FROM THE RIGHT TO BE LET ALONE TO THE RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PROTECTION OF COMPUTERIZED PERSONAL DATA IN THE EUROPEAN UNION LAW: MEANING, EVOLUTION, AND LEGISLATIVE REFORM

Authors

  • Alessandra Silveira Universidade do Minho, Portugal
  • João Marques

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/rfdufpr.v61i3.48085

Keywords:

Computerized personal data. Internet. European Union. Fundamental rights. Court of Justice of the European Union.

Abstract

The right to privacy (originally known as the right to be let alone) was subject to considerable developments since the first legal writings in the USA of the 19th century – and can no longer respond fully to the protection needs of the Internet users who definitely do not want to be let alone but want to have the right to be forgotten. The processing and free movement of personal data in the European Union are regulated by Directive 95/46, of October, 24, 1995. This European legal act i) obliges the Member-States to adopt similar safeguards across the entire area of the European Union and ii) stipulates the same procedures related to the flow of personal data to third counties. It was, without doubt, a world reference in that domain, especially since it has entered into force when the risks associated to the information technology were not obvious. However, the increasing use of electronic facilities outdated the safeguards laid down by the law against the treatment and misuse of the computerized personal data. For this reason, from 2018 the personal data protection will be regulated on the basis of other terms in the European Union. This text aims to i) grasp the meaning and evolution of the protection of computerized personal data in the EU law, especially through the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, as well as ii) address the main changes resulting of the application of the new legislative package on personal data protection in the European Union and, to this extent, the future of that fundamental right in Europe.

Author Biographies

Alessandra Silveira, Universidade do Minho, Portugal

Diretora do Centro de Estudos em Direito da União Europeia (CEDU), Universidade do Minho (Portugal). Titular da Cátedra Jean Monnet em Direito da União Europeia (concedida pela Comissão Europeia, Bruxelas). E-mail: asilveira@direito.uminho.pt

João Marques

Advogado e Vogal da Comissão Nacional (Portuguesa) de Protecção de Dados (Lisboa, Portugal). E-mail: joao.marques@cnpd.pt

References

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Published

2016-12-16

How to Cite

Silveira, A., & Marques, J. (2016). FROM THE RIGHT TO BE LET ALONE TO THE RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PROTECTION OF COMPUTERIZED PERSONAL DATA IN THE EUROPEAN UNION LAW: MEANING, EVOLUTION, AND LEGISLATIVE REFORM. Revista Da Faculdade De Direito UFPR, 61(3), 91 – 118. https://doi.org/10.5380/rfdufpr.v61i3.48085

Issue

Vol. 61 No. 3 (2016)

Section

Artigos

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