The European Commission is planning to modify the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to ease the operations of companies developing artificial intelligence. According to Politico, these proposals will be included in the "Digital Omnibus" package to be presented on November 19.
Despite official statements about "technical adjustments," the documents obtained indicate significant changes, including allowing AI companies to process sensitive data such as political opinions, religion, or health status. Plans also include redefining personal and "special" categories of data, while cookie banner rules will be made more flexible, enabling websites to track users without separate consent.
Experts warn that this could represent the most significant overhaul of GDPR since it was adopted in 2016. The regulation's author, Jan Philipp Albrecht, described the initiative as a "blow to European data protection standards." Noyb founder Max Schrems stated that the Commission is "secretly bypassing the legislative process" and warned of negative consequences for civil rights.
The proposal has already divided EU member states. Estonia, France, Austria, and Slovenia oppose the changes, while Germany supports relaxing the rules to encourage innovation. Heated debates are also expected in the European Parliament between AI proponents and privacy advocates.