Publications
National data protection law
Article IT & Internet policy
The Federal Data Protection Act serves as the foundation for German data protection law.
The right to informational privacy, i.e. the right of every person to determine how their personal data is used or disclosed, is part of the general right to free development of one’s personality under Article 2 (1) in conjunction with Article 1 (1) of the Basic Law. A framework is required for processing personal data, regardless of whether this data is processed by the government or by the private sector. The General Data Protection Regulation provides a general framework at European level, and is flanked in German law by data protection legislation in specific areas and by the Federal Data Protection Act.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community is responsible for general data protection law at federal level, in particular the Federal Data Protection Act. In addition, the Ministry represents Germany at European and international level in its contributions to current developments in general data protection law.
