Technology

William Fry lawyers John O'Connor, Rachel Hayes and Conor Forde look at new EDPB guidelines on the use of blockchain and their impact on the Web3 industry. On 14 April 2025, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) opened its public consultation on its guidelines for the processing of personal data

International law firm Addleshaw Goddard has again invited Irish tech businesses to apply for its AG Elevate accelerator programme. The international programme is designed to provide ambitious tech companies with the opportunity to secure a package of tailored legal advice to help them grow at scale

Google is facing a £25 billion legal claim in the UK over allegations it abused its dominant position in the online search advertising market. The tech giant is accused of making agreements with mobile device manufacturers to make Google Search the default search engine on devices, which has p

The High Court has paved the way for a class action lawsuit to be brought against Microsoft over advertising technology alleged to breach users' privacy rights. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) yesterday applied to the court for what it said would be Ireland's first-ever class action law

Microsoft is facing what has been described as Ireland's first class action lawsuit after the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) today launched proceedings in the High Court in Dublin. The legal action, brought under the new EU Collective Redress Directive, alleges that the "real-time bidding"

TikTok has been accused by the European Commission of breaching advertising transparency rules in the Digital Services Act (DSA). Following the launch of an investigation in February 2024, the Commission yesterday informed TikTok of its preliminary view that its advertisement repository falls short

A voluntary code of practice on disinformation is to be integrated into the framework of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) and used as a benchmark for determining platforms' compliance. The code, first published in 2018 and significantly strengthened in 2022, is to become a voluntary code of conduct

A group of former European leaders have called on the European Commission to pursue a "structural separation" of Google’s adtech business. A letter signed by 18 former European presidents and prime ministers who are members of Club de Madrid, the world's largest forum of former heads of state

The UK's Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into Google's search and search advertising services under a new digital markets regulation regime. The probe is one of two strategic market status (SMS) designation investigations which are intended to be the first prob

Microsoft is facing a £1 billion legal action amid claims it overcharged businesses for access to its products. The lawsuit, submitted to the Competition Appeal Tribunal, claims that Microsoft is punishing thousands of UK businesses and organisations that use rival cloud computing services fro

US government lawyers have asked a judge to order Google owner Alphabet to sell its Chrome web browser and potentially also its Android mobile operating system. The US Department of Justice has proposed the remedies to Judge Amit Mehta following his ruling in August, in which he declared that Google

The Law Society of Northern Ireland has urged firms to complete a survey on legal technology. The online survey, which will run until Friday 13 December, has been organised by the Law Society's law tech working group to help it design and deliver tailored solutions to drive efficiencies and business

A nearly €1.5 billion fine imposed on Google by the European Commission has been annulled by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The Commission imposed the fine, totalling €1.494 billion, on the search giant in 2019 after finding that it had abused its dominant position in t

TikTok has agreed to permanently withdraw an awards programme from EU countries after the European Commission said it "could be as toxic and addictive as cigarettes". The Commission announced in April that it had opened formal proceedings against TikTok under the Digital Services Act (DSA) in relati

Google has used unlawful anti-competitive practices to maintain its online search monopoly, a US court has found in a landmark ruling. A federal judge yesterday handed down a 286-page ruling in a case brought by the US Department of Justice and 11 state attorneys general four years ago.