Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: UK AI gets a taskforce; E& ups its stake in Vodafone; hospital wards get the virtual treatment.
Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: UK AI gets a taskforce; E& ups its stake in Vodafone; hospital wards get the virtual treatment.
The UK government has introduced legislation aimed at better protecting customers from the sometimes devious if not downright criminal ways of businesses both online and on the high street. Crucially, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Bill, if it becomes law, will give the UK's Competition and Markets Authority greater powers, not least the ability to fine those companies considered to have broken the law up to 10% of their global turnover. On the online side of things, the issues tackled will include fake product reviews and so-called "subscription traps," where companies make it very easy to sign up for free trials of a service but extremely difficult to sign out once the trial period is over. (Hello Amazon Prime!) Figure 1: 
(Source: Andrew Paterson/Alamy Stock Photo)
Also emanating from the UK's corridors of power is a plan for an "AI taskforce," a body responsible for "accelerating the UK's capability" in the emerging if controversial technology. The taskforce, which will receive £100 million (US$124 million) in startup funding, will take its cue from the UK's COVID-19 Vaccines Taskforce, the ruling Conservative Party's go-to Exhibit A when it needs to offer an example of something useful it has done during its 13 years in power. The AI taskforce's first pilots, which will target public services, are expected to launch within the next six months.
Emirates Telecommunications Group Co., which these days prefers to go by the frankly unpronounceable E&, has increased its stake in Vodafone to 14.6% (up from 14%) and started discussions with the UK-based mobile operator over the composition of its board, according to a Bloomberg report. Vodafone shares climbed 2% on the news in early London trading this morning.
BT is launching a "virtual ward" program that aims to allow clinicians to monitor patients at home or via community care settings, in theory freeing up hospital beds for those who need them most. The program is being delivered in partnership with a number of healthcare technology companies, such as Freebis, which touts an AI-powered virtual care platform. BT's technology incubator hub, Etc., has played a key role in setting up such partnerships. So all the National Health Service needs now is a few thousand extra flesh-and-blood doctors to interpret the data and it will be cooking on gas.
Dutch broadband and TV provider VodafoneZiggo has chosen software from Media Distillery to improve the user experience for its nearly 4 million video subscribers. The specific software in question, EPG Correction Distillery, makes it less likely that viewers will miss the start or end of their favourite programs by making linear TV watching more of an "OTT" experience.
A group of former Facebook moderators in Kenya is suing the social media platform's parent company, Meta, and two of its contractors for what it sees as unfair termination of its member's contracts. As this BBC report makes clear, the group is also aggrieved at what it sees as a lack of mental health support in its members' work, which involves them sifting through some of the most disturbing online "content" imaginable.
AtlasEdge, a pan-European data center operator, has secured a €725 million ($798 million) finance facility from a consortium of banks led by ING Bank. The company plans to use the money to carry out further mergers and acquisitions and to build new sites in Europe's key markets.
— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading
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