TL;DR:
- EU digital omnibus package proposal expected 19 November may ease GDPR and privacy laws
- Pseudonymized data could become available for AI training purposes under proposed changes
- Five EU member states already oppose GDPR rewrite, whilst debate centres on European AI competitiveness
Documents seen by Politico suggest some European privacy laws, including GDPR, could soon be eased to boost European competitiveness and support AI innovation, though the proposal has already garnered significant political scrutiny.
Proposed Changes to Data Processing
A proposal expected on 19 November 2025 could reveal a new ‘digital omnibus’ package to simplify tech laws. Such changes might allow AI developers to process some categories of data, including political views, religion, and health, for training purposes.
Politico suggests pseudonymized data—anonymized by removing personally identifiable information—could no longer always be protected by laws like GDPR, enabling its use in AI training. Furthermore, websites and apps may gain broader legal grounds for tracking users beyond explicit consent.
Core Principles Intended to Remain
According to the leaked documents, these changes could be “targeted” and technical, meaning core GDPR principles would not be altered. However, any modifications to GDPR—still a relatively new law welcomed by privacy advocates—risk substantial political scrutiny.
GDPR architect Jan Philipp Albrecht warned that changes could “[undermine] European standards dramatically,” questioning: “Is this the end of data protection and privacy as we have signed it into the EU treaty and fundamental rights charter?”
Member State Positions Divided
The Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Austria, and Slovenia have already voiced opposition to a GDPR rewrite. Germany appears supportive of such changes, whilst Finland seems to welcome modifications that benefit European AI competitiveness.
This division reflects tensions between maintaining privacy protections and addressing competitive pressures from the US and China in AI development.
Competitive Pressures
On a global scale, European protective measures have been criticised for holding Europe back amid AI growth by the US and China. EU privacy regulators have already delayed or blocked numerous AI rollouts by Meta, Google, OpenAI, and others.
The debate centres on whether Europe can maintain its leadership in privacy protection whilst simultaneously fostering competitive AI development—or whether these goals are fundamentally incompatible.
Awaiting Official Announcement
The European Commission has not yet publicly declared changes to GDPR and other privacy rules. However, expectations that this could happen in coming days have started discussions on both sides of the debate, with privacy advocates concerned about erosion of fundamental rights and industry advocates emphasising competitive necessity.
Source: TechRadar