Data Protection in the Internet: National
Report Germany
Christina Breunig and Martin Schmidt-Kessel
1 General Regulatory Framework on Data Protection
1.1 The Dual Basic Structure of the German Data Protection
Law: European and National Origins
The protection of personal data is a fundamental right, both under EU and German
legislation. It is rooted in Art. 8 European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”)
1
and Art. 7 and 8 EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (“Charter”).
2 The Charter
became legally binding with the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009.
In Germany, the right to data protection falls within the scope of the right to
individual self-determination with respect to information; this fundamental right is
not explicitly mentioned in the constitution but was drawn from Art. 2 para. 1 GG
and Art. 1 para. 1 GG by the Federal Constitutional Court (“BVerfG”).
3
On 14th of April 2016, the EU has adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”)
4 within its Digital Single Market Strategy.
5 The GDPR replaces the
C. Breunig (*) · M. Schmidt-Kessel (*)
University of Bayreuth, Centre for Consumer Law, Bayreuth, Germany
e-mail: Martin.Schmidt-Kessel@uni-bayreuth.de
1 Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
2 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, 2012/C 326/02.
3 BVerfG, judgment of 15 December 1983—Volkszählungsurteil—BVerfGE 65, 1 ¼ NJW 1984,
419; commented from a current point of view by Kühling (2017), p. 3069; see infra Sect. 1.2.
4 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR).
5 See for more information: A Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe, COM(2015)192 final.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
D. Moura Vicente, S. de Vasconcelos Casimiro (eds.), Data Protection in the
Internet, Ius Comparatum – Global Studies in Comparative Law 38,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28049-9_7
183
Report Germany
Christina Breunig and Martin Schmidt-Kessel
1 General Regulatory Framework on Data Protection
1.1 The Dual Basic Structure of the German Data Protection
Law: European and National Origins
The protection of personal data is a fundamental right, both under EU and German
legislation. It is rooted in Art. 8 European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”)
1
and Art. 7 and 8 EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (“Charter”).
2 The Charter
became legally binding with the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009.
In Germany, the right to data protection falls within the scope of the right to
individual self-determination with respect to information; this fundamental right is
not explicitly mentioned in the constitution but was drawn from Art. 2 para. 1 GG
and Art. 1 para. 1 GG by the Federal Constitutional Court (“BVerfG”).
3
On 14th of April 2016, the EU has adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”)
4 within its Digital Single Market Strategy.
5 The GDPR replaces the
C. Breunig (*) · M. Schmidt-Kessel (*)
University of Bayreuth, Centre for Consumer Law, Bayreuth, Germany
e-mail: Martin.Schmidt-Kessel@uni-bayreuth.de
1 Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
2 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, 2012/C 326/02.
3 BVerfG, judgment of 15 December 1983—Volkszählungsurteil—BVerfGE 65, 1 ¼ NJW 1984,
419; commented from a current point of view by Kühling (2017), p. 3069; see infra Sect. 1.2.
4 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR).
5 See for more information: A Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe, COM(2015)192 final.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
D. Moura Vicente, S. de Vasconcelos Casimiro (eds.), Data Protection in the
Internet, Ius Comparatum – Global Studies in Comparative Law 38,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28049-9_7
183