Data Protection Empowerment

Abstract

Data protection is a fairly difficult phrase to unpack. The term implies that data requires a protective hand. It therefore comes as no surprise that it is often confused or used synonymously with other terms describing similar subject matter, such as IT security. The fact that this misunderstanding seems almost impossible to clear up is due in part to the unfortunate choice of words. Data protection is not about the protection of data per se, but about the protection of personal data in light of the right to informational self-determination and the preservation of the private sphere—which is why another term for it is data privacy.