TikTok fined €345m for GDPR breaches, EU investigates Chinese EV subsidies

Irish regulators have fined TikTok €345m (£296m) for violating children’s privacy. The complaint concerned how the social media app handled children’s data in 2020 – particularly around age verification and privacy settings. It is the biggest fine to date TikTok has received from regulators. A spokesperson for the social media firm said it “respectfully disagree[s] with the decision, particularly the level of the fine imposed”…The fine was issued by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy law. 

Cyber attacks on self-driving cars risk causing “mass casualties”, MPs have warned, as the Government considers whether to allow autonomous vehicles on Britain’s roads. MPs on the transport committee said there was a “delicate balance to be struck” between embracing innovation and keeping the public safe as driverless cars take to UK’s streets. In a report on the potential of the new technology, MPs said self-driving vehicles may ultimately prove to be better and safer drivers than humans but warned “this is not a given”. Telegraph 

A major row is brewing between China and the EU over plans which could result in tariffs being placed on the likes of BYD. Car Dealer reported earlier this week that the EU is planning an ‘anti-subsidy investigation’ in a bid to help European manufacturers compete with their Chinese counterparts. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said that cut-price Asian brands, which benefit from major state support in China, have kicked off a ‘race to the bottom’ which is ‘distorting’ European markets. Car Dealer

Google will pay $93m to settle accusations of misleading consumers on how and when their location information was being tracked and stored, a considerable payout for the tech giant that following a years-long investigation into its data practices. The settlement stems from a lawsuit brought by the California attorney general, Rob Bonta, that concluded the company misled consumers into believing they had more control over their location information than they actually did. Guardian 

Octopus Energy has vowed to end the era of expensive and “ugly” heat pumps with a new “Cosy” range that works as well as a gas boiler. The gas and electricity supplier has said it will roll out the new devices by December, with claims some households will receive them for free once government grants are taken into account. Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus, said the heat pumps will be able to produce hot water at the same temperature as gas boilers, meaning households would not require new pipes and radiators. Telegraph 

Drivers have been warned not to rely on sat-navs for the speed limit on residential roads in Wales when it is reduced to 20mph from 30mph on Sunday. Some GPS firms say map updates might not be immediate when Wales becomes the first UK nation to adopt 20mph (32km/h) in built-up areas. The RAC said motorists should follow road signs for the speed limit. “Until sat-nav systems have been fully updated, they shouldn’t rely on them to know what the speed limit is on any particular stretch of Welsh road,” said Simon Williams, of the RAC. BBC

NASA is taking “concrete action” to explore the potential threat of UFOs following the release of a landmark report into the phenomena. The agency’s administrator, Bill Nelson, said it was time to “shift the conversation from sensationalist to science”, having received the recommendations of an independent panel tasked with looking into years of sightings. While the 16-team panel stressed there is “no reason to conclude” that any sightings have been alien in origin, their report warned any mysterious flying objects were a “self-evident” threat to American airspace. Sky News