316 stories on European law, technology regulation and digital rights, latest from 20 October 2026. Every headline links to the original source.
20 October 2026
Clearview AI faces Court of Appeal test of 7.5m pound UK fine
ppc.land Clearview AI began a three-day Court of Appeal hearing on whether the ICO could fine it over UK GDPR monitoring of UK residents for foreign police clients.
16 October 2026
EU AI Act: probes could extend time limit for fines
actuia.com The Commission opened consultation on a draft AI Act implementing regulation letting AI Office investigation steps restart the five-year fining limitation period, capped at ten years.
Data Privacy Ranking: Data Privacy in the EU Omnibus Amendments
gdpr-omnibus.eu A new tracker scored MEPs' 1,000+ amendments to the GDPR Digital Omnibus; EPP members rank worst for weakening privacy, the Greens and S&D best. [discussion on hn]
15 October 2026
The EU is facing Big Tech pressure to revamp its AI law
politico.eu Microsoft and Google executives questioned whether the AI Act is still fit for purpose; Commissioners call it adequate while Hungary flags three gaps.
Privacy First calls for a ban on automated risk profiling by banks
privacyfirst.nl Dutch group Privacy First urged a ban on automated risk profiling in AMLA's draft customer-monitoring guidelines; final guidelines are due in Q4 2026.
Opinion of Advocate General Biondi in ByteDance v Commission (TikTok DMA gatekeeper designation)
curia.europa.eu Advocate General Biondi advised the CJEU to dismiss ByteDance's appeal against TikTok's DMA gatekeeper designation, in the first DMA case to reach the Court of Justice.
Eurobarometer survey highlights growing use of AI in European companies
ec.europa.eu A Commission survey of 12,826 SMEs found 42% use AI or algorithmic management, mostly experimentally; the upcoming Quality Jobs Act will regulate algorithmic management.
14 October 2026
Judgment of the General Court in Case T-134/24 Technius v Commission (Stripchat DSA designation)
curia.europa.eu The EU General Court dismissed Stripchat's challenge to its designation as a very large online platform under the DSA, upholding the Commission's 2023 decision.
EU’s AI rules face first enforcement test over lab incidents
euronews.com The AI Office sent AI Act information requests to OpenAI and Anthropic over agents that hacked outside firms; lawyers dispute its reach over pre-market testing.
13 October 2026
Lithuania Targets Algorithmic Control in Gig Work Rules
streamlinefeed.co.ke Lithuania's Seimas advanced its Platform Work Directive bill 85-0-8, tying worker status to control and requiring human review of account blocks. Committee review follows.
Europe’s leaders abandon the race for frontier AI
politico.eu EU leaders including von der Leyen are shifting from building frontier AI to promoting adoption; the Commission will hold an Apply AI summit on 16 November. [discussion on hn]
EDPB publishes statement on the data protection challenges of smart glasses
edpb.europa.eu The EDPB adopted a statement saying smart-glasses makers cannot shift GDPR duties to users and should make recording obvious to bystanders, e.g. via LEDs or audio cues.
Delivery workers demand stronger protections as Greece prepares to adopt EU platform work directive
thepressproject.gr Fourteen Greek delivery-worker unions urged the Labour Ministry to add employment-status criteria and algorithm transparency in its Platform Work Directive transposition.
Bank of America fined $1.2 billion by US government for failing to police suspicious activity
reuters.com Treasury and the OCC fined Bank of America $1.21bn for failing to report over $5bn in suspicious activity, including a record $750m OCC penalty. [discussion on hn]
12 October 2026
Parliament to vote this month on social media ban for under-15s
ekathimerini.com Greece tabled a bill banning under-15s from social media, with a parliamentary vote on 22 October and platform age checks required from 1 January 2027.
Norway fines Microsoft's Xandr $9.6M over Grindr data sharing
reuters.com Norway's data protection authority fined Microsoft's Xandr about $9.6m (roughly £7m) over sharing Grindr users' data, a record fine for the regulator. [discussion on hn]
Italian DPA fines Wind Tre EUR 16 700 000 for unlawful telemarketing and data protection infringements
edpb.europa.eu Italy's Garante fined Wind Tre €16.7m over unsolicited marketing and contracts activated without consent via its sales network, and banned further use of that data.
Advocate General: access of data subjects to data processed by FIUs may be restricted, with safeguards
curia.europa.eu CJEU Advocate General Medina said financial intelligence units fall under the Law Enforcement Directive, and may refuse data-subject access if the restriction is proportionate.
8 October 2026
The Danish Government's Legislative Programme for the Parliamentary Year 2026/2027 with a focus on employment law
twobirds.com Denmark's government put its Platform Work Act on the 2026/27 legislative programme, with the bill due in February, after the 2 December 2026 transposition deadline.
ICO secures changes from leading AI developers as scrutiny extends to AI agents
ico.org.uk The UK ICO said ten AI developers, including OpenAI and Google, made data protection changes, and opened a call for evidence on agentic AI until 20 November.