Europe has long been a global leader when it comes to regulating Big Tech, but it is now considering making changes that would weaken its landmark privacy legislation, the General Data Protection Regulation, also known as GDPR.

In a move designed to unlock access to data essential to AI across the region, the European Commission on Wednesday published proposals for a «digital simplification strategy.» These proposals include rolling back some GDPR protections, including simplifying cookie permission pop-ups and delaying the introduction of AI regulation.

Europe introduced the GDPR in 2018. It was designed to give European citizens more knowledge, control and power over who was able to access and use their personal data. The regulation went on to inform the development of similar laws elsewhere in the world, including privacy legislation in California.

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The EU was ahead of the curve when it came to regulating technology, but at the same time no serious competitors have emerged from within Europe to rival the AI companies out of the US and China. The bloc has been under pressure from American technology companies and the Trump administration to lessen the regulatory burdens they face in the region.

In the US, the White House has been pushing hard for unfettered development of artificial intelligence technologies. Over the summer it unveiled a national AI Action Plan, which among other things called for the removal of red tape and «onerous regulation.»

In a press release, the executive vice president of the European Commission for technological sovereignty, Henna Virkkunen, called the proposed changes to the GDPR «a face-lift with targeted amendments…that reflect how technology has evolved.» The aim of the measures, she added, is to encourage AI development.

An «attack» on European rights?

As the Commission noted in its proposal on Wednesday, member states consider the GDPR to be an effective and balanced piece of legislation. It’s framing the proposed changes as being a way to «harmonise, clarify and simplify» the application of the regulation.

European privacy campaigners see it differently. «This is the biggest attack on European’s digital rights in years,» said Austrian privacy campaigner Max Schrems, who is best known for taking legal action against Meta (aka Facebook) over privacy violations. «When the Commission states that it ‘maintains the highest standards’, it clearly is incorrect. It proposes to undermine these standards.»

Some campaigners are worried that the proposed changes to GDPR are a sign that the EU is kowtowing to Big Tech. It’s unlikely that the changes would allow Europe to begin challenging the dominance of the US and China when it comes to AI, said Johnny Ryan, director of the Enforce unit at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

«Today’s proposal from European Commission to revise the GDPR will entrench the dominance of US and Chinese digital giants, and harm European startups and [small to medium businesses],» he said. «Europe’s problem is not that it has too many rules for data and AI, but that it hypes those rules and then neglects to enforce them.»

According to Schrems, the proposed reform of the GDPR seems primarily designed to remove obstacles that could prevent AI companies from using personal data for AI.

«Artificial intelligence may be one of the most impactful and dangerous technologies for our democracy and society,» he said. «Nevertheless, the narrative of an ‘AI race’ has led politicians to even throw protections out of the window that should have exactly protected us from having all our data go into a big opaque algorithm.»

Food delivery is becoming increasingly popular, but here’s the delivery of bad news for users of one popular company. DoorDash confirmed that it suffered a recent data breach. According to the company, the accessed information includes customer names, phone numbers, email addresses and physical addresses, but «no sensitive information» was obtained. 

It’s unclear when exactly the breach occurred, but DoorDash released its statement on the incident on Nov. 13. 

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How did the data breach occur?

DoorDash stated that an employee with the company «was recently targeted in a social engineering scam.» Information on delivery drivers and customers was exposed.
After discovering the scam, the company’s response team removed access from the unauthorized party and reported the incident to law enforcement. DoorDash has since «implemented additional training and awareness for our employees around various social engineering scams,» the company says.

Is my credit card information at risk?

According to DoorDash, the criminals didn’t access bank or payment card information, but they did get customer names, phone numbers, email addresses and physical addresses. 

DoorDash also stated that the company improved its security systems to prevent a similar breach from occurring in the future. 

I use DoorDash: What should I do?

The criminals don’t have your bank info, but might have your personal information. Be cautious of messages that may attempt to defraud you using those details.

«It is always a good idea to be cautious of unsolicited communications that ask for your personal information or refer you to a web page asking for personal information, and avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from suspicious emails,» DoorDash said in its post.

Watch out for social-engineering scams

There’s something else we can learn from the DoorDash breach. While we don’t have a lot of details on how the employee was approached, the company says the person was targeted with social engineering. That could mean anything from the criminal pretending to be an IT person for the company, or a coworker needing information, to someone sending a malicious link disguised as something useful.

Stay alert to these scams. Look for red flags, such as strangers who claim they need information immediately, a link that doesn’t match the expected URL and people contacting you on social media channels they don’t typically use. Choose strong passwords and never share them.

Read more: The Scariest Online Threats in 2025, and How to Protect Your Privacy

Are data breaches common?

As you probably know if you’ve ever received a breach letter from a business, they’re not uncommon in our digital world. CNET previously reported that in 2024, companies had 3,158 data compromises. 

To end the year, Microsoft assembled Earth’s mightiest heroes in a fight against Annihilus in Marvel Comic Invasion. The comic-book style beat ’em up game is a Day 1 release when it launches on Dec. 1.

Xbox Game Pass offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device, with prices starting at $10 a month. While all Game Pass tiers offer you a library of games, Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month) gives you access to the most games, as well as Day 1 games, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, added monthly.

Here are all the games subscribers can play on Game Pass soon. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in November, including The Outer Worlds 2.

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Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault (game preview)

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 19.

The Moonlighter series returns, letting players go on an adventure while also tending to their own stores. Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is a roguelike action RPG, and players step into the role of Will, an adventurer who splits his time exploring different dimensions to find rare loot that he can sell in his shop. 

Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 19.

Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo casts you as Kulebra, a dead but kindhearted snake who wakes up in a dreamy, Latin-flavored afterlife where souls are trapped in a never-ending day. You’ll sleuth and sneak your way through Limbo, talking to each quirky spirit, scouring for clues and using a trusty notebook to piece together their stories. 

Revenge of the Savage Planet

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 19.

In Revenge of the Savage Planet, you’re dumped on the fringes of space after being one of the first to get laid off by your ridiculous, profit-obsessed employer. The mission is to explore alien worlds, poke at every weird rock and grab every upgrade you can to survive. Do all that right, and you can get your revenge on the former employer who abandoned you and head back to Earth. 

Monsters are Coming! Rock and Road

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 20.

Monsters Are Coming! Rock and Road puts you in charge of a mobile city that travels across dangerous terrain while monsters close in. You collect materials, set up defenses and upgrade your skills to keep the convoy moving in this tower-survivor rogue-lite on wheels. Constant movement and steady enemy waves collide, forcing careful upgrades and defense planning to keep the convoy moving toward the Ark.

The Crew Motorfest

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 20.

The Crew Motorfest is a massive car culture festival spanning the Hawaiian islands, featuring races, stunts and open-world driving challenges. The game features more than 700 vehicles, including cars, bikes, boats and planes, letting you pick how you want to explore the islands. Now in its third year of free updates, Motorfest adds new locations, customization options, a race creator tool and NASCAR content.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 25.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is an action RPG that pulls players into a dark, immersive world where life and death collide. Players navigate intense combat, explore mysterious environments and uncover a story filled with love, loss, and difficult choices. Every decision shapes the journey, forcing you to weigh sacrifices against survival as you uncover the truth behind the ghostly threats.

Kill It With Fire 2 

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 25.

Kill It With Fire 2 expands the bug-busting chaos with a full co-op campaign where players track spiders through different eras and strange worlds. The game adds new tools, new settings and plenty of destruction as you hunt down every last arachnid in the multiverse. It also introduces a Spider Hunt mode that lets players switch sides and play as the creature they once chased.

Marvel Comic Invasion

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Dec. 1.

The Annihilation Wave threatens the galaxy, and the world’s great heroes need to work together to stop Annihilation. The arcade-style brawler features 15 Marvel Comics heroes, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America and Venom. Play solo or play with friends online or locally with couch co-op. 

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Dec. 2

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage follows a group of friends during the summer of 1995 as they film their adventures and build a bond that seems unbreakable. Those memories resurface nearly three decades later when they reunite to face the secret that ended their friendship. The story blends nostalgia with mystery as the group works through what happened and why it changed everything.

Games leaving Game Pass on Nov. 30

While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass, it’s also removing three others from the service on Nov. 30. So you still have some time to finish your campaign and any side quests before you have to buy these games separately.

Barbie Project Friendship

Lords of the Fallen

Octopath Traveler 

Octopath Traveler II

SteamWorld Build 

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now and check out our hands-on review of the gaming service. You can also learn about recent changes to the Game Pass service.