Digital Omnibus – A Single Rulebook or a License to Trespass Fundamental Rights?

What is Digital Omnibus?

Digital policy lobbies across the European Union are buzzing with one word: Digital Omnibus, a proposal aimed at consolidating and simplifying the existing EU digital framework. The idea, according to the proposal’s advocates, is to reduce overlap in obligations and the compliance burden on businesses.

The Digital Omnibus is presented as a measure to simplify Europe’s complex digital rulebook. The aim is to streamline a wide array of Digital rules into a coherent, updated framework. It touches several key areas, including the GDPR, the AI Act, the Data Act, and cybersecurity reporting frameworks.

The Commission proposed the Digital Omnibus on 19 November 2025. The core idea behind pushing for the digital Omnibus is to eliminate red tape and boost EU competitiveness. Thirteen EU Member States have argued that tech companies in the EU face a higher degree of regulation and greater hassles than their counterparts across the Atlantic.

A Quick Look at What the Proposal Includes

Clarifying GDPR concepts such as pseudonymised vs non-personal data
Allowing limited use of sensitive data for detecting AI bias
Adjusting some obligations under the AI Act and delaying certain requirements
Creating a European Business Wallet for corporate digital identities
Merging various data laws into a more unified Data Act
Introducing a single entry point for cybersecurity incident reporting

These are framed as efficiency measures, cost-reduction initiatives, and efforts to make Europe more attractive to digital innovation.

Critics Warn: What Does Streamlining Actually Mean for Our Rights?

For policymakers looking at the issue from strictly a business perspective, the digital Omnibus is a proposal long overdue. But as with any sweeping reform, the details matter, and this is where the debate becomes intense.

This is where concerns sharpen, especially among civil society groups, privacy advocates, and parties committed to defending digital freedoms such as the European Pirates.

European Digital Rights (EDRI) and other Digital rights advocates warn that simplifying the rulebook will come with a quiet erosion of our rights that were hard-won over the past decade.

Key Concerns Raised Against the Digital Omnibus

1. Roll-Back of Digital Protection Laws

The Omnibus is seen as reopening and weakening major protections, including the GDPR, ePrivacy, and the AI Act. This is viewed as a blow to the decades of work on digital rights.

2. Weakening of ePrivacy Rules

According to EDRi, the proposal would shift some “device access” rules from ePrivacy into GDPR, reducing mandatory consent in some cases. It is feared that this could permit tracking on devices without users’ explicit approval.

3. Narrowing the Definition of “Personal Data”

A redefinition of personal data could give companies more leeway to process information. Critics argue that this redefinition could reduce transparency and control for individuals.

4. Undermining AI Accountability

According to TechPolicy.Press article, amendments that give AI providers too much discretion, including a loophole that allows them to opt out of certain “high-risk” obligations without publicly declaring it. Rights groups argue this removes a key transparency check, weakening the AI Act’s purpose of managing risk.

5. Privileging Business Over People

Supporters of digital rights strongly believe that these reforms will shift power toward companies, thereby reducing individuals’ leverage under data protection laws. Precisely, these reforms have corporate interests as their focal point rather than citizens’ rights.

6. Weak Democratic Process

The way Omnibus is being fast-tracked with limited consultation and impact assessment, EDRi and others argue that such sweeping changes deserve more thorough democratic scrutiny.

7. Risk to Minoritised and Vulnerable Groups

EDRi highlights that under the proposed changes, marginalised communities could face a higher risk of profiling or automated discrimination. Reduced oversight and transparency could make it harder to challenge unfair or biased automated decisions.

So, Where Does This Leave Us?

For the European Pirates, the question is not whether Europe should innovate, but how. Efficiency cannot come at the cost of loosening the protections that set the EU apart in the global digital landscape.

The Digital Omnibus, on the surface, may appear to be an effort to overcome the hurdles that impede the EU’s innovation and growth. However, the implications of this proposal have far-reaching consequences from a social perspective.

The debate around the Digital Omnibus is only beginning. What is at stake is the balance between modernising Europe’s digital framework and guarding the rights of the people who live within it.