The European Union has ordered TikTok to change its "addictive design" or face significant fines, while Google is facing pressure from its employees over its ties to US immigration enforcement, and YouTube revealed it generated over $60 billion in revenue in 2025. These developments come as parts of Europe and northern Africa are battered by Storm Leonardo, and reports indicate that many smart motorways in England are failing to deliver expected value.
The EU's decision regarding TikTok follows an investigation by the European Commission that began in February 2024. The Commission found that the video-sharing platform, owned by a Chinese company, did not adequately assess how features like autoplay could harm users, including children, and failed to implement measures to mitigate the risks. A TikTok spokesperson told the BBC that the findings presented a "categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform" and that the company planned to challenge them.
Meanwhile, nearly 900 Google employees published an open letter demanding more transparency over the company's technology use within the US government, specifically concerning immigration enforcement. Google has contracts to provide federal agencies with cloud services. A Google employee of seven years expressed his concern, finding it "mind-boggling" that the company was maintaining its ties.
In other tech news, Google revealed that YouTube generated over $60 billion in revenue in 2025, a figure that includes advertising revenue and paid subscriptions. This surpasses streaming rival Netflix's $45 billion revenue. Hanna Kahlert, a senior analyst at Midia Research, noted that while the announcement was significant, it was "perhaps not a surprising one," given YouTube's status as "almost infrastructural for digital natives."
Elsewhere, reports from National Highways indicated that many smart motorways in England are not delivering the value for money originally expected. Two schemes, including sections of the M25 and M6, were found to offer "very poor" value. The AA, representing motorists, described the schemes as a "catastrophic waste of time, money and effort."
Finally, Storm Leonardo continued to bring torrential rain and strong winds to the Iberian peninsula. Spain's state meteorological agency, Aemet, issued its highest red alert for heavy rainfall in Cádiz and parts of Málaga. Flash floods in Morocco forced over 100,000 people to evacuate.
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