For a long time, the EU has exerted strong influence in privacy, AI, and tech regulation – the Brussels effect. But deregulatory policies from the Trump Administration in the US have started to gain footing in the EU and elsewhere. Is there a Trump Effect? If so, how strong is it? Daniel Solove interviews Professor Anu Bradford (Columbia Law).
Unfortunately, the EU might be falling for the delusion that rolling back tech regulation will result in AI suddenly sprouting from its soil. It’s magical thinking that taking a few whacks at the GDPR and AI Act will somehow conjure up AI. I see it as more akin to pulling out your teeth with pliers in the hope the tooth fairy will slip AI under your pillow. From a recent NYT article:
In a significant shift, policymakers in Brussels are moving to scale back and simplify landmark rules for artificial intelligence and data privacy. Driven by growing concern that overregulation is stifling economic growth, officials and business leaders across the 27-nation bloc are questioning whether Europe’s digital rulebook has gone too far and left companies lagging the United States and China. The Trump administration has also criticized Europe’s regulations.
Quick rule of thumb: If the Trump Administration wants it, then glance over to the rubble of the White House and the smoking ashes of the U.S. government and maybe think a little bit more before embracing it.
My latest cartoon about how tech companies promote AI to regulators and to venture capitalists. It has always struck me as outrageous how tech companies so eagerly keep mentioning how their AI will eliminate jobs or potentially kill all humans. That’s not a normal way to ingratiate your technology to the world. I believe they do it to excite the venture capitalists and spark investment.
Unfortunately, touting AI as helping modestly with mundane tasks doesn’t inspire big money. Companies hype AI as powerful rather than as helpful. They think AI that takes over your work is better than AI that makes your work more efficient.
Professor Daniel J. Solove is a law professor at George Washington University Law School. Through his company, TeachPrivacy, he has created the largest library of computer-based privacy and data security training, with more than 180 courses.
Daniel Solove and Woodrow Hartzog discuss their article, The Great Scrape: The Clash Between Privacy and Scraping, 113 Cal. L. Rev. 1521 (2025). They argue that scraping, which is essential for AI, is inconsistent with nearly all core privacy principles in privacy laws. Is there a way to reconcile scraping and privacy?
Privacy and AI law haven’t been sitting still; there have been many new developments. Recently I had a discussion with Jodi Daniels (Red Clover Advisors) about what has been happening.
Here is an excerpt from the interview. Click here to view the full discussion.
My new cartoon about online scraping.
If you want to learn more about my thoughts on scraping, please download (free) my article with Professor Woodrow Hartzog, The Great Scrape: The Clash Between AI Scraping and Privacy, 113 California Law Review 1521 (2025).
Also, please tune in to my upcoming online discussion with Professor Hartzog: Is Online Scraping Legal? (Tues, Nov 11, 2 PM ET).
I’m very excited to share with you the final published version of my article with Professor Woodrow Hartzog, The Great Scrape: The Clash Between AI Scraping and Privacy, 113 California Law Review 1521 (2025). You can download the article for free on SSRN.
Today I’ve gathered some materials for teaching privacy law.
I have a video on Teaching Information Privacy Law. In this video (1 hour), eight law professors discuss our privacy law classes.
Daniel Solove (GW Law)
Anita Allen (Penn Law)
Lior Strahilevitz (Chicago Law)
Jolynn Dellinger (Duke Law)
Najarian Peters (Kansas Law)
Alicia Solow-Niederman (GW Law)
Margot Kaminski (Colorado Law)
William McGeveran (Minnesota Law)
Teaching children about privacy is crucial, as their futures will be intertwined with technology that uses personal data.
Unfortunately, many K-12 schools do not adequately address this topic.
I wrote The Eyemonger to introduce children to the topic of privacy. My goal is for this book to spark a series of discussions that help inform young minds. The book is for ages 7-12.
The Eyemonger is available at Amazon, Powells, and Walmart.
