The European Commission is preparing to reform the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to ease the burden on companies developing artificial intelligence. According to Politico, these amendments will be part of the "Digital Omnibus" package set to be presented on November 19.
Despite official statements regarding "technical corrections," documents obtained by the publication indicate substantial changes, including allowing AI companies to process sensitive data such as political opinions, religious beliefs, or health status. Additionally, changes are planned for the definitions of personal and "special" categories of data, and cookie banner regulations will become more flexible, enabling websites to track users without separate consent.
Experts warn that this could represent the most significant revision to GDPR since its enactment in 2016. Jan Philipp Albrecht, the regulation's author, called the initiative a "blow to European data protection standards." Max Schrems, founder of the Noyb organization, claimed that the Commission is "secretly circumventing the legislative process" and warned about negative repercussions for civil rights.
This proposal has already divided EU member states. Estonia, France, Austria, and Slovenia oppose the changes, while Germany supports loosening the rules to encourage innovation. Heated debates are also expected in the European Parliament between advocates of AI development and privacy defenders.