Data protection legislation: A very hungry caterpillar

The case of mapping data in the European Union

Journal article (2016)

Authors

B. van Loenen OLD Geo-information and Land Development
Stefan Kulk Universiteit Utrecht
H.D. Ploeger OLD Geo-information and Land Development
Research Group
OLD Geo-information and Land Development
Copyright: © 2016 B. van Loenen, Stefan Kulk, H.D. Ploeger
DOI
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2016.04.002
Open data Data protection
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Published Date

2016

Language

English

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Research Group

OLD Geo-information and Land Development

Abstract

The European Union's policy on open data aims at generating value through re-use of public sector information, such as mapping data. Open data policies should be applied in full compliance with the principles relating to the protection of personal data of the EU Data Protection Directive. Increased computer power, advancing data mining techniques and the increasing amount of publicly available big data extend the reach of the EU Data Protection
Directive to much more data than currently assumed and acted upon. Especially mapping data are a key factor to identify individual data subjects and consequently subject to the EU Data Protection Directive and the recently approved EU General Data Protection Regulation. This could in effect obstruct the implementation of open data policies in the EU. The very hungry data protection legislation results in a need to rethink either the concept of personal data or the conditions for use of mapping data that are considered personal data.