The legal domain distinguishes between different types of data and attaches a different level of protection to each of them. Thus, non-personal data are left largely unregulated, while privacy and data protection rules apply to personal data or personal information. There are stricter rules for processing sensitive personal data than for ‘ordinary’ personal data, and metadata or communications data are regulated differently than content communications data. Technological developments challenge these legal categorisations on at least three fronts: First, the lines between the categories are becoming harder to draw and more fluid. Second, working with various categories of data works well when the category a datum or dataset falls into is relatively stable. However, this is less and less so. Third, scholars increasingly question the rationale behind the various legal categorisations. This book assesses to what extent either of these strategies is feasible and to what extent alternative approaches could be developed by combining insights from three fields: technology, practice and law.

The General Data Protection Regulation in Plain Language is a guide for anyone interested in the much-discussed rules of the GDPR. In this legislation, which came into force in 2018, the European Union meticulously describes what you can and cannot do with data about other people. Violating these rules can lead to a fine of up to 20 million euros.

This book sets out the most important obligations of individuals and organisations that process data about others. These include taking technical security measures, carrying out an impact assessment and registering all data-processing procedures within an organisation. It also discusses the rights of citizens whose data are processed, such as the right to be forgotten, the right to information and the right to data portability.

The General Data Protection Regulation in Plain Language is a guide for anyone interested in the much-discussed rules of the GDPR. In this legislation, which came into force in 2018, the European Union meticulously describes what you can and cannot do with data about other people. Violating these rules can lead to a fine of up to 20 million euros. This book sets out the most important obligations of individuals and organisations that process data about others. These include taking technical security measures, carrying out an impact assessment and registering all data-processing procedures within an organisation. It also discusses the rights of citizens whose data are processed, such as the right to be forgotten, the right to information and the right to data portability.

The Handbook of Privacy Studies is the first book in the world that brings together several disciplinary perspectives on privacy, such as the legal, ethical, medical, informatics and anthropological perspective. Privacy is in the news almost every day: mass surveillance by intelligence agencies, the use of social media data for commercial profit and political microtargeting, password hacks and identity theft, new data protection regimes, questionable reuse of medical data, and concerns about how algorithms shape the way we think and decide. This book offers interdisciplinary background information about these developments and explains how to understand and properly evaluate them. The book is set up for use in interdisciplinary educational programmes. Each chapter provides a structured analysis of the role of privacy within that discipline, its characteristics, themes and debates, as well as current challenges. Disciplinary approaches are presented in such a way that students and researchers from every scientific background can follow the argumentation and enrich their own understanding of privacy issues.