noyb ranks MEPs on privacy: EPP worst, S&D, Greens and Left lead

What noyb analysed

The ranking is tied to the so-called Digital Omnibus, a reform package through which the European Union is changing core privacy laws. Officially, the package is meant to simplify rules for EU businesses while keeping the GDPR's "high level of protection". noyb argues that in practice lobby groups have taken over the process and persuaded the European Commission, many Member States and many MEPs to strip people of privacy rights, mostly to the benefit of Big Tech and AI companies.

According to noyb, the Commission's original proposal included plans to limit the scope of the GDPR so that not even online advertising would be covered, and a free pass for using personal data for AI without consent. The organisation says Member States have largely agreed to add these loopholes, which leaves the European Parliament as the remaining body able to prevent the GDPR from being undermined.

Because it is almost impossible for citizens and journalists to see what MEPs are actually doing, noyb sorted and graded the amendments for more or less privacy and also for simplification. The site lets users look up MEPs by country and political group.

Which groups score best and worst

noyb counted all changes that would have a positive or negative effect on privacy protections. It says almost all MEPs tabled amendments going in both directions, but that the overall tendency is clear.

• The EPP is, in noyb's assessment, fighting hardest against users' rights, with many amendments favouring Big Tech. This includes limiting the scope of privacy protections and proposing far-reaching exceptions for high-risk AI.
• The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) also performed poorly, and the Patriots scored better but still negative.
• The "Sovereigns" and Renew both have a score of zero, although some Renew MEPs stand out positively.
• Only S&D, the Left and the Greens have a clear positive overall score.

Renew dominates the ranking of most "pushback" against the Commission's proposals, with 5 of the top 10 MEPs in that category. The EPP holds 10 of the top 10 ranks for the most violations of the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, according to noyb.

Max Schrems, Chairman of noyb, said: "Overall, the European People's Party is clearly the worst for privacy protections and a gift to US big tech."

Simplification versus protection

noyb also looked for amendments that would simplify the GDPR without lowering privacy protections. It reports that the EPP holds 9 of the top 10 ranks for amendments that do the opposite: they lower protection while also making the law more complicated. The Greens, Left, Renew and S&D, by contrast, more often proposed amendments that combined simplification and privacy.

Schrems put it this way: "Interestingly, the liberal, centre-left and left parties were more successful in squaring privacy and simplification."

Method and what readers can do

The ranking counts positive amendments and subtracts negative ones, producing an overall positive or negative score. Unclear or neutral amendments are not counted, and the relevance of each amendment, whether a big or small change, is not taken into account. This means the scores reflect the number of amendments, not their weight.

noyb says there is still time to change course and urges people to contact their representatives in the Parliament. The gdpr-omnibus.eu site provides contact information and tips on what to say. The ranking is the work of an advocacy organisation with a clear position on the reform, so its grading reflects noyb's own assessment of what counts as more or less privacy.