A missed opportunity for enforcement: what the final GDPR Procedural Regulation could cost us
After years of debate, the GDPR Procedural Regulation has been finalised. Despite some improvements, the final text may entrench old problems and create new ones, undermining people’s rights and potentially opening the door to weakening the GDPR itself.
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A missed opportunity for enforcement: what the final GDPR Procedural Regulation could cost us
After years of debate, the GDPR Procedural Regulation has been finalised. Despite some improvements, the final text may entrench old problems and create new ones, undermining people’s rights and potentially opening the door to weakening the GDPR itself.
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Undermining the GDPR through ‘simplification’: EDRi pushes back against dangerous deregulation
EDRi has responded to the European Commission’s consultation on the GDPR ‘simplification’ proposal. The plan to remove documentation safeguards under Article 30(5) risks weakening security, legal certainty and rights enforcement, and opens the door to broader deregulation of the EU’s digital rulebook.
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Data flows and digital repression: Civil society urges EU to reassess Israel’s adequacy status
On 24 June 2025, EDRi, Access Now and other civil society organisations sent a second letter to the European Commission, urging it to reassess Israel’s data protection adequacy status under the GDPR. The letter outlines six categories of concerns linking Israel’s data practices to escalating human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank.
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Why the EU’s GDPR ‘simplification’ reforms could unravel hard-won protections
Since it came into force almost seven years ago, the European Union (EU)'s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has set the global standard for data protection. It empowers people to control their personal data while holding businesses accountable for how they collect, process, and store that data. One would imagine that all of the above would cement the GDPR, but this crucial law is being threatened by a push for profit at any cost.
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UK data adequacy under scrutiny: civil society warns EU not to reward deregulation disguised as ‘simplification’
Civil society organisations, including EDRi and EDRi members Open Rights Group and Privacy International, are urging the European Commission not to re-adopt the UK’s data adequacy decisions without meaningful reform. The UK’s rollback of protections under the guise of ‘simplification’ puts the level of protection required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) case law at risk and exposes the Commission’s decisions to legal challenge.
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Open Letter: Reopening the GDPR is a threat to rights, accountability, and the future of EU digital policy
121 civil society organisations, academics, companies and other experts, including EDRi, are concerned about the proposals to reopen the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). They are calling on the European Commission to protect people’s rights and dignity in a data-driven world by reaffirming the GDPR as the cornerstone of EU’s digital law and supporting its rigorous enforcement.
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Digital trade: the new frontline in the fight for our rights
The EU is signing digital trade deals that could undermine fundamental rights and block oversight of software systems shaping our lives. From data protection to algorithmic accountability, these agreements risk empowering opaque systems - used by both companies and governments - at the expense of the people most affected by them.
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Commission slams Apple and Meta for breaching the Digital Markets Act, doesn’t stick the landing with fines
The European Commission has shown some teeth with the EU’s digital rulebook by slamming tech giants Apple and Meta with fines, and an order to stop the infringing behaviour. While we commend the strong stance, we're concerned about whether the low fines will actually lead to change of behaviour from the tech giants.
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Panoptykon Foundation challenges the data retention regime in Poland: Telecom companies requested to delete activists’ data
EDRi member Panoptykon Foundation supports activists and attorney-at-law Artur Kula to demand that the four biggest telecom companies in Poland delete data stored for the purpose of law enforcement in the 12 months prior. They want to challenge the current unlawful data retention regime in Poland.
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When data never dies: How better GDPR enforcement could minimise hate and harm
Lax enforcement of the GDPR has had far-reaching consequences for many people and collectives in the EU, especially those most vulnerable. Through a story based on real life experiences of people, this blog highlights the gap between the GDPR’s promise of protection and its current reality of weak enforcement, and the opportunity EU lawmakers have with the ongoing GDPR Procedural Regulations to take bold steps to protect our data rights.
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The EDPB’s Rorschach Test: What the data protection body’s Opinion on AI training Means for GDPR Enforcement
In December 2024, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) released a much-awaited Opinion on AI model training. While the Opinion reaffirmed GDPR principles and underscored the need for robust safeguards, its ambiguities may leave room for regulatory evasion, reinforcing the ongoing struggle between data protection rules and commercial AI development wishes.
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12 civil society organisations tell delivery platforms it’s time to deliver answers on how they use algorithms to manage their workers
EDRi member Privacy International and more digital rights groups, together with trade unions, call out food delivery platforms for their algorithmic management of workers. In an open letter co-signed by 12 organisations, they make three clear recommendations for the platforms to improve.
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