Welcome to ICYMI – a weekly snapshot of European news stories that have given me pause for thought. ICYMI is a chance for you to go beyond the front-page headlines and find out what other stories may be worthy of your attention. This week:
- Is the UK’s safety law hiding more than it helps?
- Why are Germans turning away from owning cars?
- Can France’s Mistral AI take on Silicon Valley?
UK Online Safety Act blocks more content than expected
The UK’s Online Safety Act came into force on 25 July with the aim of protecting under-18s from harmful content online including pornography, self-harm and violent material. Less than a month in and it is already sparking some unexpected consequences. Not least a 1,400% surge in VPN sign-ups.
According to The Register, around five million additional age checks are now triggered daily as users try to access age-restricted material. Ministers say personal data is only stored “when absolutely necessary,” but VPN usage has jumped sharply, suggesting that many users are finding creative ways to bypass the restrictions.
More surprising still, BBC Verify reports that platforms including X and Reddit are restricting access to public interest content, such as coverage of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and even UK parliamentary debates. The likely cause is over-blocking by platforms with limited moderation resources.
In seeking to make the internet safer for young people, the act is also filtering out material central to public discourse – something that policymakers and platforms will need to address with some urgency, or they could face accusations of censorship.
Decline in German car ownership marks cultural shift
Germany has long been synonymous with car ownership, from Volkswagen’s iconic Beetle to BMW and Audi’s engineering and Mercedes-Benz’s luxury heritage. Yet, that relationship appears to be shifting according to Business Insider.
Rising vehicle prices, particularly for electric models, are driving more consumers towards leasing and subscription services. This offers greater flexibility for drivers and allows manufacturers to earn more over a vehicle’s lifetime.
It also reflects a wider move from ownership to access, with cars increasingly treated as short-term products rather than long-term possessions to love and maintain.
Mistral AI targets $10bn valuation to rival US tech giants
AI company Mistral AI is preparing for its most ambitious move yet. As Le Figaro and Handelsblatt report, the Paris-based startup is currently in talks to raise a $1 billion funding round, which would give France’s answer to OpenAI a $10 billion valuation.
Following a €5.8 billion valuation and €600 million Series B last year, Mistral is now seeking new funding to expand its Le Chat chatbot, enhance its large language models, and build a major AI data centre campus near Paris in partnership with MGX, Nvidia, and French state financiers.
The company has positioned itself as a sovereign European alternative to US players like OpenAI, with revenues projected to exceed $100 million and multi-year contracts in sectors such as defence and shipping. Mistral’s infrastructure projects, such as “Mistral Compute,” aim to strengthen Europe’s homegrown AI capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign providers.
About the author
Bastian Meger is Director at Tyto and an experienced media strategist. He works with clients across a range of B2B tech sectors to shape PR and communication narratives that resonate across Europe and deliver lasting impact.