EU Antitrust Chief Reviewing Facebook-WhatsApp Response

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said she was reviewing Facebook's response to charges the U.S. social network provided misleading information during its bid for messaging service WhatsApp which may result in a hefty fine for the company. The European Commission in December last year said Facebook's statements during the regulator's scrutiny of the $22 billion deal in 2014 were incorrect when it said that it was unable reliably to match the two companies' user accounts.

Amazon Creating New Program to Fight Counterfeit Items

Amazon.com is expanding a program to remove counterfeit goods from its website this spring as part of a broader push to assure brand owners that the online retailer is an ally rather than a threat. As early as next month, any brand can register its logo and intellectual property with Amazon so the e-commerce company can take down listings and potentially seller accounts when counterfeits are flagged, Peter Faricy, vice president of Amazon Marketplace, said in an interview.

Ga. Supreme Court Rules for iHeart Radio in Streaming Case

The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that music streaming service iHeart Radio is exempt from a Georgia statute that makes it illegal to transfer pre-1972 sound recordings without the owner’s consent. The high court responded to a question posed by the U.S. District Court of Middle Georgia, saying the Georgia justices “find that the type of internet radio services being offered by iHeartMedia Inc. in this case do fall under the exemption” to state law.

Electronic Devices Limited on Flights from Middle East to U.S.

Airlines that fly from certain countries in the Middle East and Africa to the U.S. must soon require passengers to check in almost all electronic devices rather than carry them into the cabin, a U.S. official said. An aviation official told CNN that there is a security concern regarding passengers boarding nonstop flights to the U.S. from specific countries.

Google Apologizes to Advertisers for 'Controversial Content'

Google apologized for allowing ads to appear alongside offensive videos on YouTube as more high-profile firms such as Marks & Spencer and HSBC pulled advertising for British markets from Google sites. The British government has suspended its advertising on YouTube after some public sector ads appeared next to videos carrying homophobic and anti-semitic messages, prompting a flood of major companies to follow suit.

Chinese Central Bank Moves to Regulate Bitcoin Trading

China’s central bank is moving to regulate its domestic bitcoin industry, circulating new guidelines that, if enacted, would require exchanges to verify the identity of clients and adhere to banking regulations. The move to regulate bitcoin exchanges brings assurance that Chinese authorities will tolerate some level of trading, after months of uncertainty.

Merkel Wants Standard Rules in Europe for Using Data

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for Europe to set about standardizing rules on using data in Europe, ahead of a visit to the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover where digitalization is expected to be in focus. "We want to create a digital single European market. That means we need to have legal situations that are as similar as possible in all European countries," Merkel said in her weekly video podcast.

Google Changes Policies After Offensive Advertisements

Google, the primary revenue driver for Alphabet Inc., announced changes to its advertising policies after major brands pulled ads from the platform because they appeared alongside offensive content, such as videos promoting terrorism or anti-Semitism. The U.S. company said in a blog post it would give clients more control over where their ads appear on both YouTube, the video-sharing service it owns, and the Google Display Network, which posts advertising to third-party websites.

European Consumer Officials Want Social Media Changes

European consumer protection authorities will ask social media companies Facebook Inc, Alphabet Inc. and Twitter Inc. to amend their terms of service within one month or possibly face fines, a source familiar with the matter said. The companies proposed some ways to resolve the issues and discussed them with the authorities, the person said, adding that the meeting was constructive.