THE WRAP: Google's war on privacy, EC's regulation changes

Robert Clark | May 21, 2010

telecomseurope.net

Thumbnail:

This week European regulators got tough on Google and DRAM makers, while planning sweeping reforms for the mobile sector.

Google faced criminal prosecution after admitting its StreetView cars had collected 600GB of personal data from home Wi-Fi networks in Germany. Fresh probes are underway in Spain, France and the Czech Republic.

Privacy woes also hit Facebook, as a survey revealed almost 60% of users plan to quit the social networking site due to its complex privacy settings.

Telecom Italia faces a probe over claims it withheld information in a bidding war for managed services contracts worth a total of €1.54 billion.

Google conceded defeat to operators when it abandoned efforts to sell the Nexus One online.

In a busy week, Google also unveiled an internet TV platform and a Chrome app store, and paid $68 million (€54.4 million) for Global IP Solutions, which makes IP video chat technology.

France Telecom CEO Stephane Richard called on regulator Arcep to reassess his firm’s position in the domestic fixed-line broadband market, claiming it is no-longer the dominant player.

The EC called for an end to roaming charges within Europe by 2015, and fined Samsung, Infineon and others more than €320 million for fixing DRAM prices.

Orange forked out €282.1 million and SFR €300 million for the last blocks of 3G spectrum in France.

Vodafone wrote down the value of its Indian business by €2.6 billion in Q1, but still grew net profits almost 180% to €10 billion year-on-year.

Dell boosted earnings 52% in the first quarter as corporate spending recovered.

HP fended off competition from four other companies to purchase Palm, filings revealed.

YouTube average daily downloads topped 2 billion.

Adobe launched a version of Flash for smartphones.

A ten-year research effort by the WHO failed to find a clear link between mobile phone use and brain cancer.

China Unicom’s poor image is stymieing sales of the iPhone in China, according to a poll.

The UN banned its drivers from sending text messages while at the wheel.

And HP researchers outlined a plan to run data centers on cow gas.

Source:

telecomseurope.net