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Further thoughts on study regarding human dignity & data as an asset

Is “personal data” an asset? A study on human dignity & data protection has been released that on paper sounds like it should cover all the key topics. Its authors argue that individuals are “the primary right-holders in relation to the processing of their personal data” and that these “are dignity-relevant manifestations of the person […]

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Study on human dignity and limits to processing of personal data: first thoughts

Interesting study on where human dignity and data protection come together, worth the read. I’m not convinced by some parts, though, as there is too much room left for subjectivity in the way certain things are worded. The authors suggest 7 guiding principles, but of particular interest to me were their suggested 6 limits to […]

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Making the GDPR realistic? Authorities only want that in part

[This is a translation of an op-ed in French that was published in the French journal Revue Politique on SRB and the Digital Omnibus, plus the newest EDPB & EDPS Joint Opinion on the topic. The original in French can be found on the Revue Politique website. + The banner image is a jest – […]

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The Digital Omnibus and the future of PETs

What to expect from the EDPB and EDPS on 10 February re the Digital Omnibus on GDPR and ePrivacy? Today I had the privilege of attending an event organised by The Lisbon Council with a very select group of representatives of companies, industry associations, BEUC, the Commission and the EDPB. We discussed the Digital Omnibus […]

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Improving stakeholder engagement at the EDPB

Great to see the European Data Protection Board listening to feedback! For their next stakeholder event, the EDPB is giving time to people to register their interest in participating – and it might even consider making a distinction between active and passive participants (speakers vs observers). Don’t dismiss this one just because it’s about a […]

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IAB Europe case: Market Court narrows enforcement scope

IAB Europe & TCF case: Belgian Market Court confirms Belgian DPA went too far in seeking enforcement of full range of measures against IAB Europe. Pleased to see the judgment of the Market Court/MC of Wednesday 7 January 2026, which set aside the BDPA’s decision of January 2023 (through which it had validated IAB Europe’s […]

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Pseudonymisation & “means reasonably likely to be used” for identification: when does data become personal?

As I was in a meeting when the European Data Protection Board opened registration for its pseudonymisation stakeholder event of 12 December 2025, I missed the short (approx. 1h) registration window and they placed me on a waiting list instead – a pity given my frequent interventions on the EU Court of Justice’s SRB judgment […]

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Digital Omnibus and ePrivacy: complexity and regulatory gaps

Digital Omnibus & ePrivacy: good intentions but bad outcome. While I have praised the Commission’s attempt at GDPR-related pragmatism (though a good idea re special categories of data didn’t make it), I have remained silent on the ePrivacy front. There, the proposal is not good in my view. It would create an alternative to Art. […]

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Are privacy-enhancing technologies facing death by ePrivacy regulations?

Privacy-enhancing technologies: “death by ePrivacy”? PETs were on the agenda of the IAPP DPC24 in Brussels this week, but few talked about the dangers to PETs caused by evolving positions of regulators. PETs (for ads with less data, content-focussed analytics, etc.) are being worked on by companies of all backgrounds and sizes and touted as […]

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Unpacking the economic future of the GDPR at the EDPB stakeholder event

Some thoughts on today’s EDPB “Pay or Consent” stakeholder event – in practice one about the future of GDPR enforcement, consent, adtech and even the future of the Internet: – At times, things got heated in our breakout room between two camps, typically privacy rights campaigners + contextual ad solution providers on the one hand […]

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