I have mixed feelings about this one. While I was never too excited about some of the unintended consequences of GDPR. That said, I do see benefit of the EU being the world's regulator on these types of things. I don't have confidence that anyone else would do it if the EU didn't. Even for those of us that don't live in the EU (I am in the US myself), I do feel like the EU plays the role of keeping things in check for the rest of us even if we are directly impacted by their regulations.
Europe is scaling back GDPR and relaxing AI laws
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Re: Europe is scaling back GDPR and relaxing AI laws
#622Incredible to see the 180 both from EU and also from the HN sentiment. HN was cheering on as EU went after Big Tech companies, especially Meta. Meta is no perfect company, but the amount of 'please stick it to them' was strong (I reckon that is still a bridge too far for a lot of folks here). Even extreme proponents of big tech villanery in the US (Lina Khan's FTC) is also facing losses (They just lost their monument…
> What I really want to see is Meta getting irrelevant ON MERIT. People stop using Meta products, and then I want to see it die. But not by forcing the hand - that's bad for everyone, especially the enterpreuer / hacker types on this site
I honestly don’t get why so many people jump to the whole "we need the government to save us or we’re doomed" argument. To me, it's simple: put your money where your mouth is. I can’t stand Meta, so I just don’t use their products.
Re: Europe is scaling back GDPR and relaxing AI laws
#623Big mistake
Re: Europe is scaling back GDPR and relaxing AI laws
#624Earlier quoted context omitted.
There has been a change in the community here over the last decade, we've lost a lot of the hacker spirit and have a larger proportion of "chancers", people who are only in tech to "get rich quick". The legacy of ZIRP combined with The Social Network marketing.
As a hacker, I don't care about cookies or what the EU thinks about them. Disable them if you really care. Or at least use a browser that blocks 3P cookies (not Chrome).
people still insist on using a browser built by a company that makes money off of ads and act surprised when said company purposefully compromises their privacy and data on said browser.
Re: Europe is scaling back GDPR and relaxing AI laws
#625I sympathize with the startup argument: heavy compliance costs can stifle early innovation. But the solution shouldn’t be “weaker rules.” It should be smarter rules, clearer safe harbors for small actors, browser-level consent primitives for users, and stronger enforcement against dark-pattern CMPs. That keeps privacy meaningful without killing small businesses.
The real issue with regulation isn’t the rules themselves; it’s who ends up writing them. And it’s almost always one of two groups:
Politicians, who usually aren’t experts in the field.
Industry leaders, who have every incentive to make the rules tougher for everyone.
Re: Europe is scaling back GDPR and relaxing AI laws
#626Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, you do think “useCase.regulation” being a single dial. It’s a pretty reductive framework. I have an easier framework where in 90% of cases current law was already good enough and we don’t need to tweak that dial
The road to hell is paved with “good enough”.
It's a funny thing to say because the popular saying you're modifying says the exact opposite.
Re: Europe is scaling back GDPR and relaxing AI laws
#627Earlier quoted context omitted.
More regulation , or stronger regulation, as in less wiggle room for businesses, may be a good thing. Case in point: a regulation requiring to disclose the ingredients of food. Too many regulations is almost always a bad thing: numerous pieces of regulation rarely fit together seamlessly. It becomes easier to miss some obscure piece, or to encounter a contradiction, or to find a loophole. The cost of compliance also…
> The cost of compliance also grows, and that disproportionately favors big established players. Not true at all. Most of the harsher regulations only come into effect when the company hits a specific size. Examples from Australia (my country): - Online shops that operate overseas, and import to Australia have to collect sales tax... but only if they make more than $75,000 from Australia per annum. - Social media has…
> Most of the harsher regulations only come into effect when the company hits a specific size.
That’s very market and country specific. Spain makes more than 1k tweaks to it’s food regulations each year, which would kill lots of restaurants if they were to be in compliance.
The result is that everyone tries to make as much money as they can and build a “inspection fund”, because you’re guaranteed to get a fine if inspected.
Re: Europe is scaling back GDPR and relaxing AI laws
#628Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've stopped thinking of regulations as a single dial, where more regulations is bad or less regulations is bad. It entirely depends on what is being regulated and how. Some areas need more regulations, some areas need less. Some areas need altered regulation. Some areas have just the right regulations. Most regulations can be improved, some more than others.
I disagree with this otherwise seemingly reasonable position. Draghi's latest report pointed out that overregulation is a major problem in the EU and costs EU companies the equivalent of a 50% tariff (if I remember correctly). Of course, Draghi's report has led to nothing more than a few headlines.
>latest report pointed out that overregulation is a major problem in the EU and costs EU companies the equivalent of a 50% tariff (if I remember correctly). Of course.
Normally I'm against overrgulation, but when it comes to privacy more fine for big corp is need if ANY violation is found. Rather NOT have AI than compromise on privacy.
Re: Europe is scaling back GDPR and relaxing AI laws
#629I sympathize with the startup argument: heavy compliance costs can stifle early innovation. But the solution shouldn’t be “weaker rules.” It should be smarter rules, clearer safe harbors for small actors, browser-level consent primitives for users, and stronger enforcement against dark-pattern CMPs. That keeps privacy meaningful without killing small businesses.
The real issue with regulation isn’t the rules themselves; it’s who ends up writing them. And it’s almost always one of two groups: Politicians, who usually aren’t experts in the field. Industry leaders, who have every incentive to make the rules tougher for everyone.
Small company and business should be treated differently than big corp. And the fine and punishment should be adjusted accordingly.
Re: Europe is scaling back GDPR and relaxing AI laws
#630> The EU folds under Big Tech’s pressure. This is a very odd framing, because the actual reason from quotes in the article is that the EU is acutely feeling the pain of having no big tech companies , due in part to burdensome privacy regulations. The pressure isn't really from big tech, it's from feeling poor and setting themselves up as irrelevant consumers of an economy permeated by AI.
>acutely feeling the pain of having no big tech companies
That's good, there should be no big tech companies like FAANG at all. These monstrosities wield to much power and need to be brought in line.