Open Letter

The Amendment to Article 12, paragraph 5 GDPR in the Omnibus Proposal Undermines Evidence-Based Policymaking

To: European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the European Union

We, the undersigned researchers, write with urgent concern about the proposed GDPR Omnibus amendment to Article 12(5) proposed as part of Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) published on 19.11.2025. This seemingly technical change would make data donation research impossible. While access to platform data as set out in Art. 40 of the Digital Services Act (DSA) is on its way to become functional, data donations are one of the very few access modalities to study the impact of digital platforms in the European Union and beyond.

The proposed amendment allows controllers to refuse access requests based on Article 15 GDPR if “the data subject abuses the rights conferred by this regulation for purposes other than the protection of their data.”

This language directly threatens independent academic research using data donations. Data donations are a key method that require individuals to exercise their Article 15 rights to access their data and voluntarily donate it to researchers. Data donations are an essential access mechanism for studying the usage and effects of digital technologies and to assess systemic risks posed by digital platforms:

Thus, data donations are not just a prime example for participatory knowledge generation essential for democratic governance of digital ecosystems, they also empower European citizens through citizen science projects by informing them about and enabling them to make use of their rights as data subjects. The right to data access is one of the most visible examples for citizens on how European legislation benefits their user rights, strengthened through the work of the research community. 

Shifting the Default, Disabling Access

The proposed amendment would allow data controllers to deny data subjects their right of access, based on the argument that requests for research falls under “purposes other than data protection.” Even if this reasoning would be invalid, citizens would have to bear the burden of time-consuming complaints to under-resourced enforcement bodies or expensive legal challenges. Moreover, European researchers have been leading the development and use of data donations as a successful model of independent platform research—now followed by many countries—and restricting it would not only force them back into dependence on academia-industry relationships (e.g., Wagner, 2023), but also place them at a disadvantage compared to US researchers, who often gain platform data access through direct contacts.

Current data donation studies already face issues with platform-non compliance (Hase et al., 2024). Amending Art. 12(5) GDPR without making clear exemptions for academic research would further legitimise obstructive practices and make contestation of refusals for research projects impossible – effectively disabling data donation as a methodology by giving controllers veto power over research. Concerns about AI-driven spam requests can be met by proportionate technical measures to verify access for legitimate requests from citizens, and do not require amendments to the legal text.

Contradicting EU Online Safety and Research Policy

Finally, the suggested amendments contradict existing EU policies on both research priorities and data access. By lowering the likelihood of successful access requests, they close one important avenue for citizen science, a key part of the Code of Practice on citizen engagement for knowledge valorisation and European Research Area Policy Agenda 2025-2027. Also, while Art. 40 DSA grants researchers the right to access data from Very Large Online Platforms or Search Engines (VLOPSEs), Art. 15 GDPR applies to all data controllers. It thereby allows research on non-VLOPS and other forms of systemic risk not covered by Art. 34 DSA, such as consumer risks as well as general, fundamental research. Data donations have also been used to assess the quality of data received through the platform APIs (Entrena-Serrano et al., 2025). They thus not only serve an important role in risk assessment for non-VLOPs but also offer an alternative access mechanism essential for triangulation and validation.

Considering that the DSA’s data access provisions are still not fully developed (Seiling et al., 2025), this part of the GDPR Omnibus would eliminate this crucial access modality to platform data precisely when DSA implementation faces its greatest challenges.

Data Donation Research Must Be Protected

Data donation research puts power in the hands of citizens. It allows them to independently see what platforms know about them, contribute to public knowledge, and hold powerful corporations accountable. Often, it is research that makes platform data comprehensible for citizens (Welbers et al. 2024). It also enables research to fulfil an essential democratic function examining the digital ecosystem and providing relevant insights for evidence-based policy-making.

The GDPR Omnibus, as drafted, would transfer that power back to platforms, giving them legal grounds to refuse requests from citizens engaging in participatory research. 

This proposal directly threatens scientific freedom, democratic accountability, and the EU’s credibility as a global leader in digital rights. It may make it effectively impossible for Europeans to collectively understand the algorithmic systems shaping their lives, their children’s wellbeing, and their democracies.

Administrative efficiency cannot justify undermining democratic accountability and scientific freedom. True innovation thrives on transparency and evidence, not on shielding incumbents from scrutiny. This amendment would protect platform opacity at the expense of the research, policy insights, and informed citizenry that genuine European competitiveness requires.

We urge you to protect data donation research and to reject the proposed GDPR Omnibus amendment to Article 12(5).

Initial Signatories:

Anja Bechmann, Aarhus University, Denmark 
Claes de Vreese, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology, Australia 
Daniel Oberski, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Florian Keusch, University of Mannheim, Germany
Jakob Ohme, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany
Judith Möller, Leibniz Institute for Media Research & University of Hamburg, Germany
Laura Boeschoten, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Mario Haim, LMU Munich, Germany
Natali Helberger, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Theo Araujo, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Ulrike Klinger, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Valerie Hase, University of Klagenfurt, Austria
Wouter van Atteveldt, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Zoltan Kmetty, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary

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signed by:

Luca Carbond, KU Leuven, Belgium
Dr. Jan Hase, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany
Dietmar Kammerer, Weizenbaum-Institut, Germany
LK Seiling, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany
Rainer Rehak, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany
Kathrin Karsay, University of Vienna, Austria
Niek de Schipper, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Sebastian Berg, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany
Carlos Entrena Serrano, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Simon Karg, Aarhus University, Denmark
Adrian Meier, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
Jörg Haßler, LMU Munich, Germany
Franziska Marquart, Copenhagen University, Denmark
Adam Sefkovics, ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary
Árpád Knap, ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary
Douglas Parry, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
David Hartmann, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany
Manuel Menke, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Lucas da Silva, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Lion Wedel, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany
Angelica M. Maineri, Erasmus University Rotterdam (ODISSEI), The Netherlands
Charlotte Ducuing, KU Leuven, Belgium
Ines Boeckxstaens, KU Leuven, Belgium
Tim Groot Kormelink, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Thijs Carrière, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Elisa Omodei, Central European University, Austria
Anna Sára Ligeti, ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary
Anna Sophie Kümpel, LMU Munich, Germany
Simon Kruschinski, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Hilde Voorveld, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Ike Picone, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Jens Rupprecht, University of Mannheim, Germany
Leonie Manzke, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
Urbano Reviglio, European University Institute, Italy
Sebastian Stier, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Mareike Wieland, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Joanna Strycharz, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Jade Vrielink, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands
Tommi Marmo, Experimental Publishing, Piet Zwart Institute, The Netherlands
Katrin Weller, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Yangliu Fan, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany
Steen Steensen, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway
Rob Franken, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Yannik Peters, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Brahim Zarouali, KU Leuven, Belgium
Loes Pouwels, Radboud University, The Netherlands
Árni Már Einarsson, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Carsten Reinemann, LMU Munich, Germany
Annie Waldherr, University of Vienna, Austria
Wouter van den Bos, Universiteit van Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Sami Nenno, TU Dresden, Germany
Tijl De Bie, Ghent University, Belgium
Sarah Vis, imec-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Isabelle van der Vegt, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Claudia Wagner, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Sandra Becker, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Jessica Piotrowski, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Konrad Kollnig, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Kata Számel, ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary
Dávid Erát, PTE BTK, Hungary
Judith van de Wetering, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Sophie Stalla-Bourdillon, Brussels Privacy Hub, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Sandra Jacobs, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Quentin Bukold, Weizenbaum-Institut, Germany
Ilse Pit, Max Planck Insistute for Human Development, Germany
Stefan Herzog, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany
Christof Wolf, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Lisa Oswald, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany
Felix Gaisbauer, Weizenbaum-Institut, Germany
Eirliani Abdul Rahman, Minderoo Centre for Technology & Democracy, the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Damian Trilling, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Anna-Theresa Mayer, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany
Julia Koltai, ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary
Jan Rau, Leibniz Institute for Media Research, Germany
Christina Hecht, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
Katalin Fuzer, University of Pecs, Hungary
Pearl Dykstra, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Alicia Ernst, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany
Tara Ross, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Luke Heemsbergen, Deakin University, Australia
Maja-Lee Voigt, HafenCity University Hamburg / Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany
Rense Corten, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Shreya Dubey, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Zita Seichter, Universität Hamburg, Germany
Thomas Teekens, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Mubashir Sultan, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany
Anastasia Kozyreva, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany
Kevin Oostrum, Leiden University, The Netherlands
Carolin-Theresa Ziemer, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany
Ezequiel Lopez-Lopez, TU Dresden, Germany
Celia Prados, European Schoolnet, Belgium
Luca Scheunpflug, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany
Ili Ma, Leiden University, The Netherlands
Klaus Pforr, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany, Germany
Julia Weiss, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Amy Nivette, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Barbara Binder, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Amanda Lawrence, Australian Internet Observatory, Australia
Louis Barclay, signing as an individual, USA
Samuel Cipers, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Julia Krämer, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Hanne Vandenbroucke, mec-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Daniel Jurg, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Mai Van Tran, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Bence Ságvári, ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary
Danielle McCool, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Lucie Wittner Franckx, KU Leuven, Belgium
Luise Anter, LMU München, Germany
Silva Heinonen, KU Leuven, Belgium
Lucie Čejková, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Michaela Šaradín Lebedíková, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Selina Noetzel, University of Klagenfurt, Austria
Andreea Stancea, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania
Georgios Lappas, University of Western Macedonia, Greece
Melanie Revilla, Pompeu Fabra University, Spain
Amy Orben, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Anne Schulz, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Francesco Pierri, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Sohan Dsouza, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany
Ana S. Cardenal, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain
Albert Padró-Solanet, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain
Nicoleta Corbu, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania
Nadine Bol, Tilburg University, The Netherlands
Thomas Kirchmair, University of Vienna, Austria
Sjoerd Stolwijk, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Ifigeneia Vamvakidou, Aristotle University, Greece
Carlos Arcila Calderón, University of Salamanca, Spain
Luka, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
Philipp Lorenz-Spreen, TU Dresden, Germany
Auksė Balčytienė, Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania
Christoph Neuberger, Weizenbaum-Institut, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Mareike Lisker, HTW Berlin, Germany
Jošt Bartol, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Thomas, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Laura Vandenbosch, KU Leuven, Belgium
Joan Balcells, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain
Ardita Reçi, University of Durres, Albania
Caroline Giraudeau, University of Tours, France
Anas Maya, Radboud University, The Netherlands
Joshua Claassen, DZHW, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany
Ernesto de León, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Lorenzo Porcaro, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Frieder Rodewald, University of Mannheim, Germany
Heleen Janssen, Institute for Information Law, The Netherlands
Susanne Baumgartner, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
A. Marthe Möller, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amber van der Wal, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Dominique Wirz, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Rebecca Godard, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Anisha Arenz, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Ine Beyens, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Christos Georgiadis, University of Macedonia, Greece
Konrad Mikalauskas, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Michaela Maier, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany
Felipe Barreto-Storandt, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany
Mariek Vanden Abeele, Ghent University, Belgium
Aidar Zinnatullin, RPTU University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany
Christian Baden, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Prodromos Yannas, University of West Attica, Greece
Sharon Klinkenberg, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Joris Mulder, LISS panel, Centerdata, The Netherlands
Annemarie van Oosten, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Koji Yoshimura, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Chiara Tabakan, University of Klagenfurt, Austria
Mercè Crosas, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Joan Giner-Miguelez, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Hector A. Orengo, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Andreu Rodilla, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Alexandra Málaga, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Felipe Leonardo Gómez-Cortés, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Mariona Coll Ardanuy, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Bojana Lobe, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Lluis Mas Manchon, Pompeu Fabra University, Spain
Anders Kristian Munk, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Marta Curto Grau, Barcelona Supercomputing Cernter, Spain
Anders Grundtvig, Copenhagen University, Denmark
Janos Kertesz, Central European University, Austria
Leif Pedersen, Roskilde University, Denmark
Ramin Soleymani, Barcelona Super Computing Center, Spain
Alejandro De la fuente Cuesta, Barcelona Super Computing Center, Spain
Kalina Bontcheva, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
Johannes Breuer, Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), Germany
Paula Szewach, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Marton Karsai, Central European University, Austria
Laia Castro, University of Barcelona, Spain
Ines Welzenbach-Vogel, RPTU University Kaiserslautern Landau, Germany
Irene van Driel, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Carlos Cunha, Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal
Saurabh Khanna, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Teun Siebers, Centerdata, The Netherlands
Andres Castro Torres, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Johannes Gruber, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Cynthia Dekker, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Kristen Werling, RPTU University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany
Frank Schneider, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Rianne Nienke Visscher, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Fosca Giannotti, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Italy
Giulio Rossetti, National Research Council of Italy, Italy
David Wegmann, Aarhus University, Denmark
Maria Ferrer Bonet, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
Oliver Marsh, AlgorithmWatch, Germany
Lejla Eva Podgoršek, AlgorithmWatch, Germany
Julian Kohne, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Kisha German, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Malawi
Rob Cover, RMIT University, Australia
Fabio Votta, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Lena Frischlich, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Sophia Graf, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany
Max Schindler, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany
Jingyuan Yu, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany
Annelien Smets, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Christina Haag, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Maik Fielitz, Institute for Democracy and Civil Society, Germany
Michael Schmidt, Institute for Democracy and Civil Society, Germany

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