noyb: EU states back no-consent AI data use

The Digital Omnibus Proposal was presented by the European Commission as adopting only minor simplifications for EU companies while explicitly maintaining a "high level of protection" for Europeans. Because the changes were intended to be minimal, a "fast-track procedure" was chosen — without any fundamental rights assessment and without directly involving the European expert group on data protection. The article notes that Ireland serves as the EU headquarters for the majority of the US and China's AI corporations, while the European Commission is said to have made a 180-degree turn and currently prioritises the interests of industry lobbies. The European Parliament's position remains mixed: most of the European People's Party tend to argue in favour of putting more loopholes in EU digital laws, centre-left Members of the European Parliament have so far pushed back, and increasingly far-right groups oppose a "free pass" for Big Tech. In the past, the European Court of Justice has struck down EU law in cases involving much less significant infringements of EU fundamental rights — such as data retention or the transfer of EU data to the United States — leaving the courts as noyb's stated last hope. Whether the proposal ultimately takes effect may hinge on that legal test, and for European users and EU-based companies, the outcome could determine how much control remains over data already held by large platforms.