loosening GDPR for AI and cookie tracking in Europe

The European Commission is preparing sweeping revisions to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that could redefine how enterprises handle personal data from cookie tracking to AI model training in what privacy advocates warn could weaken the EU’s privacy framework. The draft would introduce Article 88a into the GDPR to cover the “processing of personal data on and from terminal equipment,” effectively moving cookie regulation from the ePrivacy Directive to the GDPR itself. Currently, Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive requires websites to obtain explicit consent before storing or accessing non-essential cookies on users’ devices. The Commission argued this has led to legal uncertainty and “higher compliance costs” due to overlapping oversight by national authorities. What is your take on European Union’s U-Turn ?