- A European proposal to modify the GDPR and privacy laws is expected soon
- Anonymized data may no longer always be protected by such laws
- The EU has already blocked or delayed many AI developments
New documents viewed by political suggest that some European privacy laws, such as the GDPR, could soon be relaxed to boost European competitiveness and support innovation in AI.
A proposal, due on November 19, 2025, could reveal a new ‘digital omnibus’ package to simplify technology laws.
Such a change could allow AI developers to process some categories of data, such as political opinions, religion and health, for training purposes.
Europe could change the way AI trains with its data
political suggests that pseudonymised data (anonymized by removing personally identifiable information) might no longer always be protected by laws like GDPR, meaning it could be used in AI training.
Additionally, websites and apps may gain broader legal grounds for tracking users beyond consent.
However, these changes could be “specific” and technical, meaning that the basic principles of the GDPR would not be altered.
That said, the potential changes have already come under scrutiny: changing the GDPR, which is still a relatively new law and has been welcomed by the privacy-minded, would risk political scrutiny.
The architect of the GDPR, Jan Philipp Albrecht, warns that a change could “[undermine] European standards dramatically.”
“Is this the end of data protection and privacy as we have signed up for in the EU treaty and in the charter of fundamental rights?” Albrecht wrote.
The Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Austria and Slovenia have already opposed a rewrite of the GDPR.
Germany appears to support such a change, while Finland appears to welcome changes that benefit European AI competitiveness.
On a global scale, these protective measures have been predicted to hold back Europe amid the growth of the United States and China in terms of AI development. EU privacy regulators have already delayed or blocked a number of AI implementations by Meta, Google, OpenAI and others.
The European Commission has not yet publicly declared changes to the GDPR and/or other privacy rules, but expectations that this could happen in the coming days have started discussions on both sides of the coin.
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