The amended EU law on ePrivacy and electronic communications after its 2011 implementation; new rules on data protection, spam, data breaches and protection of intellectual property rights.

Telecommunications are privileged in being the only sector in European Union ("EU") law benefiting from sector-specific data protection legislation. Although the (European) right to data protection is by now a fundamental right 1 intended to find horizontal application into any and all fields that involve even the remotest personal data processing, certain sectors did go ahead and acquire regulations, of various legal statuses, specific to their needs and special conditions. Telecommunications (electronic communications) have benefited from sector-specific data protection legislation since 1997, when the first relevant set of regulations was released. Today, the Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications (the "ePrivacy Directive") 2 governs the field; its latest amendment, in 2009, brought forward the third in chronological (if not in generational) order relevant regulations.

Journal/Publisher: Journal of Computer & Information Law - Fall, Vol. 29, Issue 1, 2011

Co-author/s: Vagelis PAPAKONSTANTINOU

Publication type: Article

Number of pages/Page range: 29-74

Language/s (content): English

Date of publication: 02-05-11

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Full name Paul DE HERT

Current occupation Contact Point

University/Institution Vrije Univesiteit Brussel

Address Pleinelaan 2

Postal code 1050

Country Belgium

Telephone +32(0)2 629 24 60

Fax +32(0)2 629 36 33

Email paul.de.hert@vub.ac.be