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European Union considers changes to GDPR and other privacy laws

The European Commission has proposed revisions to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other privacy-related rules as part of a broader law-making package known as the “Digital Omnibus.” The moves would alter how personal data rules apply in the European Union, including obligations on organisations that collect and process personal information.

 

Under current law, the GDPR sets out strict requirements for how companies must handle personal data, including consent, transparency, and data subject rights. It also includes protections for categories of data that reveal sensitive information about individuals. The regulation has applied across the EU and the European Economic Area since 2018, extending to organisations outside the EU in some circumstances when they process data of EU residents.

The Commission’s proposals aim to simplify and clarify elements of the GDPR and related digital law, according to official documents. Amendments would adjust compliance obligations for organisations, harmonise reporting requirements, and update legal bases for processing data in specific contexts. Proponents of the changes say they are intended to reduce administrative complexity and support innovation by making the regulatory framework easier for businesses to follow.

Draft texts of the reforms include provisions that would allow organisations developing artificial intelligence systems to process personal data under a “legitimate interest” legal basis, subject to safeguards, and introduce exemptions for some types of data processing used in research and technology development. Other changes would adjust transparency obligations, postpone implementation deadlines for parts of the AI Act, and reform consent mechanisms, including cookie consent processes for online tracking.

Critics, including civil society groups, privacy advocates, and some non-governmental organisations, have characterised the proposed changes as a weakening of established data protection norms. They argue that narrowing the definition of personal data, limiting the exercise of certain rights, or creating broader legal bases for data use could reduce individuals’ control over how their information is collected and shared. Some interest groups have described the package as a rollback of previously robust privacy safeguards.

Civil rights organisations and trade unions have publicly criticised aspects of the reforms, saying that they could undercut fundamental privacy protections and grant greater freedom to large technology companies to use personal data for purposes such as training artificial intelligence models. These concerns have been raised even as the Commission frames the revisions as targeted adjustments rather than fundamental changes to principles established in the GDPR.

Proposed changes also touch on the ePrivacy Regulation, which governs the confidentiality of electronic communications and user consent for cookies and similar tracking technologies. Discussions are underway in EU institutions about how elements of the ePrivacy regime would interact with the updated GDPR framework.

The Digital Omnibus package and related proposals require approval by the European Parliament and member state governments before they can enter into force. Lawmakers and regulators across the EU will debate the scope and impact of the reforms in the coming months, with the final content of the regulations still subject to negotiation.

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