Data Protection

The term data protection refers to protecting personal data against misuse and unauthorized access within the framework of the fundamental right to informational self-determination and privacy. Personal data relates to all data relating to a directly or indirectly identifiable natural person in legal terms.
With increasing digitization and networking, data protection has gained importance. Various legal standards now exist to safeguard the individual’s right to self-determined handling of their data. In Germany, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) are particularly relevant. Besides, there are state-specific and sector-specific regulations. This legal framework defines requirements for collecting and using personal data and regulates the corresponding criminal sanctions.
Data protection must be distinguished from other concepts such as data security, which deals with the technical implementation of safe use and data storage.