Data Protection

The right to informational privacy, i.e. the right of every person to determine how their personal data are used or disclosed, is part of the general right to the free development of one’s personality under Article 2 (1) in conjunction with Article 1 (1) of the Basic Law. A legal framework is required for processing personal data, regardless of whether the data are processed by the government or by the private sector. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation offers a general legal framework at European level. It is supplemented in German legislation by data protection laws 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 Federal Ministry represents Germany at European and international level in contributing to current developments in general data protection law.