Please note than an updated 2018 edition of this handbook is now available >>

The rapid development of information and communication technologies underscores the growing need for the robust protection of personal data – a right safeguarded by both European Union (EU) and Council of Europe (CoE) instruments. Technological advances expand the frontiers of, for example, surveillance, communication interception and data storage; all of these pose signifi cant challenges to the right to data protection.

The handbook explains key jurisprudence, summarising major rulings of both the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Where no such case law exists, it presents practical illustrations with hypothetical scenarios. In a nutshell, this handbook aims to help ensure that the right to data protection is upheld with vigour and determination.

Should you have any comments on this Handbook you would like to communicate to the FRA, please send an email to the following address:
privacy-dataprotection@fra.europa.eu

Other language versions available:

• Ukrainian
• Georgian
• Korean
• Macedonian