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, have also cropped up in multiple countries, including Canada and India.

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