Technologies

Europe seeks alignment with US on tech issues ahead of first trade council meeting

Europe is trying to find common ground with the US on issues such as AI, competition and taxation, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Tuesday at a conference.

The US and Europe may soon be more in sync on tech issues, with the first meeting of the newly formed US-EU Trade & Technology Council due to take place Wednesday in Pittsburgh. In the run-up to the meeting, Margrethe Vestager, the European Competition Commissioner and VP of the EU’s digital project, expressed her hopes for the two powers to find alignment in areas including competition, AI and taxation.

Vestager, who spoke Tuesday at Vox’s Code Conference in Los Angeles, has garnered a reputation for being tough on big tech. That’s largely due to the hefty antitrust fines she’s handed out to tech giants, in particular Google and Amazon, as well as a major tax spat with Apple. Former US President Donald Trump viewed her as an enemy of both America and technology, but she professes to be a fan of both and sees a shared purpose with her current counterparts in the US.

Her «mission,» she said Tuesday at the conference, is «to make sure that technology serves us, not only as consumers but also as citizens.»

In many respects, Vestager’s reputation has also been shaped by the fact Europe has pushed ahead of the US in terms of regulating big tech. The most prominent example of that is the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation in 2018, which saw an overhaul of Europe’s privacy laws to make them better fit the digital age. One of the law’s hallmark features was meant to be steep fines for tech giants who misuse consumer data. The GDPR has been criticized for not resulting in enough large fines for big tech, as well as being the cause of the large number of privacy pop-ups in the browsers of European web users.

Vestager on Tuesday conceded that improvements were necessary in those regards, but she ultimately defended the legislation, pointing to the broader impact it’s had on the global conversation around citizen’s digital rights.

«The main success of GDPR, is that now privacy is a thing,» she said. «If we had not passed this kind of legislation, I think we would still be in the dark.»

Vestager also noted that since first working with the US, she’s observed a major shift in thinking on the part of lawmakers in the country about privacy. The US isn’t alone in this, she added. «It’s only a question of time before you see … real alignments between democracies on this planet — Europe, the US, India, Canada, Australia, Japan,» Vestager said. «Everyone is now coming on board.»

Seeking alignment with the US was a common thread running through Vestager’s session at Code, as she expressed her hope of finding common ground with her peers in Washington, DC. It’s no secret that Europe and the US struggled to work together during Trump’s presidency. Tensions over taxation caused the US to implement tariffs on a number of major goods exported by Europe as individual countries sought to tax big American tech companies on a more regional basis.

«There has been a complete turnaround with the change of administration, when it comes to saying, It’s important that you pay your taxes,» Vestager said. She added that she hoped that an international agreement was imminent, for corporate taxation and the distribution of taxing rights, «so that businesses pay taxes where they create their value.»

Equally, Vestager said she felt the US and EU were increasingly aligned on competition matters based on President Joe Biden’s July executive order. Biden’s plan for «Promoting Competition in the American Economy» ordered the Federal Trade Commission to bar unfair methods of competition on internet marketplaces. It also seeks to restore Obama-era net neutrality rules and calls for greater scrutiny of mergers, singling out «dominant internet platforms.»

«That kind of signaling is what is encouraging everyone who thinks that fair competition should be the rule in the marketplace,» Vestager said.

One additional priority area for Vestager to coordinate on with the US in Wednesday’s meeting is artificial intelligence. Consumers are most familiar with AI in the form of Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant and Apple’s Siri, but AI goes beyond smart assistants. It can be used to digitally impersonate real people in the form of deepfakes and spread disinformation, but it’s also expected to transform the way we live.

«In order for that enormous potential to be unleashed, we need to be able to trust it,» Vestager said. This often hasn’t been the case, due to the number of instances in which the technology has been shown to hold bias, she added. «We need to move forward in democracies to change that, because otherwise, artificial intelligence will be turned against us.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Aug. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Aug. 14

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword isn’t too tough, and it has some fun movie and TV references. Just remember that «poster» can mean a couple of different things — it’s not always that photo of Def Leppard hanging on the wall. Want help with today’s NYT Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Animals holding «Eat Mor Chikin» signs, in a classic ad campaign
Answer: COWS

5A clue: Suffix with Beatle or Wrestle
Answer: MANIA

6A clue: «Au revoir!»
Answer: ADIEU

7A clue: Ugly poster?
Answer: TROLL

8A clue: Be likely (to)
Answer: TEND

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Core group
Answer: CADRE

2D clue: Vegetable combined with celery and carrot to form «mirepoix»
Answer: ONION

3D clue: Handle, as a sword
Answer: WIELD

4D clue: «Better Call ___» («Breaking Bad» spinoff)
Answer: SAUL

5D clue: Damon of «Oppenheimer»
Answer: MATT

Technologies

The iPhone 17 Hasn’t Been Announced Yet, but There’s Already a Case for It

The new case makes a bold style statement, but there’s no official confirmation that it correctly reflects Apple’s upcoming phone.

One of the first cases for the iPhone 17 has made its appearance. Canadian tech accessory company Dbrand announced its Tank Case for the iPhone 17 is set to go on sale in September, the same month we’re expecting Apple to announce the eagerly awaited iPhone 17.

While we don’t know the price of the Tank Case yet, Dbrand has certainly made some striking design choices in the hard black shell case, including plenty of number codes, the Freemason Eye of Providence in what looks like a center designed for MagSafe connections and what appears to be Braille. Dbrand is light on details for now, but you can sign up with your email address to get notifications about the case.

A representative for Dbrand did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Patrick Holland, CNET managing editor and mobile guru, cautions that these early-announced phone designs don’t always end up making it to the release date. Holland saw that happen just last year, when some manufacturers were forced to push quick redesigns to make room for the iPhone 16’s surprise camera control button.

«It’s become a yearly tradition,» Holland said. «We see companies try to be the first out with a new case design for the latest iPhone, even though the phone hasn’t been announced by Apple.»

«For Dbrand, it’s unclear whether the Tank case is designed based on rumors, or if the company got an early look at the iPhone 17 series, or were given a dummy model,» Holland said. «The case does feature a full body width camera bump that has been heavily leaked for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. There’s one thing that’s for certain: Dbrand’s Tank case looks chunky and busy, especially for a sleek new iPhone.»

That’s why we’re also keeping a close eye on all the latest reports of iPhone 17 features, including rumors of a redesigned camera bump and a movable lens that could throw a curveball for third-party cases like this.

Social media buzz

Commenters on X shared a variety of opinions about the case. While one person wrote, «that case looks fire,» another wrote, «that case looks hideous.»

Commenters also wondered if the case design was revealing some previously unknown details about the iPhone 17.

«So the second button is basically confirmed?» one X commenter wrote. «Why would the case sport an area that looks pressable or ‘slideable’ otherwise?»

Another wrote, «Am I seeing that correctly? Three cameras on a base iPhone model finally.»

Others zeroed in on the idea that Apple likely does not want case manufacturers to reveal details about a phone before the company announces it, noting that Dbrand also unveiled a case for the Nintendo Switch 2 before that console came out.

«First the Switch 2, now the iPhone 17,» the one commenter wrote. «Yeahh, they’re never getting shit early to make cases anymore.»

Technologies

Apple Reportedly Planning AI Comeback, Complete With a Tabletop Robot

Home security cameras and a standalone smart display are also coming, the report says.

Apple wants a bigger place in your home, according to a report posted Wednesday from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. While you might think of Apple primarily because it provides your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook, AirPods and more, the tech giant reportedly hopes to use artificial intelligence to sell you a number of new smart home devices. Those devices may include a tabletop robot, home security cameras and a smart speaker with a screen.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tabletop robot

According to Bloomberg, it’s the tabletop robot, reportedly coming in 2027, that is the center of the plan. Bloomberg — and CNET — have reported on this plan before. At that time, the company reportedly had two concepts in mind: a robot that can move around the home, and a tabletop robotic device.

Now, Bloomberg says the robot «will feature a lifelike version of Siri and the ability to engage with users throughout the day.» It reportedly resembles an iPad mounted on a movable limb that can reposition itself to face you.

Former CNET senior editor Lisa Eadicicco wrote in 2024 that «perhaps the biggest challenge when it comes to a home robot is that the market is unproven.» We’ve all seen the robot maid Rosie on the old Jetsons cartoon, but do we really need or want a robotic helper in our homes?

Standalone smart display

Another item Apple is reportedly working on is essentially a smart speaker with a screen. Bloomberg calls this a «stripped-down version of the robot.»

It won’t have a robotic arm or conversational Siri, but it should be able to do such things as music playback, note taking, control home devices and video conferencing. Bloomberg says it will run a new operating system called Charismatic.

Home security cameras

Home security cameras are becoming more and more popular, and Apple wants to move into that realm as well. The company will make cameras that will anchor an Apple security system, the report says.