INFORMATION SECURITY, SPECIAL DATA PROTECTION

Privacy is a fundamental human right. This is acknowledged by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights4, which provides a right to respect for one’s “private and family life, his home and his correspondence”. Similarly, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union defines the “respect for private and family life” (Article 7) and adds a specific article on “protection of personal data” (Article 8). Moreover on an even wider scope, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights5 protects an individual from “arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence,” and “attacks upon his honour and reputation”. Privacy protection is not only to be regarded as an individual value, but also as an essential element in the functioning of democratic societies. In the digital world, we observe a massive power imbalance between data processing entities, which determine what and how data is processed, and the individuals whose data is at stake, i.e., whose lives might be influenced by decisions based on automated data analysis, or by failures to adequately protect private information. Hence, specifically in the digital world, the protection of privacy plays a crucial rol