europe

European data stored in the "cloud" could be acquired and inspected by U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies, despite Europe's strong data protection laws, university researchers have suggested.

A research paper written by legal experts at the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Information Law and titled "Cloud Computing in Higher Education and Research Institutions and the USA Patriot Act" supports previous reports that the antiterror Patriot Act could theoretically be used by U.S. law enforcement to bypass strict European privacy laws to acquire citizen data within the European Union.

The Patriot Act, … Read more

PARIS -- It began with a meeting this week between two Finns from Angry Birds maker Rovio Mobile and Neelie Kroes, the vice president of the European Commission's digital agenda. It ended with a jumble of politicians trying to learn what they could do to make Europe more economically vital in the digital age.

"Please skip the next appointment. I need more time with these guys," Kroes told her staff, then called vice ministers and other officials into the meeting. "In three hours we had a list to do for ourselves, and also for getting inspiration. … Read more

Google is making Google Play's music and movies available in Europe later this month.

From November 13, owners of a Google TV set-top box or enabled television in the U.K., Germany and France will be able to download movies and music from the Google Play store, the company said in a Google+ post.

The movies and music -- previously only available in the U.S. -- won't, however, be available for download to other Google devices such as Nexus smartphones or tablets, but its availability is unlikely too be far behind.

Due to licensing restrictions by Hollywood … Read more

After a U.S. vs. European ratings snafu, "mature" games will now be allowed in Microsoft's European Windows 8 Store.

According to Gizmodo, the software giant announced today that it would reverse an earlier decision that banned all PEGI 18 games that also received a Mature rating from its European store.

The ban was instated when Microsoft outlined its Windows Store guidelines, which said that ESRB ratings of Adults Only would not be allowed in the U.S. and PEGI 18 ratings would be barred in Europe. The discrepancy between the two regions was based on different … Read more

Eleven European countries suffered major communications outages last year, according to a new report by the European Union's top cybersecurity agency.

The report, released today by the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), said that 11 EU member states reported 51 "severe outages" in their countries' communications networks and services during 2011.

The report said that 60 percent of the incidents affected cellular networks or mobile Internet, with the remainder involving services such as fixed phone and internet, messaging and e-mail.

According to ENISA, the main cause of the outages was hardware or software failure, which … Read more

Google may be offering European regulators a new carrot in its effort to sidestep an antitrust suit.

Under a new proposal, Google would label its own in-house services to distinguish them from those of third parties among its search results, according to the Financial Times. The offer is Google's latest attempt to placate European Union regulators who say the search giant is crowding out the rest of the market.

"People familiar" with the proposal told the FT that Google would tag its own maps, stock quotes, airline details, and other information to clearly identify them in its … Read more

You might not be a golf fan, and if that's true, you probably don't know that this weekend, the United States is facing off against Europe in the biennial Ryder Cup. You may not even know what the Ryder Cup is. But a hash tag in the sky might get your attention.

Regardless of your golf knowledge, a lot of people have been paying attention -- and enjoying the Americans' lead in the competition. But some European boosters are realizing that their heroes might need a little extra encouragement.

That's probably why attendees on hand in Medinah, … Read more

Today I bought some Calvin Klein socks that seemed pretty fancy: they're antibacterial and made of "rayon from bamboo."

But leave it to the Swiss to make a mockery of such humdrum foot coverings. Smarter Socks are high-tech socks with RFID buttons that can help you find a sock's mate, figure out how worn it is, and manage your sock inventory via an iPhone app.

Yes, you can manage your socks by logging on to your account and messing around with their RFID numbers. It's supposed to make your life simpler compared to messing around in your sock drawer. … Read more

We've seen many uses of machines in visual art, but few seem as promising as this configuration of dancing lights.

Just check out the amazing vid below, shot in Linz, Austria, at the Cloud in the Net festival.

Ars Electronica Futurelab managed to fly 50 synchronized quadrotors, effectively forming luminous pixels in the night sky. … Read more