EU and Privacy Regulation

European Privacy Law: The Right to Be Free from Surveillance

In Europe, privacy is not treated as a commodity but as a fundamental human right. This principle is enshrined in both the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 8) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — the cornerstone of European privacy law since 2018.

1. Core Principles of the GDPR

The GDPR establishes that every individual is the rightful owner of their personal data. Organizations may only collect or process such data if they can rely on one of the lawful bases defined by the regulation — most commonly, explicit consent.

Its main principles include:

Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency: People must be clearly informed about how their data is used.

Purpose limitation: Data may only be used for the specific purpose for which it was collected.

Data minimization: Only the data strictly necessary for that purpose may be processed.

Accuracy and storage limitation: Data must be accurate and deleted when no longer needed.

Integrity and confidentiality: Data must be securely stored and protected from misuse.

2. Individual Rights

Under European law, individuals hold powerful rights over their personal information, including:

Right of access: To know what data is collected and how it is used.

Right to rectification: To correct inaccuracies.

Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”): To demand deletion of data when consent is withdrawn or processing is unjustified.

Right to data portability: To transfer data to another service.

Right to object: To refuse profiling, direct marketing, or automated decisions.

3. Oversight and Enforcement

Each EU country has its own independent supervisory authority — such as the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens in the Netherlands or the Garante per la Protezione dei Dati Personali in Italy. These bodies can investigate complaints, conduct audits, and impose significant fines (up to 4% of global turnover) for violations.

4. The Case of Google and Smartphone Tracking

Companies like Google operate under this same framework, but enforcement remains challenging. Through Android phones and connected services, vast amounts of personal data — location, search behavior, app usage, voice commands — are gathered, often under the guise of “improving user experience.”

Although users technically consent, that consent is rarely freely given in practice, as it’s bundled into terms of service. This tension lies at the heart of Europe’s ongoing privacy debate: how to protect autonomy in a digital world dominated by surveillance-based business models.

5. Reclaiming Digital Freedom

European users can take practical steps to reduce data exploitation:

Disable ad personalization, location history, and activity tracking in Google settings.

Regularly delete stored activity data.

Use privacy-focused browsers (Brave, Firefox) and search engines (DuckDuckGo, Startpage).

Consider open-source Android systems such as GrapheneOS or /e/OS, which minimize Google integration.

Support privacy advocacy organizations that defend digital rights at the EU level.

Conclusion

European privacy law offers one of the world’s strongest protections for personal data — yet its real power depends on public awareness and enforcement. As technology companies continue to monitor users under the pretext of convenience, Europe’s message remains clear: our data is not for sale, and our privacy is not optional.