Digital Omnibus Threatens EU Regulation

On November 19 the European Commission presented the Digital Omnibus proposal. As previously suspected (see our statement from November 13), these amendments to GDPR and the AI Act would result in a step-back in the development of its data and privacy policies and an unjustified and dangerous pause in the implementation of its AI regulation. The proposal confirms our deep concerns expressed earlier that the EU might succumb to the combination of political and lobbying pressure and abdicate its role as a world leader in setting directions for digitalization that can lead to a better future for humanity, de-facto aligning itself with the de-regulation campaign driven by the US and the big tech companies.

The Digital Omnibus justifies this step-back based on (1) the false myth that regulation is the main obstacle to innovation and (2) that rules must be weakened to unleash industrial growth. “Innovation” is not a neutral concept, and regulations can instead set the directions of innovation towards a better future. “Simplification”, used as a euphemism for weakening in the Digital Omnibus, can only lead to harms.

Sign our Petition

If you want to voice your NO to this step-back, please sign our petition .