GCC Secretary General: Saudi Arabia Enjoys Global Stature in Digital Government Transformation

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.
Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.
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GCC Secretary General: Saudi Arabia Enjoys Global Stature in Digital Government Transformation

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.
Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said Saudi Arabia enjoys a global stature in digital government transformation, which is carried out in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

The Kingdom is making distinctive and purposeful efforts in this field, he said during a meeting with Governor of the Digital Government Authority Eng. Ahmed Mohammed Alsuwaiyan at the GCC General Secretariat in Riyadh.

The officials discussed several issues, including the Digital Government Award for GCC countries, which will be presented during the 5th Digital Government Forum hosted by Saudi Arabia in December. Albudaiwi was invited to attend the forum and participate in honoring the award winners.

Aspects of cooperation between the GCC General Secretariat and the Digital Government Authority in the field of digitalization were also explored. This includes strategic plans and initiatives aimed at boosting digital prosperity and addressing challenges to achieve growth and progress.

Albudaiwi praised the prominent role played by the Digital Government Authority in disseminating digital knowledge and exchanging experience.

He applauded the presentation made, which denotes the future aspirations and ambitions of the Kingdom, including carrying out digital transformation across all its ministries and institutions.



Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators

Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators
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Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators

Meta to Offer Less Personalized Ads in Europe to Appease Regulators

Meta Platforms plans to offer Instagram and Facebook users in Europe the option to receive "less personalized ads," the tech giant announced on Tuesday, in an effort to allay regulators' mounting concerns.

The Menlo Park, California-based company said it is implementing these changes in response to demands from EU regulators.

Over the coming weeks, people in the EU who use the company's social media platforms for free with ads, will be able to choose to see ads based on what Meta calls "context"- content that a user sees during a particular session on the platforms.

According to Reuters, these ads will also target users based on age, gender, and location, with some being unskippable for a few seconds.

Meta also plans to reduce the price of ad-free subscriptions by about 40% for European users.

This move comes as European regulators intensify efforts to curb Big Tech's power and level the playing field for smaller firms, including through the landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA) which came into force earlier this year.

The European Union law aims to make it easier for people to move between competing online services like social media platforms, internet browsers and app stores.

Last month, Europe's top court ruled that Meta must restrict the use of personal data harvested from Facebook for targeted advertising, supporting privacy activist Max Schrems.

The European Union did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The developments were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Earlier in November, Reuters reported that Apple is set to be fined by the European Union's antitrust regulators under the bloc's landmark rules aimed at managing Big Tech's influence, making it the first company to be sanctioned.