AI: EU Member States Plan Digital Expropriation of Europeans for AI Companies
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| Source: Mastodon | Original article
EU member states consider a plan that would prioritize AI companies' profit interests over data protection, making personal data use for AI automatically lawful.
A draft circulated by the Irish Presidency – leaked to the press on Tuesday – urges EU member states to tilt data‑protection rules in favour of a handful of AI giants. The proposal would make the processing of “personal data in the context of AI” automatically lawful, effectively subordinating the GDPR’s core privacy guarantees to the commercial interests of firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta and SpaceX.
The document also calls for a drastic narrowing of the definition of “personal data”. By introducing a regime of “pseudonyms” that would regularly fall outside the GDPR’s scope, the draft could leave routine online tracking and other data‑intensive activities unregulated. Privacy activist Max Schrems described the move as a “digital expropriation” of Europeans, warning that it would place the profits of AI companies above citizens’ fundamental right to privacy.
If adopted, the changes would reshape the EU’s data‑protection architecture, weakening the legal shield that has long set the global standard for privacy. Companies would gain broader latitude to harvest and reuse personal information for training models, potentially accelerating AI development while eroding individual control over personal data. The shift also raises questions about the balance of power between Brussels, national governments and private tech firms.
The proposal now faces scrutiny from the European Commission, national data‑protection authorities and civil‑society groups. Watch for a formal response from the Commission, possible amendments in the Council, and legal challenges that could be brought before the European Court of Justice. The debate is likely to intensify as EU legislators weigh the economic allure of AI against the EU’s longstanding commitment to privacy.
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