Simeon de Brouwer
Simeon de Brouwer is a digital policy researcher and policy adviser specialising in privacy, data protection, artificial intelligence, human rights, and the regulation of digital platforms. He is currently a Policy Advisor at European Digital Rights (EDRi), where he works on the protection of minors online, including debates around age verification, platform responsibility, and users’ rights and wellbeing.
Before joining EDRi, Simeon worked at the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) in its Policy and Consultation Unit, and at the European Parliament, where he worked on issues including data protection, civil liberties, and consumer protection. He has also worked as a political adviser to Member of the European Parliament Patrick Breyer.
Simeon’s research focuses particularly on the relationship between technology, privacy, and fundamental rights. His 2020 article in the peer-reviewed Internet Policy Review examines the limits of individual privacy management in digital environments, arguing that the collection and use of personal data can create privacy externalities affecting people beyond the individual who directly provides their data.
He has contributed to European policy debates on emerging digital regulation, including discussions around online child protection, age verification, platform regulation, and the proposed EU framework commonly referred to as “Chat Control.” In 2026, he participated in a European Parliament hearing on age-verification technologies and appeared in Euronews discussions on the regulation of online platforms and privacy.
Simeon holds a BA and an MLitt in Philosophy, as well as an MA in Applied Ethics. He studied at Utrecht University, where his master’s research examined privacy self-management and the effects of data practices on third parties. He works in English and French and has professional proficiency in Dutch and Portuguese.
Listen to hear Simeon de Brouwer in conversation with Dominic Bowen on the EU’s proposed “Chat Control” legislation, the implications of scanning private communications for privacy and encryption, and the challenges of protecting children online while safeguarding fundamental rights.
