diff --git a/.changes/next-release/feature-879243c73ed26a3a329d679f9e1554798714c5f1.json b/.changes/next-release/feature-879243c73ed26a3a329d679f9e1554798714c5f1.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..213e9e6afb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/next-release/feature-879243c73ed26a3a329d679f9e1554798714c5f1.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "type": "other",
+  "description": "Removed protocol tests for skipping null values in dense collections. This behavior can silently drop data. SDKs that cannot preserve null values should raise an exception instead",
+  "pull_requests": [
+    "[#2972](https://github.com/smithy-lang/smithy/pull/2972)"
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/smithy-aws-protocol-tests/model/restJson1/json-maps.smithy b/smithy-aws-protocol-tests/model/restJson1/json-maps.smithy
index 814c38a8f00..b715865e52c 100644
--- a/smithy-aws-protocol-tests/model/restJson1/json-maps.smithy
+++ b/smithy-aws-protocol-tests/model/restJson1/json-maps.smithy
@@ -187,33 +187,6 @@ apply JsonMaps @httpResponseTests([
                 "y": ["a", "b"]
             }
         }
-    },
-    {
-        id: "RestJsonDeserializesDenseSetMapAndSkipsNull",
-        documentation: """
-            Clients SHOULD tolerate seeing a null value in a dense map, and they SHOULD
-            drop the null key-value pair.""",
-        protocol: restJson1,
-        appliesTo: "client",
-        code: 200,
-        body: """
-            {
-                "denseSetMap": {
-                    "x": [],
-                    "y": ["a", "b"],
-                    "z": null
-                }
-            }""",
-        bodyMediaType: "application/json",
-        headers: {
-            "Content-Type": "application/json"
-        },
-        params: {
-            "denseSetMap": {
-                "x": [],
-                "y": ["a", "b"]
-            }
-        }
     }
 ])
 
diff --git a/smithy-protocol-tests/model/rpcv2Cbor/cbor-maps.smithy b/smithy-protocol-tests/model/rpcv2Cbor/cbor-maps.smithy
index 6013433f089..ea1c57ab297 100644
--- a/smithy-protocol-tests/model/rpcv2Cbor/cbor-maps.smithy
+++ b/smithy-protocol-tests/model/rpcv2Cbor/cbor-maps.smithy
@@ -156,27 +156,6 @@ apply RpcV2CborDenseMaps @httpResponseTests([
                 "y": ["a", "b"]
             }
         }
-    },
-    {
-        id: "RpcV2CborDeserializesDenseSetMapAndSkipsNull",
-        documentation: """
-            Clients SHOULD tolerate seeing a null value in a dense map, and they SHOULD
-            drop the null key-value pair.""",
-        protocol: rpcv2Cbor,
-        appliesTo: "client",
-        code: 200,
-        body: "oWtkZW5zZVNldE1hcKNheIBheYJhYWFiYXr2",
-        bodyMediaType: "application/cbor",
-        headers: {
-            "smithy-protocol": "rpc-v2-cbor",
-            "Content-Type": "application/cbor"
-        },
-        params: {
-            "denseSetMap": {
-                "x": [],
-                "y": ["a", "b"]
-            }
-        }
     }
 ])