Private Selves Legal Personhood in European Privacy Protection Cambridge Studies in European Law and Policy Series

Data protection has become such an important area for law ? and for society at large ? that it is important to understand exactly what we are doing when we regulate privacy and personal data. This study analyses European privacy rights focusing especially on the GDPR, and asks what kind of legal personhood is presupposed in privacy regulation today. Looking at the law from a deconstructive angle, the philosophical foundations of this highly topical field of law are uncovered. By analysing key legal cases in detail, this study shows in a comprehensive manner that personhood is constructed in individualised ways. With its clear focus on issues relating to European Union law and how its future development will impact wider issues of privacy, data protection, and individual rights, the book will be of interest to those trying to understand current trends in EU law.

Introduction; 1. Private persons are made; 2. The person in control; 3. The autonomous person; 4. The immune person; 5. The person at liberty; 6. The political person; 7. The person in the community; Conclusions.

Susanna Lindroos-Hovinheimo is Professor of Law at the University of Helsinki. She is the author of Justice and the Ethics of Legal Interpretation (2012).