Hasta La Gadget!

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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The US isn’t the only western country with an all-seeing digital eye… at least, according to Le Monde. The news outlet claims that France’s General Directorate for External Security has a PRISM-like system that captures and processes the metadata for “billions and billions” of communications, including internet messaging, phone calls, SMS and even faxes. The goal is ostensibly to track the behavior of terrorist cells, but the Directorate allegedly shares the anonymized information with other intelligence services, including the police. Whether or not residents can do much about the snooping, if real, is another matter. One source believes that it exists in a gray area, as French law reportedly doesn’t account for the possibility of storing personal data this way. We’re skeptical of claims that the Directorate can spy on “anyone, anytime,” especially without official commentary, but we’d suggest that locals be careful with their secrets all the same.

Dan Cooper contributed to this report.

Filed under: Internet

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Via: GigaOM

Source: Le Monde (translated)

Google has been under the gun in the EU for a while now about its privacy policies, particularly in France, which is fairly hardcore about such matters. In fact, the nation’s CNIL computer watchdog has just ordered Mountain View to change its practices or face an initial maximum fine of €150,000 (around $200,000), followed by a penalty of up to €300,000 for further non-compliance. Google has just three months to fall in line, and the French regulator’s ruling could just be the beginning; it investigated the search giant at the EU parliament’s behest, meaning nations like Italy, Spain and the UK could follow suit. For its part, Google — which is no doubt very sensitive to such matters at the moment thanks to the NSA saga — said it “respects European law” and will continue to work with French and EU authorities on the matter.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Reuters

Apple revised its warranty policy in Italy last year after being hit with a €900,000 fine for not complying with an EU-mandated two-year term, and it looks like those changes are now starting to spread further throughout Europe. The company has today revised the terms of its warranties in France, Germany and Belgium, specifying that customers are entitled to repairs and replacements of their Apple products for a full two years after purchase, and not just one as previously stated. No word yet on when the rest of the EU will see those changes, but it would now seem to be just a matter of time before other countries get the new terms as well.

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile, Apple

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Via: Electronista

Source: ZDNet, 9 to 5 Mac

A French bicyclist was able to use a hydrogen-powered rocket bike to reach a top speed of 163MPH.

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