"To bring the outside world in" – that's certainly one way to put it:
»Geert Potjewijd, a corporate lawyer who spent decades defending big tech companies like #Meta and #TikTok against privacy claims, will become chair of the Dutch data protection authority AP from August 1. […]
In a statement, the AP’s deputy chair Monique Verdier said Potjewijd “literally brings the outside world in” and pointed to his motivation to strengthen human rights and protect democracy.«
https://www.dutchnews.nl/2026/05/big-tech-lawyer-to-chair-dutch-privacy-watchdog-ap/
Putting the fox in charge of the henhouse seems to be a pattern emerging in the #EU, with the Irish #DPA already being headed by a former lobbyist:
https://noyb.eu/en/former-meta-lobbyist-named-dpc-commissioner-meta-now-officially-regulates-itself

Big tech lawyer to chair Dutch privacy watchdog AP - DutchNews.nl
Geert Potjewijd, a corporate lawyer who spent decades defending big tech companies like Meta and TikTok against privacy claims, will become chair of the Dutch data protection authority AP from August 1. The AP is the independent regulator that checks whether companies and government bodies handle people’s personal data properly, and since 2023 it has also been the Netherlands’ supervisor for algorithms and artificial intelligence. The cabinet approved the appointment on the recommendation of Claudia van Bruggen, the justice and...







