Press Release: Commission’s Digital Omnibus is a major rollback of EU digital protections
Today the European Commission has published two Digital Omnibus proposals, reopening the EU’s core protections against harm in the digital age. This step risks dismantling the rules-based system that was hard-won over decades, endangering the very foundation of human rights and tech policy in the EU.
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Press Release: Commission’s Digital Omnibus is a major rollback of EU digital protections
Today the European Commission has published two Digital Omnibus proposals, reopening the EU’s core protections against harm in the digital age. This step risks dismantling the rules-based system that was hard-won over decades, endangering the very foundation of human rights and tech policy in the EU.
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Why the Digital Omnibus puts GDPR and ePrivacy at risk
On 19 November, the European Commission has published two Omnibus proposals: one that rewrites key parts of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ePrivacy rules, along with other data-related laws, and another that amends the AI Act. This article focuses on the first proposal. It explains how the changes would weaken core rights to data protection and the confidentiality of communications, and why the combined effect risks reshaping long-standing safeguards for people in the EU.
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EU adopts Digital Trade Agreement with Singapore despite warnings: a setback for digital rights and democratic oversight
The European Parliament has approved the EU–Singapore Digital Trade Agreement, rejecting a motion to seek a Court of Justice opinion on its legality. This decision weakens the Union’s capacity to safeguard privacy, data protection, and accountability over software systems, at a time when deregulation pressures are increasing across Europe.
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Budget cuts incapacitate Austrian DPA: NGOs complaint to the EU Commission
Despite its growing responsibilities, the Austrian Data Protection Authority continues to be impaired by budget cuts. epicenter.works and noyb are filing a complaint with the European Commission about Austria not fulfilling its obligations of sufficiently funding its data protection authority and leaving millions of Austrians to deal with consequences of limited access to the fundamental right to data protection.
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Open Letter: The EU weakens the rules that safeguard people and the environment
470 civil society society organisations, trade unions and public interest groups are making it clear to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Commissioners and EU Member States that our rights, planet, health and justice are not for sale. They call on EU lawmakers to protect and promote the rights enshrined in the EU Charter and international human rights law, instead of endangering them.
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EDRi warns against GDPR ‘simplification’ at EU Commission dialogue
On 16 July 2025, EDRi participated in the European Commission’s GDPR Implementation Dialogue. We defended the GDPR as a cornerstone of the EU’s digital rulebook and opposed further attempts to weaken it under the banner of ‘simplification’. The discussion was more divided than the official summary suggests.
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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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