Internet
Balkans: slow Internet and unspent cohesion funds
The Balkan countries are struggling to keep up with the rest of Europe in terms of Internet connection speed. The only exception is Romania, which - not surprisingly - is the country in the area that is best able to spend cohesion funds on ICT
Data centres: the last great tech threat to energy sustainability
The energy needs of these physical infrastructure, where much of the world’s digital information is stored, have grown exponentially in recent years. While business has been booming, so have concerns about their sustainability and the environmental threats that data centres present.
European cloud services: Big Tech’s profits grow thanks to public sector contracts
The giants of Silicon Valley are taking in 70% of the profits generated by cloud computing in Europe. Despite the problems thrown up by GDPR, some of this money continues to flow through beefy public contracts.
Mobile operators and personal data in Europe
This article explores in more detail our research into how phone companies use customers’ personal data, with notes on the legal issues relating to European law.
How phone companies use our personal data
In the past, some telephone companies have become known for their unscrupulous use of customers’ personal data. While things have improved in Europe, it is important to know what we are agreeing to when we sign a new contract.
Russia wants your data: cyber attacks are growing in the European Union
The shadow of Russia has always loomed over the internet, but the pandemic, which moved citizen’s lives into the digital sphere, saw a rise in security breaches within European businesses and institutions. Cyber attacks against key European sectors doubled in 2020. Although Brussels is working to plug the gaps, the invasion of Ukraine threatens to intensify the cyber war.
Gigabits for some, but not for others
The cost of a good internet connection varies widely within the European Union, with countries around the Adriatic paying the most. Meanwhile, Romania, with a world-class network and competitive prices, is a case apart.
Europe’s internet speeds are faster than ever, but not for everyone
Over the last year and a half internet speeds in Europe have increased by more than fifty percent. Unfortunately, the gap between urban and more rural areas, and between north European countries and those in the south-east, has also grown.
Online privacy: the cookies’ attack
When you open a website, the question immediately pops up: what data do you want to share with the service provider? In the EU, on average, 50% of internet users refuse to allow their personal data to be used for advertising.
