Simonetta Vezzoso

RE: https://fosstodon.org/@libreoffice/116713216967899472

"Euro-Office defaults to the fully proprietary OOXML document format, developed and controlled solely by Microsoft" 🧐

"Verbot von Meta Smart Glasses möglich" https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/smart-glasses-verbot-100.html go for it

"Apertus is not about competing with frontier models from private companies, but about providing trustworthy, transparent AI that organizations big and small can build upon with confidence” https://ai.ethz.ch/news-and-events/ai-center-news/2026/07/apertus-15-building-the-next-generation-of-open-ai-infrastructure.html

EU app store challenger suing Google in the US 🍿https://share.google/uiHe4hSDHmbsx7XwV (see also Ep. 1 https://youtu.be/gDpOVo7seOo?is=xDbOneNZ1gNXbB2o )

Mastodon and Eurosky talking to each other...

The Ritual: new Apple product, old DMA tantrum https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/06/due-to-dma-siri-ai-delayed-in-eu-for-ios-27-and-ipados-27/

Good to see Ribera recognise civil society’s role here! But the way I see it, civil society is not opposed to dialogue per se, why should it be? It is opposed to Big Tech using it as a strategic lever to shape EU competition policy. https://youtu.be/H_UGM4MXhXo?is=F0-sKmk89_gBJLU8

"...take relevant benefits of a merger on the longer term more into account, as long as they were more than “wishful thinking...provide sufficient evidence or at least probability of those benefits,”" good for US buyers? https://www.ft.com/content/f968e064-27d6-4bd0-b394-6ccd73406fa9

""These people are serious. They really care about small businesses,” said Kelly, adding: “They get shit done.”" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/25/zohran-mamdani-small-business-policies?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Do we Europens deserve this kind of embarassment? Surely, Siemens CEO is much better qualified than Incitatus, still... https://www.euractiv.com/news/commission-wont-detail-bias-safeguards-for-ai-envoy-pick/

"The report also noted an increase in children's use of messaging platforms and online gaming" https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/most-australian-teens-still-social-media-three-months-after-under-16-ban-began-2026-07-31/

When “Modern” Isn’t the Much Needed Paradigm Shift https://competitionwave.blogspot.com/2026/07/modern-economic-analysis-and-antitrust.html

Interesting interview with Ecosia’s CEO on several fronts. Made clear: Ecosia would probably no longer exist without the DMA & Co. https://youtu.be/yrFku_y8WT0?is=npKw60XKnoJOwWA0

Ribera-Mazzucato Duetto https://www.youtube.com/live/6BMB2CfQBfo?si=-wUXd4Jmak9TFWkF !

A (new?) topic on my competition policy syllabus: National security considerations in
competition enforcement https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/06/national-security-considerations-in-competition-enforcement_06204c23/1330d48b-en.pdf

"the CMA has dropped a previous proposal that the report should initially be undertaken by an independent auditor. It has also refused suggestions that Google’s ‘crawlers’...should be separated to ensure compliance" https://www.foxglove.org.uk/2026/06/03/press-release-uk-regulator-says-google-must-give-journalists-opt-out-from-ai-theft-following-foxglove-complaint/

"Sites that opt out will not receive traffic or impressions from our generative AI features. This control will not be used as a ranking signal for search results outside of these generative AI Search feature" https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/new-controls-website-owners/

"AI Overviews : les patrons de la presse quotidienne organisent leur riposte face à Google" - Comment interpréter le silence de l’Adlc ? https://www.lalettre.fr/fr/medias_presse-ecrite/2026/07/31/ai-overviews--les-patrons-de-la-presse-quotidienne-organisent-leur-riposte-face-a-google%2C110854869-art?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Lina Khan on AI and More https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/lina-khan-on-ai-and-more

"Eine gemeinsame Klage gegen Google erleichtere auch kleineren Unternehmen den Zugang zu rechtlichen Schritten. LitFin trägt die Prozesskosten auch im Fall eines Scheiterns" https://www.heise.de/news/Europaeische-Verleger-verklagen-Google-auf-640-Millionen-Euro-11320610.html

""We live in an attention economy,” the lobbyist added. “When an official is on stage or at a breakfast, they are not at their desk reviewing policy proposals from others.”" brutally honest 😂 https://www.euractiv.com/news/pay-to-play-in-brussels-how-media-events-became-the-new-lobbying-frontier/

"mandatory "non-price" criteria for public tenders, including ​requirements for software and hardware developed within the EU, which would disadvantage U.S. Big Tech." https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/eu-cloud-rules-curb-amazon-google-access-strategic-tenders-draft-document-shows-2026-06-01/

Google search publisher conduct requirement https://www.gov.uk/find-digital-markets-measures/google-search-publisher-conduct-requirement

"users of agentic AI tools are discovering that the underlying model is a small piece of the puzzle, and the real value lives in their own data, context, and accumulated knowledge, all of which can live in files and databases they control" https://www.liberalism.org/p/enshittification-despotification-and-the-open-internet

"Britain's Foundem pursued one claim from the start, which Google said on Tuesday it has now settled. The terms of the settlement are confidential, a Google spokesperson said. Foundem did ‌not respond ⁠to requests for comment" https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/google-rivals-line-up-seeking-damages-after-record-1-billion-fine-2026-07-28/

""You can agree or disagree, you say whatever you want, but this is our legislation,” she told our colleague Camille Gijs last night, fresh from a meeting with U.S. officials in Washington" https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/brussels-playbook/last-commissioner-standing/

"Objet d’un consensus déclaratif dans les capitales, la logique de consolidation des marchés ne se traduit pas toujours politiquement quand le sort d’entreprises nationales est en jeu," https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/07/27/en-fusionnant-tim-et-poste-italiane-l-italie-batit-un-geant-souverain-des-telecoms-au-detriment-de-la-consolidation-europeenne-du-secteur_6734011_3234.html?lmd_medium=al&lmd_campaign=envoye-par-appli&lmd_creation=ios&lmd_source=default

EU consumers and businesses paying for Trump ballroom 😉? "A company has a problem. An antitrust review..The problem is large...Then the company writes a check for the ballroom" https://x.com/gothburz/status/2062935184379412806?s=46&t=U5sTwBdSSyqEtXimboE0MA

"Nothing on the cases in Europe under the Digital Markets Act, its loss on its app stores, the European AI Overviews investigation or the UK regulatory actions" https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/google-reports-record-earnings-as-publishers-suffer-regulators-dither/

"Beginning Sunday, a 37-person Commission team will get sweeping new powers to police the world’s biggest AI companies" https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/brussels-playbook/inside-the-eus-crisis-room/

"der Anwendungsbereich
der Transaktionswertschwelle wird...auf Zusammenschlüsse erweitert, bei denen das Zielunternehmen noch nicht in Deutschland tätig ist, aber mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit künftig auf Märkten in Deutschland tätig sein wird" https://www.bundeswirtschaftsministerium.de/Redaktion/DE/Downloads/Gesetz/2026/20260529-entwurf-eines-zwoelften-gesetzes-zur-aenderung-des-gesetzes-gegen-wettbewerbsbeschraenkungen.pdf

What is a European cloud provider? The Commission knows...https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_833 (one with Google Cloud as partner 🤔) 

Made in
America,
Hidden
by AI

https://law-and-economy.law.columbia.edu/sites/law-and-economy.law.columbia.edu/files/content/Made%20in%20America%2C%20Hidden%20by%20AI.pdf

"A smarter Siri could collect new tolls at the on-ramp to AI" https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/apples-plan-for-ai-dominance-rests-on-fixing-its-much-maligned-chatbot-9f2309cb?st=YyRTEa&reflink=article_copyURL_share A déjà vu? Is the DMA the last one (wobbling but still) standing?

"The cooling-off period is 60 days. I've been warming up for six years" genius, sadly on X https://x.com/gothburz/status/2044853950604550355?s=46&t=U5sTwBdSSyqEtXimboE0MA

"The Spanish foreign office said Madrid has supported all EU restrictive measures on Russia" me too :) - whenever I spot Russian holidaymakers (love the language, their culture, etc.) enjoying Italy, it doesn't feel right, sorry https://share.google/3ezWWvROxGIncaQlJ

"In the long term, shared governance is essential; not only regulators, but also affected developers, users, and civil society should have a voice in how platform governance is designed, monitored, and enforced" 💥 https://www.techpolicy.press/google-android-antitrust-ruling-shows-the-next-battle-is-over-who-controls-trust/

"When they make the movie of how OWA opened up the web, obviously, I will be played by probably George Clooney. Who will play you?" https://vivaldi.com/blog/alex-moore-open-web-advocacy-for-a-better-web/

A Draghi/Letta Special Envoy for AI...Writing his Report - How smart is this?

"...l’Autorité de la concurrence réclamait..de la transparence sur « les conditions de visibilité » au sein des réponses des assistants d’IA, soulignant l’importance de leur « caractère non discriminatoire » ou de l’affichage d’une pluralité de sources" https://www.lemonde.fr/article-offert/2b84721d3dea-6731068/comment-les-sites-tentent-de-s-adapter-a-la-recherche-par-ia-susceptible-de-changer-l-economie-du-web?lmd_medium=al&lmd_campaign=envoye-par-appli&lmd_creation=ios&lmd_source=default

""Facebook Marketplace has been a hit that has kept people — especially younger users — interested in Facebook. A third of the young adults who use Facebook each day also use Marketplace, Mr. Alison said" https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/technology/meta-facebook-marketplace-seller.html

"NameTag sits inside a Meta AI companion app that's been downloaded over 50 million times and is necessary for use of key features of its smart glasses, including Ray-Ban and Oakley models" https://www.wired.com/story/meta-smart-glasses-face-recognition-nametag-connections/

Commission approves Paramount's acquisition of Warner, subject to conditions https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_1663

""If this first deal is built on an opt-out system and incomplete data, that weaker standard could be imported into Brussels – the seat of the European Commission – and used to argue there’s no need for tougher rules"" https://digiday.com/media/googles-ai-opt-out-leaves-publishers-with-a-choice-they-cant-safely-use/ #ThePlanActually

"a commitment to find solutions for citizens unfairly excluded from payment services due to extra-territorial sanctions that Europe does not recognise" https://www.linkedin.com/posts/damian-boeselager_one-step-closer-to-the-digital-euro-share-7469669047249334272-1H-D/?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAEPa1OYBoxLpJWyAh6XaCowPGRW4JlTE1Xw

"Web IQ provides search results designed for AI-agents, not humans. While Bing Search for humans prioritizes ranking, ranking is less important for agents..." https://searchengineland.com/microsoft-releases-web-iq-powered-by-bing-but-designed-for-how-ai-agents-search-479194

"Le collier en or du trésor de Vix, joyau de l’époque celte, dérobé dans un musée de Bourgogne" Après le Louvre, comment est-il possible ?!? https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2026/07/27/le-collier-en-or-du-tresor-de-vix-joyau-de-l-epoque-celte-derobe-dans-un-musee-de-bourgogne_6734183_3246.html?lmd_medium=al&lmd_campaign=envoye-par-appli&lmd_creation=ios&lmd_source=default