Across the continent, digital rights advocates are tracking a troubling pattern: the European Commission is moving to strip back protections under the General Data Protection Regulation, framing the effort as a necessary simplification for business. The announcement last week of plans to ease GDPR compliance requirements, bundled within a broader Single Market Strategy aimed at dismantling existing EU legislation, has triggered alarm among civil society groups.
The push to lighten GDPR rules has drawn opposition from more than 110 organisations spanning civil society, labour unions, companies and technical experts, who jointly signed an open letter to the Commission expressing concern about the implications. The effort mirrors earlier deregulation moves that have already weakened environmental and human rights safeguards through two simplification omnibuses introduced earlier in 2025.
National developments in digital rights
Beyond Brussels, member states are charting their own problematic courses. Sweden is intensifying enforcement against sex workers through expanded criminalisation and surveillance measures, despite significant public opposition. Hungary's recent legislation banning Pride events while permitting facial recognition to track protesters has drawn scrutiny for breaching the EU AI Act framework.
Croatia is preparing its own national artificial intelligence law with support from EDRi member Politiscope. Meanwhile, Poland continues to grapple with a persistent case of alleged arbitrary content removal by Meta—a dispute that has now stretched across six years. The Digital Services Act promised to empower users against such practices, yet enforcement remains elusive, according to analysis from Panoptykon, an EDRi member organisation backing the legal challenge.
Source: EDRi (European Digital Rights)
