Amnesty International warns EU tech law reforms could weaken GDPR and AI Act protections
AI regulation changes, Amnesty International claims, could undermine safeguards against discrimination and surveillance.
Amnesty International has warned that proposed EU reforms presented as a way to simplify digital regulation and boost competitiveness could weaken core safeguards for privacy and fundamental rights.
At the centre of the concern is the European Commission’s ‘Digital Omnibus’ initiative, which would affect major pieces of legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation and the AI Act.
Amnesty and other civil society groups argue that the package risks reopening key protections in the EU’s digital rulebook under the banner of regulatory simplification.
Among the most controversial proposals are changes to how personal data is defined, along with exceptions that could make it easier for companies to retain or reuse data for AI systems. Critics say that such changes would weaken safeguards intended to limit excessive data collection and to preserve accountability in how personal information is processed.
Concerns also extend to the AI Act, where proposed adjustments could reduce obligations for high-risk systems. According to Amnesty, companies may be given greater discretion in how they assess and disclose risks, potentially lowering transparency and limiting external scrutiny.
Delays in implementation, the organisation argues, could also allow harmful systems to remain in use without full regulatory oversight.
The broader reform agenda may reach beyond privacy and AI rules. Future ‘fitness checks’ could also affect frameworks such as the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, raising wider concerns about whether the EU’s digital regulatory model is being softened in the name of competitiveness.
For critics, the cumulative risk is that the balance of the EU digital framework could begin to shift away from rights protection and public accountability, and towards greater corporate flexibility in areas linked to surveillance, discrimination, and market power.
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