GDPR impact: Google, Facebook face over $9 bn in fines
San Francisco, May 26 : Within hours of the European Union's (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) taking effect on Friday, technology giants Google and Facebook have been hit with privacy complaints that could carry fines of up to $9.3 billion in total, a media report said.
With regard to privacy, Google, Facebook and Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Instagram are forcing people to adopt a "take it or leave it" approach which essentially amounts to demanding that users submit to intrusive terms of service, according to the the Austrian privacy-advocacy group Noyb.eu, CNET reported on Friday.
"Tonnes of 'consent boxes' popped up online or in applications, often combined with a threat, that the service can no longer be used if user (s) do not consent," the group was quoted as saying in a statement.
The group is asking regulators in France, Belgium, Germany and Austria to fine the companies up to the maximum four per cent of their annual revenue that the GDPR legislation allows.
This could potentially add up to a $4.88 billion fine for Google parent company Alphabet and $1.63 billion for each of Facebook, and its Instagram and WhatsApp services, if European regulators agree with Noyb.eu and decide to fine the companies the full amount, the CNET report said.
GDPR, designed to designed to give individuals in the European Union (EU) more rights to control their personal information, came into effect on Friday.
Seen as a measure to by European leaders to control the powers of technology companies, GDPR violations can cost companies either 20 million Euros or four per cent of annual turnover.
As a result of the regulation, several US news outlets blocked Europeans on Friday, the report said.
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PM Modi, Serbian prez discuss ways to deepen cooperation across multiple sectors
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in areas such as defence, manufacturing, fertilisers and infrastructure.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit being held here from February 16-20.
"Met President Aleksandar Vučić on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit. We discussed ways to deepen cooperation in areas such as defence, manufacturing, DPI, fertilisers and infrastructure. For many years, India and Serbia have worked closely and I am confident our ties will gain even more momentum in the times to come," Modi wrote on X.
Vučić said the two leaders were proud of the friendship between Serbia and India, and the people of the two nations.
"India is a reliable and important partner for us, and we want to deepen economic exchange and encourage new investment projects. I am especially happy because India wants significant participation in the Serbian #Expo," he said in a post on X in Serbian.
The India AI Impact Expo features more than 600 high-potential startups and 13 country pavilions showcasing international collaboration in the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. Over 20 heads of state, 60 ministers and 500 global AI leaders are attending the summit.
