Europe is rolling back key protections in its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and delaying significant AI regulations under pressure from the tech industry and the US government. The European Commission's proposed changes aim to simplify rules that have been criticized as burdensome, particularly for smaller businesses. These adjustments include easing restrictions on sharing anonymized and pseudonymized personal data, allowing AI companies to use personal data for training models, provided they adhere to other GDPR standards. A notable change is the reduction of cookie consent pop-ups, with some non-risk cookies no longer requiring user consent. Users will gain more control through unified browser settings. The AI Act, which was set to tighten regulations for high-risk AI systems, will now allow a grace period until the necessary standards are confirmed as available. The proposals will move to the European Parliament and must receive approval from the 27 member states, a process that could take months and may lead to further modifications. The reaction to these changes is already intense, with civil rights advocates and some politicians expressing concern that the EU is weakening essential protections in response to lobbying from large tech companies. The pressure from industry leaders and former officials, including ex-Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, has influenced the Commission's narrative, framing these rollbacks as simplifications necessary for maintaining competitiveness in the global AI landscape, which is currently dominated by US and Chinese firms like Google and OpenAI.