Data protection and privacy laws
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Laws for the protection of privacy have been adopted worldwide. Their objectives vary: some have attempted to remedy past injustices under authoritarian regimes, others seek to promote electronic commerce, and many ensure compliance with pan-European laws and to enable global trade. Regardless of the objective, data protection laws tend to converge around the principle that individuals should have control over their personal information.
Interest in the right to privacy increased in the 1960s and 1970s with the advent of information technology. The surveillance potential of powerful computer systems prompted demands for specific rules governing the collection and handling of personal information. The genesis of modern legislation in this area can be traced to the first data protection law in the world, enacted in the Land of Hesse in Germany in 1970. This was followed by national laws in Sweden (1973), the United States (1974), Germany (1977) and France (1978).
Two crucial interna...
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