European Data Protection: Coming of Age

Date published

25.05.2025

Imprint

Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Publisher

Springer Dordrecht

ISBN

9789400751842

On 25 January 2012, the European Commission presented its long awaited new “Data protection package”. With this proposal for a drastic revision of the data protection framework in Europe, it is fair to say that we are witnessing a rebirth of European data protection, and perhaps, its passage from an impulsive youth to a more mature state. Technology advances rapidly and mobile devices are significantly changing the landscape. Increasingly, we carry powerful, connected, devices, whose location and activities can be monitored by various stakeholders. Very powerful social network sites emerged in the first half of last decade, processing personal data of many millions of users.  Updating the regulatory network was imminent and the presentation of the new package will initiate a period of intense debate in which the proposals will be thoroughly commented upon and criticized, and numerous amendments will undoubtedly be proposed.  

This volume brings together some 19 chapters offering conceptual analyses, highlighting issues, proposing solutions, and discussing practices regarding privacy and data protection. In the first part of the book, conceptual analyses of concepts such as privacy and anonymity are provided. The second section focuses on the contrasted positions of digital natives and ageing users in the information society. The third section provides four chapters on privacy by design, including discussions on roadmapping and concrete techniques. The fourth section is devoted to surveillance and profiling, with illustrations from the domain of smart metering, self-surveillance and the benefits and risks of profiling. The book concludes with case studies pertaining to communicating privacy in organisations, the fate of a data protection supervisor in one of the EU member states and data protection in social network sites and online media.

This volume brings together some 19 chapters offering conceptual analyses, highlighting issues, proposing solutions, and discussing practices regarding privacy and data protection. In the first part of the book, conceptual analyses of concepts such as privacy and anonymity are provided. The second section focuses on the contrasted positions of digital natives and ageing users in the information society. The third section provides four chapters on privacy by design, including discussions on roadmapping and concrete techniques. The fourth section is devoted to surveillance and profiling, with illustrations from the domain of smart metering, self-surveillance and the benefits and risks of profiling. The book concludes with case studies pertaining to communicating privacy in organisations, the fate of a data protection supervisor in one of the EU member states and data protection in social network sites and online media.

Editors

Ronald Leenes

TILT, Tilburg University

Prof.dr. Ronald Leenes (1964) is full professor in regulation by technology at Tilburg University and director of the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society (TILT).. His primary research interests are techno-regulation, conceptual issues with respect to privacy, data protection in practice, data analytics, accountability and transparency, regulatory failure, robotics and human enhancement. He has been involved as lead and principal investigator in several EU, EC and Dutch privacy and data protection projects and has co-edited several of the CPDP book volumes.

Serge Gutwirth

LSTS, VUB

Serge Gutwirth (1960) professor of Human Rights, Comparative law, Legal Theory and Methodology at the Faculty of Law and Criminology of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), where he studied law, criminology and also obtained a post-graduate degree in technology and science studies. He defended his PhD in law on the relationships between law and sciences on December 15, 1992. From 1994 until 2009 he also held a part-time position of lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the Erasmus University Rotterdam where he was in charge of the coordination of research and taught 'Philosophy of law'. He is currently Vice-Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Law and Criminology. He is the Director of the research group on Law, Science, Technology & Society (LSTS).

Paul De Hert

LSTS, VUB

Paul De Hert is professor of law at the Faculty of Law and Criminology of Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is the Director of the research group on Fundamental Rights and Constitutionalism (FRC) and senior member of the research group on Law, Science, Technology & Society (LSTS). Paul De Hert is also associated-professor Law and Technology at the Tilburg Institute for Law and Technology (TILT).