German Court Grants Injunction Against Meta for Unlawful Data Tracking: The Lübeck Regional Court ruled that Meta’s tracking via its Business Tools on third-party websites unlawfully processed personal data without user consent, violating GDPR. The court granted injunctive relief to the data subject but denied claims for non-material damages. It emphasized that Meta’s data collection practices infringe on informational self-determination, even if common in the digital landscape.

Romanian DPA Fines Softehnica S.R.L for Inadequate Data Security Measures: The Romanian Data Protection Authority (ANSPDCP) fined Softehnica S.R.L approximately €5,000 after a ransomware attack exposed personal data, including names, addresses, and contact details. The investigation revealed the company lacked sufficient technical and organizational security measures and failed to regularly test and assess the effectiveness of its data protection protocols. This breach violated Articles 32(2) and 32(3) of the GDPR concerning data security obligations.

Swedish DPA Reprimands Gambling Company for Invalid Cookie Consent Practices: The Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) reprimanded Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp for using misleading cookie banners that prioritized acceptance over refusal, violating GDPR Articles 6 and 7(3). The design made it significantly easier to accept cookies than to withdraw consent, undermining the principle of informed and freely given consent. Despite updates, the refusal option remained less visible, leading to regulatory action without the imposition of a fine.

AST SpaceMobile Receives FCC Approval for Direct-to-Cell Space Services Test: AST SpaceMobile has secured temporary approval from the FCC to test direct-to-cell mobile broadband services, including voice and data, in partnership with AT&T and Verizon. This milestone allows the company to utilize its BlueBird satellites to trial services using standard smartphones on low-band spectrum, avoiding regulatory hurdles faced by competitors like Starlink. The tests mark a significant step toward AST’s goal of providing commercial mobile broadband directly from space.

Vodafone Achieves World’s First Space Video Call Using a Standard Smartphone: Vodafone has successfully conducted the world’s first video call via satellite using a regular smartphone, without the need for specialized equipment. The call was made from a remote area in Wales with no traditional mobile coverage, leveraging AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites to connect directly to Vodafone’s terrestrial network. This breakthrough aims to enhance connectivity in remote regions across Europe, with commercial rollout planned for later in 2025 and 2026.

Ericsson’s Fourth-Quarter Profit Rises Amid North American Growth and Potential U.S. Tariffs: In the fourth quarter, Ericsson reported a 43% increase in profit, reaching 4.9 billion Swedish kronor, driven by a 54% surge in North American sales due to significant contracts with major telecom operators. Despite this growth, the company’s enterprise division faced challenges, contributing to a profit that fell short of analyst expectations. Additionally, Ericsson expressed concerns about potential U.S. tariffs on European imports, which could negatively impact its global supply chain and product development.

Three Swedish university hospitals are developing their practical AI capabilities in collaboration with Canada: Three major Swedish university hospitals—Karolinska, Skåne, and Sahlgrenska—are collaborating with Canada’s Unity Health Toronto to enhance their AI capabilities in healthcare. Funded by Vinnova and led by AI Sweden, the project focuses on AI leadership, data collaboration, and developing an AI tool to predict missed patient appointments. The initiative aims to strengthen international cooperation, exchange expertise, and advance AI-driven healthcare solutions.

Nordic Council of Ministers Gives Green Light to Funding for Nordic AI Center: The Nordic Council of Ministers has committed five million Danish kroner annually (2025–2027) to establish a Nordic AI Center, led by AI Sweden, to boost AI adoption and investment in the region. The initiative, developed with AI Finland and IKT-Norge, aims to enhance Nordic and Baltic influence in AI, particularly within the EU. AI Sweden is now preparing a financing proposal before the council makes a formal funding decision.

AI adoption in the public sector: a new study on key influencing factors and two frameworks for competencies and governance: Two Joint Research Centre studies examine key factors influencing AI adoption in the public sector, highlighting leadership, organizational culture, and citizen needs as key drivers. One study provides three policy recommendations, including strengthening AI expertise and aligning digital strategies with public needs. The second study introduces competency and governance frameworks to guide AI implementation, offering 18 actions for effective adoption across Europe.

Urgent Need for Enhanced Cyber Security in Public Administration: Six out of ten public administration organizations in Sweden lack fundamental cyber security measures, highlighting significant vulnerabilities, according to the Cyber Security Check 2024 by MSB. The report stresses the urgent need for increased management commitment, funding, and systematic security improvements, as only 8 out of 120 participating authorities met MSB’s regulatory requirements. To accelerate progress, MSB is tightening recommendations, urging businesses to participate, and offering advisory services, training, and seminars to strengthen national cyber resilience.

Adversarial Misuse of Generative AI: A Real-World Analysis: Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) analyzed real-world attempts by government-backed threat actors and information operations actors to misuse Gemini, Google’s AI-powered assistant. The report found that while these actors are experimenting with Gemini for tasks like research, coding, and content creation, they have not yet developed novel AI-enabled attack techniques and their basic attempts to bypass Gemini’s safety controls have been unsuccessful. Iranian actors were the most active in attempting to misuse Gemini, followed by Chinese and North Korean groups, with limited activity observed from Russian actors.

Strengthening Internet Routing: NIST Updates BGP Security Guidance: NIST has released a draft update to its guidance on Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) security and resilience, addressing increasing internet routing incidents like hijacking and leaks that threaten data security and critical infrastructure. The draft publication, SP 800-189 Revision 1, recommends technologies like Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) and source address validation to bolster BGP security and mitigate DDoS attacks. This guidance is crucial for organizations, especially hosting and internet service providers, to protect against communication compromises, denial of service, and operational disruptions.

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