EU abandons eprivacy and AI responsibility reforms as the bloc focuses on AI’s competitiveness
Long stagnant bids to strengthen European Union regulations on online tracking technology and penalize scaffolds similar to block data protection frameworks GDPRwas withdrawn by the committee after co-scholars failed to reach an agreement on the plan.
The original proposal to update the ePrivacy directive and turn it into a full-fledged PAN-EU regulation dates back to 2017. So writing is on the wall for quite some time. However, the effort was officially dead as of Wednesday – the committee has included its Eprivecy regulations on its list of legislative initiatives that have been withdrawn via it. 2025 Work Programas a reason: “There is no foreseeable agreement.”
The EU also stated, “This proposal is outdated considering recent legislation in both technology and legislative landscapes.”
As the official title of the document reads, the move to withdraw “things on “regulation proposals and respect for personal life and protection of personal data in electronic communications” is surprising given the efforts have stagnated for years. Not that. Files attracted Intense lobbying Business is the scope of both tech giants and telecom operators.
Returning to 2021Documents not sealed through US antitrust lawsuits suggest that Google’s attempts to lobby the files included attempts to mobilize other tech giants. It was done. a Politico Report Since 2020, the name Amazon has also been involved in efforts to undermine support among EU co-scholars for the proposal.
The advantage of the behavioral advertising business model, which relies on web user tracking and profiling to attract attention, has raised commercial stakes for reform of the EU EPRIVACY regulations.
Even that Potentially given legal teeth to truck If the efforts of lawmakers in this direction win. The eprivacy regulations could have overturned the script and made online privacy more convenient for European consumers.
Still, the committee’s proposal to replace the eprivacy directive with modernized regulations has now been withdrawn, but the block’s existing eprivacy rules remain in effect. It is noteworthy that in recent years some tech giants have faced sanctions for the administration’s violations.
For example, both Google and Amazon face fines that violate the cookie consent rules. French data protection agency CNIL hit Google with a penalty of around $120 million December 2020 Approximately $170 million fine January 2022 Because we were unable to obtain proper consent to drop tracking cookies. Amazon has also been fined by CNIL for its cookie consent of approximately $42 million. End of 2020. Includes others facing penalties Facebook (also known as meta) Tiktok.
Dr. Lukasz Olejnik, independent researcher and consultant, discussing the end of the Eprivacy regulations proposal Policy area tracked Over the years, he told TechCrunch: Writing was on the wall long ago. This was a slow motion funeral. ”
Orezhnik believes he has been caught up in a time when the proposal to reach a compromise between legislators and the council is not likely to reach. GDPR suggests a surge in scremoning expansion of privacy rules, as BLOC passed its flagship updates to data protection rules.
“The fear of the unfair GDPR has killed it, and the current climate against hostility towards regulations is not a good time to edit data protection-related files.
Similar analysis was given to sources within the committee. “(Committee Vivienne) reding and (Neely) Close should have done GDPR together with Eprivsy…the momentum was lost when everyone was exhausted at the end of the GDPR negotiations,” they said on condition of anonymity. Ta.
Our sources also suggested that the original proposal was not well thought out, dubbing it as “a relic of an era when only carriers were available.” “The flaw is that carriers and large-scale surveillance technology are completely different beasts (…) If GDPR doesn’t tame billionaires, why is there Eprivesy? The question is, Model, market power, and Police efforts In Kill E2EE (End-to-end encryption). ”
So, what’s next for regulating online tracking in the EU? There could be more uncertainty and more wiggling room for the evolution of the approach that technicians claim to be sitting outside the increasingly dated Eprivacy rulebook.
“New technology will be developed and used, and we will be leaving the radar,” Oreznik said. “The GDPR can’t cover it all. There are also limitations to the need to reinterpret the old ePrivacy directive. Therefore, we need to expect interpretation and guidance from the ECJ (European Court of Justice) that will build a legal acquisition. There is.
EU’s 2025 Work Plan Priorities
Meanwhile, the committee has had a lot of high-tech-centric legislative work since it was busy this year. Leadership reboot. It also switches gears to the foreground with a clear goal of fostering economic growth. Supporting innovation like AI It appears to be more closely aligned with private sector interests.
In particular, the list of legislative proposals to be withdrawn AI Responsibility Orderaims to update safety regulations for EU products to cover AI and automation. In this regard, the EU said, “There is no foreseeable agreement. The committee will assess whether another proposal should be submitted or whether another type of approach should be chosen.”
the 2025 Work ProgramMeanwhile, the Innovation Act aims to support startups, scale-ups and “innovative companies” to simplify rules and “work towards the 28th Legal Affairs Department, and to support investment and operations. It includes the plan: the regime (i.e., not 27 different things for each EU member state).
The committee says the reforms “hopefully simplify applicable rules and reduce the costs of failure, including related aspects of corporate law, bankruptcy, labor and tax law.”
Cloud and AI Development Acts are also planned, and the committee hopes to increase access to data to accelerate homemade AI.
There is also the AI Continent Action Plan and the application of AI strategies, dealing with efforts to marshall resources and skills under the EU’s existing AI factory scheme.
Another focus is improving biotechnology. The EU writes that “we want to use European life sciences to drive innovation to break barriers to biotechnology, pool resources and regulatory, and make the most of our data potential.
It will boost artificial intelligence and deployment. ”
Support for large-capacity digital infrastructure is also part of the plan, with the Digital Networks Act stating that the EU will “create opportunities for cross-border network operations and service delivery, increasing industry competitiveness and improving spectrum adjustments “He says.
The work programme also lists EU quantum strategies that will follow quantum actions targeting the EU as a “critical” strategic sector. “This strategy will contribute to researching and developing quantum technologies and building unique capabilities to produce devices and systems based on them,” he said.
Space law is also on the slate, with efforts to better protect the undersea communications infrastructure. Accidents or sabotageit appears that the risk of submarine cables in the region is increasing.
When it comes to consumer protection, the EU 2025 work plan will provide thinner picking.
The committee said that the upcoming Consumer Agenda 2025-2030 “includes new action plans for consumers in the single market, ensuring a balanced approach to protecting consumers without burdening excessive companies in the deficit I will.” However, the phrase suggests that its priorities are skewed towards business interests in driving economic growth. Consumer interests are “balanced” against its comprehensive order.
On the topic of online disinformation/misinformation hot buttons, the EU repeats that the “shield of democracy” comes. The initiative “spiring to tackle the evolving nature of democracy and the threat to election processes.”