Throwing your rights under the Omnibus: How the EU's reform agenda threatens to erase a decade of digital rights
Thomas Lohninger, Ralf Bendrath
39th Chaos Communication Congress (39C3): Power Cycles · Day 1 · Saal Zero
This talk, delivered by Thomas Lohninger of APE Center Works and Ralf Bendrath of the European Parliament, critically examines the European Union's ambitious "simplification agenda," particularly its "omnibus laws," which threaten to significantly weaken the digital rights framework painstakingly built over the past decade. The speakers argue that under the guise of enhancing competitiveness and reducing "red tape," the European Commission is proposing widespread deregulation that targets cornerstone legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. This initiative, they contend, is a politically driven attempt to dismantle progressive protections, lacking democratic mandate and potentially undermining the EU's global standing as a leader in digital regulation.