Profiling and Legal Regulation of Privacy Protection

The purpose of this thesis is to elucidate what online profiling is, what happens with users' or customers' personal data during this process, how these activities interfere with the individuals' right to privacy, what the legal regulation in this field is, whether the privacy interests of individuals are sufficiently protected and if not, how the situation might be improved. The thesis starts with description of todays' business practices that are based on collecting data about customers, analyzing it and creating profiles suggesting the most profitable behaviour of businesses towards customers. It is followed by explanation of the technological tools enabling data collection and the method of data mining that is the key enabler of creating profiles. The text continues with description of risks of profiling in relation to privacy, i.e. the issues of discrimination, de-individualisation, restriction of individual autonomy, information asymmetries and possible misuse of profiles. The notion of right to privacy is explained and other interests that have to be balanced with privacy are mentioned as well. After that follows a critical description of the current legal framework in the European Union. It consists of Data Protection Directive, ePrivacy Directive and since 2018 of the General Data..