Whether the personal data, which is anonymized, but used for direct marketing purposes, fall within the scope of the new EU GDPR?

Nuolatos tobulėjančiame, vis labiau modernėjančiame pasaulyje, kuriame technologijos užima itin svarbų vaidmenį, o pagrindine socialine terpe tapo virtuali viešoji erdvė, yra svarbu visuotinai užtikrinti asmens duomenų apsaugą. Derėtų suprasti, jog asmens duomenys, kaip reiškinys, atsiradęs jau ganėtinai seniai. Asmens duomenys, tai bet kokia informacija, kuri gali identifikuoti konkretų asmenį. Akivaizdūs pavydžiai gali būti tokie kaip asmens vardas, pavardė, adresas, gimimo data ir t. t. Tinkamas duomenų apsaugos mechanizmas yra viešasis interesas, kurį patenkinti valstybei yra gyvybiškai svarbu. Nors asmens duomenų apsauga nėra absoliuti teisė, tačiau ji įgauna vis svarbesnį vaidmenį kasdieniniame gyvenime. Daugelis įmonių tampa vis liberalesnės, savo pagrindinę veiklą perkeldamos į virtualią viešąją erdvę, tampa vis labiau susietos su savo tiksliniu segmentu. Bendrovės, rinkdamos, kaupdamos bei tvarkydamos informaciją apie savo klientus, automatiškai susiduria su pareiga garantuoti asmens duomenų apsaugą. Interneto pagrindu surinkta informacija tampa vis labiau reikalingesnė ir vertingesnė, kadangi ji padeda ne tik sumažinti reklamos kaštus, tačiau lengviau identifikuoti tinkamą rinkos segmentą, taip nukreipiant reikiamą žinutę tikslinės grupės link. Įmonės, siekiančios sustiprinti savo įtaką rinkoje, pasitelkia nuolatinį vartotojų asmeninės informacijos rinkimą bei analizavimą, panaudojant gautus duomenis tiesioginės rinkodaros tikslais. Dar daugiau, toks darbas su asmens duomenimis ne visuomet atliekamas sąžiningai, t. y. turint teisėtą pagrindą ar duomenų subjekto sutikimą naudoti asmeninius duomenis tiesioginės rinkodaros tikslais. Nenuostabu, jog tokia informacija tampa vertinga ir paklausia, todėl rinkodaros ir komunikacijos įmonės nuolatos renka duomenis apie duomenų subjektus. Vėliau tokia informacija gali būti nuasmeninama ir parduodama rinkos dalyviams kaip prekė. Europos Sąjunga, siekdama užtikrinti savo piliečių teises, 2016 m. priėmė Europos Sąjungos bendrąjį duomenų apsaugos reglamentą, kuris Lietuvoje įsigaliojo nuo 2018 m. gegužės mėn. 25 d. Todėl iš to ir kyla klausimas ar asmens duomenys, kurie yra nuasmeninami, tačiau naudojami tiesioginės rinkodaros tikslais, papuola į naujojo ES BDAR reguliavimo sritį? Siekiant įsigilinti į darbo problematiką, buvo išsikeltas tikslas išanalizuoti ar įmonių, renkančių bei kaupiančių duomenis, apie fizinius asmenis, vykdomi veiksmai, susiję su duomenų nuasmeninimu bei naudojimu tiesioginės rinkodaros tikslais, patenka į ES BDAR reguliavimo sritį.In a constantly evolving, increasingly modernized world, in which technology plays a vital role, and virtual public space has become a key social environment, it is important to ensure the protection of personal data in general. It should be understood that personal data is a phenomenon that has emerged long ago. A proper data protection mechanism is a public interest that is vital to the state. Although the protection of personal data is not an absolute right, it is playing an increasingly important role in everyday life. Many companies are becoming more liberal, moving their core business into virtual public space, becoming increasingly linked to their targeted segment. Companies are automatically required to guarantee the protection of their personal data by collecting and processing information about their customers. Internet-based information is becoming increasingly necessary and valuable as it not only helps reduce advertising costs, but also makes it easier to identify the right market segment, thus redirecting the right message towards the targeted group. It is not surprising that such information becomes valuable and in demand, and that marketing and communication companies are constantly collecting data about their clients. Personal data could be any information that directly or indirectly identifies a person. Obvious examples may be such as person's name, address, date of birth, etc. Later such information can be personalized and sold to market participants as a commodity. Although, proper use of the collected data can help to identify certain trends that contribute to reducing the use resources and improving policy making. Long-term stored data can have a profound impact on the future of human life, including career, personal image, and so on. The public already realizes that there is constant monitoring of public authorities or private entities. As a result, data collection is often unobtrusive, which is becoming increasingly worrying. Not so long ago, in the recent past, people relied on memories or tried to note any important details on paper. Nowadays, huge amounts of information are stored in computer systems. Various loyalty cards, the internet, and digital devices are just a few of the many ways in which you can track a person's location, actions, needs or any other personal data. All of this information can be used to adjust our actions for commercial purposes. Personal data and privacy is an important aspect of the modern electronic world, where information can be easily collected, stored and disseminated. At this particular moment, personal data security is a very topical issue worldwide. Multidisciplinary research has been conducted for decades, but privacy remains a complex phenomenon that is still new and increasingly relevant. In these innovative times, the speed and quantities of information, which is being shared is phenomenal. Innovation and developing creativity play a more influential role in the social, economic and personal context of people's lives. Not surprisingly, the market today is extremely competitive and fierce. Because of that organizations need to become more flexible and innovative in order to survive and gain an edge over their competitors. In order to gain an advantage, continuous collection and analysis of information is used, including but not limited to the use of various personal data for marketing purposes. It should be emphasized that such data collection is not always done honestly, id. est. with a legitimate basis or with the consent of the data subject. The personal data protection system in Lithuania has been in operation for more than 20 years. Until now, the processing of personal data has been regulated by the Law on Legal Protection of Personal Data. For this reason, compliance with the law was crucial for anyone handling personal data for professional purposes. However, due to violations of personal data collection in the world, a new General Data Protection Regulation has been introduced in the Member States of the European Union (hereinafter referred to as the EU GDPR). It paid particular attention to the unlawful collection and use of personal data, and the sanctions provided for in the Regulation are therefore stricter. Due to the newly introduced General Data Protection Regulation, Lithuania does not have extensive in-depth analyzes that reveal or impersonate personal data used for marketing purposes as part of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation regulatory area. For this reason, the conclusions of the final thesis would help to reveal and understand the regulated areas for the business sector and ordinary people. Companies must examine and comply with the new personal data protection requirements. At the same time, the knowledge of this regulation for the public can create the knowledge to control their personal data. The fact that the European Union General Data Protection Regulation came into force only on 25 May 2018 reveals the necessity and relevance of the subject. Therefore, this also raises the question of whether personal data that is anonymized but used for direct marketing purposes fall within the scope of the new EU GDPR? Teisės fakulteta