EU fines Apple and Meta for breaking Europe’s digital rules

In a landmark decision, the European Commission has ruled that tech giants Apple and Meta breached the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), fining them EUR 500 million and EUR 200 million respectively. In Meta’s case, the Commission found that the company’s “pay-or-consent” business model used between November 2023 and 2024, which forced EU users to pay for ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram, breached the DMA — echoing previous warnings by Access Now’s Chiara Manfredini that such models “turn privacy into a luxury good,” forcing people to “pay for what is inherently their right.” Read more via POLITICO

Dig deeper

READ: “Priced out of privacy”

To learn more about why so-called “pay or consent” models are so problematic, check out our latest report on the ongoing enforcement of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This highlights how such models, which force people to agree to intrusive and exploitative behavioral advertising, are incompatible with human rights. Read more via Access Now

Stepping up surveillance

Leaked: Palantir’s plan to help ICE deport people

From Clearview AI to Google, plenty of Big Tech companies appear eager to help the new U.S. administration implement its anti-immigration agenda. Among the willing is controversial AI company Palantir, which is stepping up its existing partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help the agency physically locate people marked for deportation. Leaked internal messages obtained by 404 Media, as well as a contract worth USD 30 million reviewed by Business Insider, show how the company will equip ICE with software for tracking visa overstays and self-deportations, among other functionalities. Read more via 404 Media

Stop silencing Palestine

Meta must end the systematic censorship of Palestinian content

Earlier this month, an investigation by Drop Site News revealed how Israeli authorities have pushed the company to systematically remove Facebook and Instagram content criticizing Israel or expressing support for Palestinians. Data shared by whistleblowers shows that, since October 7, 2023, Meta has complied with 94% of Israel’s takedown requests, resulting in more than 90,000 immediate content removals. This follows a longstanding pattern of systematic suppression and biased content moderation, warns Palestinian digital rights organization 7amleh, which has renewed calls for accountability and transparency. Read more via 7amleh

SURVEY: Experience of censorship on Meta platforms

In order to better track the sharp increase in censorship of pro-Palestinian content on Meta platforms, especially in Europe, 7amleh and the European Legal Support Center (ELSC) are gathering testimonies of people based in the EU who’ve experienced content takedowns, shadow banning, or account suspensions on either Instagram or Facebook. If you’ve experienced such digital rights violations, please take 10-15 minutes to fill out the survey. Read more via 7amleh and ELSC

Internet freedom isn't free

The impact of funding cuts on internet freedom in the Global Majority

The U.S. administration’s decision to drastically reduce foreign aid funding has significant repercussions for internet freedom worldwide, but new survey data from the Tech Global Institute (TGI) shows that the brunt of this negative impact is being borne by organizations in Global Majority countries. More than 70% of surveyed organizations have been forced to scale back programs, while more than half can no longer sustain grassroots community engagement. The indirect effects are no less damaging; “legal aid for persecuted journalists has dwindled, digital safety training for activists has been reduced, and critical network interference monitoring efforts have been abandoned.” Explore the data in detail, alongside the TGI’s recommendations for safeguarding decades of digital rights progress. Read more via TGI

ICYMI: How U.S. funding cuts expose civil society to digital attacks

As noted in the Tech Global Institute’s survey, one of the knock-on effects of funding cuts is an increase in digital security risks for civil society organizations. Catch up with our Digital Security Helpline’s analysis of the damage already being felt across the entire human rights ecosystem, and the increased dangers that human rights defenders, and the communities they defend, are facing as a result. Read more via Access Now

Digital danger at the border

How to protect yourself from phone searches at the U.S. border

In recent weeks, there have been multiple reports of travellers into the U.S. having their devices searched, with some individuals denied entry and deported as a result. WIRED has compiled a guide on how to safely cross the U.S. border with your smartphone, including tips from Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline Director, Mohammed Al-Maskati, who advises people travelling with their primary phone to clear out any apps that might expose them to risk. “I will look at my device and see what apps I need,” he said. “If I don’t need the app, I just remove it.” Check out the full guidance. Read more via WIRED

Opportunities and other highlights

TUNE IN: “Disconnected and silenced — the impact of internet shutdowns”

In the worst way possible, 2024 was yet another record-breaking year for global internet shutdowns. But what does that mean in practice for the people cut off from each other and from the world? Join Access Now’s Felicia Anthonio today, April 25, at 4pm East Africa time, for an X space organized by Digital Grassroots, to learn more about what’s at stake in the fight to stop shutdowns. Read more via Access Now

LAST CHANCE: RightsCon organizers’ survey

If you hosted a session during RightsCon 2025, whether in-person or online, today is the last chance to share your feedback with us, and help shape RightsCon 2026 and beyond. Please take a few minutes to fill out the short survey. Read more via Access Now

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