Protecting privacy in automated transaction systems : a legal and technological perspective in the European Union

In the past, spies could enter one's residence, organisations or companies and collect valuable information such as personal sensitive data, trade secrets or transaction records. Nowadays, the open architecture of the Internet has generated an environment in which there are more opportunities to quickly and easily obtain data than there used to be, as a variety of sensitive information can be captured on the Internet without a physical presence in the location where the data is situated. Privacy rights have consequently become more vulnerable to attack. This paper will discuss the current legal framework of ePrivacy protection in the European Union (EU), examine the state-of-the-art technologies for service-oriented computing, evaluate practical obstacles and propose possible solutions to establish trust in privacy management