In today’s Digest, we cover ITV and Disney’s new content-sharing deal, Meta’s GDPR violation ruling in Germany, and the EU’s progress on its AI code of practice.

ITV and Disney ink new content-sharing deal

ITV has struck a new partnership with Disney. From 16th July, Disney+ subscribers in the UK will gain access to select ITV content, while ITVX will feature a curated collection of Disney+ shows and movies. 

The agreement introduces cross-promotional “taster rails” of each other’s content. ITVX will host a rotating rail of Disney+ content titled ‘A Taste of Disney+’, while Disney+ will feature A Taste of  ITVX, which will showcase a refreshed lineup of ITV programming such as Mr Bates vs The Post Office and “selected series” of Love Island.

According to Joe Earley, President, Direct-to-Consumer at Disney Entertainment, “We are proud of this innovative collaboration with ITV, which will allow us to bring Disney+ customers some of the UK’s favorite and buzzworthy shows and encourage ITVX viewers to discover some of Disney+’s award-winning series and blockbuster films.” 

The partnership signals a strategic effort by both players to expand reach and increase engagement through curated content discovery.

Meta faces GDPR violation ruling in Germany

Meta has been ordered to pay €5,000 (£4,230) in damages to a Facebook user, following a German court ruling that the company’s use of tracking technology on third-party websites violates EU data privacy laws. The Regional Court of Leipzig ruled that Meta’s use of tracking pixels and software development kits across numerous websites and apps collects user data without consent, breaching the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The court found that Meta “massively violates” European data protection laws by using personal data to build user profiles for targeted advertising, a practice it says drives billions in revenue. It also determined that Meta can identify individuals across third-party sites and apps even without them being logged into Facebook or Instagram, a finding that raises serious legal concerns about the company’s tracking practices.

Experts warn the ruling opens the door to major legal action against any website or app deploying tracking technology.

EU pushes ahead with AI code of practice

The European Union has published its Code of Practice for general-purpose AI models, pressing ahead with implementation despite mounting pressure from tech giants and the US government. The code aims to provide clarity around obligations under the EU’s AI Act and is due to come into effect next month. It targets advanced systems such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Google’s Gemini, outlining requirements around copyright compliance and risk monitoring.

Developers signing the code must implement safeguards to prevent models from generating copyright-infringing content, and commit to post-release risk assessments, including independent evaluations of their most powerful systems. Some flexibility is permitted in defining and identifying such risks.

The EU’s tech chief, Henna Virkkunen, said the code was important “in making the most advanced AI models available in Europe not only innovative, but also safe and transparent”.

Tech groups will now have to decide whether to sign the code, and it still needs to be formally approved by the European Commission and member states.

Under the new code, AI providers must implement technical safeguards to prevent their models from generating content that infringes copyright. Signatories are also required to conduct risk testing in line with the EU AI Act and agree to ongoing post-deployment monitoring. For providers of the most advanced systems, this includes granting external evaluators access to their models. However, the code allows some discretion in how companies define and assess potential risks.