"The Digital Omnibus would pause the enforcement of regulations for high-risk AI systems under Article 6(2), such as biometric identification and categorisation, judicial decision-making or scoring or ranking job applicants, for up to 15 months – to 2 December 2027. While this part of Article 6 was supposed to apply from August 2026, this delay of up to 15 months would significantly extend gaps in transparency and accountability.

This delay is the result of intense lobbying from Big Tech and governments, including the U.S., Denmark and Germany. Tech companies claim they need more time to meet the requirements, but by the time requirements were supposed to kick in (2026), they would have known about them for more than two years. The delay would mean another year that AI systems posing a high risk to fundamental rights are allowed to operate without necessary regulation."

https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/omnibus/45571?

#EU #EC #DigitalOmnibus #AIAct #BigTech #AIRegulation #DataProtection #Privacy #DigitalRights

"The Digital Omnibus would pause the enforcement of regulations for high-risk AI systems under Article 6(2), such as biometric identification and categorisation, judicial decision-making or scoring or ranking job applicants, for up to 15 months – to 2 December 2027. While this part of Article 6 was supposed to apply from August 2026, this delay of up to 15 months would significantly extend gaps in transparency and accountability.

This delay is the result of intense lobbying from Big Tech and governments, including the U.S., Denmark and Germany. Tech companies claim they need more time to meet the requirements, but by the time requirements were supposed to kick in (2026), they would have known about them for more than two years. The delay would mean another year that AI systems posing a high risk to fundamental rights are allowed to operate without necessary regulation."

https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/omnibus/45571?

#EU #EC #DigitalOmnibus #AIAct #BigTech #AIRegulation #DataProtection #Privacy #DigitalRights

"European Digital Rights (EDRi), a pan-European network of NGOs, described the plans as “a major rollback of EU digital protections” that risked dismantling “the very foundations of human rights and tech policy in the EU”.

In particular, it said that changes to GDPR would allow “the unchecked use of people’s most intimate data for training AI systems” and that a wide range of exemptions proposed to online privacy rules would mean businesses would be able to read data on phones and browsers without asking.

European business groups welcomed the proposals but said they did not go far enough. A representative from the Computer and Communications Industry Association, whose members include Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, said: “Efforts to simplify digital and tech rules cannot stop here.” The CCIA urged “a more ambitious, all-encompassing review of the EU’s entire digital rulebook”.

Critics of the shake-up included the EU’s former commissioner for enterprise, Thierry Breton, who wrote in the Guardian that Europe should resist attempts to unravel its digital rulebook “under the pretext of simplification or remedying an alleged ‘anti-innovation’ bias. No one is fooled over the transatlantic origin of these attempts.”"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/19/european-commission-accused-of-massive-rollback-of-digital-protections

#EU #EC #DigitalOmnibus #GDPR #WebCookies #DataProtection #AI #AIAct

"European Digital Rights (EDRi), a pan-European network of NGOs, described the plans as “a major rollback of EU digital protections” that risked dismantling “the very foundations of human rights and tech policy in the EU”.

In particular, it said that changes to GDPR would allow “the unchecked use of people’s most intimate data for training AI systems” and that a wide range of exemptions proposed to online privacy rules would mean businesses would be able to read data on phones and browsers without asking.

European business groups welcomed the proposals but said they did not go far enough. A representative from the Computer and Communications Industry Association, whose members include Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, said: “Efforts to simplify digital and tech rules cannot stop here.” The CCIA urged “a more ambitious, all-encompassing review of the EU’s entire digital rulebook”.

Critics of the shake-up included the EU’s former commissioner for enterprise, Thierry Breton, who wrote in the Guardian that Europe should resist attempts to unravel its digital rulebook “under the pretext of simplification or remedying an alleged ‘anti-innovation’ bias. No one is fooled over the transatlantic origin of these attempts.”"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/19/european-commission-accused-of-massive-rollback-of-digital-protections

#EU #EC #DigitalOmnibus #GDPR #WebCookies #DataProtection #AI #AIAct

"On behalf of the Open Knowledge Foundation, I welcome today’s announcement by the European Commission on the creation of the Digital Commons European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (DC-EDIC). It is a hopeful moment for Europe, where the values of thousands of communities that have worked for years in a different way of doing and governing technology, openness, cooperation and democracy, are finally listened to. This is a milestone moment, finally translating years of ideas and words into concrete action. Europe is showing that technology can be built and governed differently: openly, collaboratively, and with people at its heart.

While DC-EDIC begins as a European effort, its vision will reach far beyond the continent. It is a model built for sharing that provides digital commons open by design, scalable, and reusable, which other countries and regions can adapt to their own challenges and needs. This commons-based approach places public value above proprietary control. It offers a powerful example of how we can collectively shape the digital future as a global public good."

https://blog.okfn.org/2025/10/30/we-celebrate-the-digital-commons-european-digital-infrastructure-consortium-a-model-built-for-sharing/

#EU #EC #DigitalCommons #DCEDIC #Commons

"On behalf of the Open Knowledge Foundation, I welcome today’s announcement by the European Commission on the creation of the Digital Commons European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (DC-EDIC). It is a hopeful moment for Europe, where the values of thousands of communities that have worked for years in a different way of doing and governing technology, openness, cooperation and democracy, are finally listened to. This is a milestone moment, finally translating years of ideas and words into concrete action. Europe is showing that technology can be built and governed differently: openly, collaboratively, and with people at its heart.

While DC-EDIC begins as a European effort, its vision will reach far beyond the continent. It is a model built for sharing that provides digital commons open by design, scalable, and reusable, which other countries and regions can adapt to their own challenges and needs. This commons-based approach places public value above proprietary control. It offers a powerful example of how we can collectively shape the digital future as a global public good."

https://blog.okfn.org/2025/10/30/we-celebrate-the-digital-commons-european-digital-infrastructure-consortium-a-model-built-for-sharing/

#EU #EC #DigitalCommons #DCEDIC #Commons

"Basel Adra, the Palestinian director of #NoOtherLand shared a photo of himself with Hathleen on X, writing, "My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening. He was standing in front of the community center in his village when a settler fired a bullet that pierced his chest and took his life. ‎This is how #Israel erases us - one life at a time.”

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinian-activist-who-worked-oscar-winning-no-other-land-killed-occcupied-west-bank?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Social_Traffic&utm_content=ap_xni9chnh4g

#MasaferYatta#WestBank#EU#EC#OccupiedPalestinianTerritories

"Basel Adra, the Palestinian director of #NoOtherLand shared a photo of himself with Hathleen on X, writing, "My dear friend Awdah was slaughtered this evening. He was standing in front of the community center in his village when a settler fired a bullet that pierced his chest and took his life. ‎This is how #Israel erases us - one life at a time.”

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinian-activist-who-worked-oscar-winning-no-other-land-killed-occcupied-west-bank?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Social_Traffic&utm_content=ap_xni9chnh4g

#MasaferYatta#WestBank#EU#EC#OccupiedPalestinianTerritories

Hello all! I'm at the #EC#DMA compliance workshop for #Apple. I'll be wrting some impressions while I'm here.

https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/events-poolpage/2025-apple-dma-compliance-workshop-2025-06-30_en

#DigitalMarketsAct#EU#EuropeanCommission

Hello all! I'm at the #EC#DMA compliance workshop for #Apple. I'll be wrting some impressions while I'm here.

https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/events-poolpage/2025-apple-dma-compliance-workshop-2025-06-30_en

#DigitalMarketsAct#EU#EuropeanCommission

This open letter is a response to #ProtectEU from 82 civil society organisations, scientists and researchers with expertise in human rights and technology.

They present their arguments and make two requests:

1. A meeting Henna Virkkunen ( #EC Commissioner for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy).
2. Seats at the Technology Roadmap table for academics, independent technologists, tech and human rights lawyers and civil society actors specialising in these issues.

https://edri.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Academics-technologists-and-other-experts-call-for-a-key-role-in-EU-Technology-Roadmap-on-encryption-5-May-2025.pdf

The #EuropeanCommission has published an "Impact Assessment on retention of data by service providers for criminal proceedings". It is open for comment until 18 June: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14680-Impact-assessment-on-retention-of-data-by-service-providers-for-criminal-proceedings-_en

This is a terrible proposal which will seriously weaken the fundamental #privacy rights of #European #citizens. Please take the time to read it and add your comments. You don't have to be an #EU citizen to comment.

#ec #politics #democracy #freedom