Europe is scaling back its landmark privacy and AI laws

"After years of staring down the world's biggest tech companies and setting the bar for tough regulation worldwide, Europe has blinked. Under intense pressure from industry and the US government, Brussels is stripping protections from its flagship General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - including simplifying its infamous cookie permission pop-ups - and relaxing or delaying landmark AI rules in an effort to cut red tape and revive sluggish economic growth."

"The proposed overhaul won't land quietly in Brussels, and if the development of the GDPR and AI Act are anything to go by, a political and lobbying firestorm is on its way. The GDPR is a cornerstone of Europe's tech strategy and as close to sacred as a policy can be. Leaked drafts have already provoked outrage among civil rights groups and politicians, who have accused the Commission of weakening fundamental safeguards and bowing to pressure from Big Tech."

"The decision follows months of intense pressure from Big Tech and Donald Trump - as well as high-profile internal figures like ex-Italian prime minister and former head of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi - urging the bloc to weaken burdensome tech regulation. With very few exceptions, Europe doesn't have any credible competitors in the global AI race, which is dominated by US and Chinese companies like DeepSeek, Google, and OpenAI."

Brussels is stripping protections from the General Data Protection Regulation, simplifying cookie permission pop-ups and relaxing or delaying landmark AI rules to reduce red tape and stimulate economic growth. The proposed overhaul has sparked outrage among civil rights groups and politicians who say leaked drafts weaken fundamental safeguards and bow to Big Tech pressure. The decision follows sustained lobbying from Big Tech, pressure from the US government and figures such as Donald Trump and Mario Draghi urging regulatory easing. Europe lacks credible competitors in the global AI race, which remains dominated by US and Chinese companies like DeepSeek, Google, and OpenAI. A political and lobbying firestorm is likely.

Read at The Verge