How the DSGVO/GDPR changes the rules for scientific research
[Status: Completed]
This project, commissioned by the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA), investigated how the General Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO/GDPR) impacts scientific research. It analyzed the challenges of implementing GDPR, particularly concerning new rights and obligations for researchers, and assessed the appropriateness of GDPR exemptions for scientific freedom and technological progress. The project’s outcome is a report for STOA, providing policy recommendations to enhance privacy-preserving data-driven research and considering potential revisions to EU legislation.
Project Partner
external page European Parliament
Project Team
Marcello Ienca
James Schneiber
Effy Vayena
Julia Amann
Joanna Sleigh
Agata Ferretti
Felix Gille
Description
The recently adopted General Data Protection Regulation DSGVO/GDPR has aroused concerns and doubts in the research community. The Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) project investigates the challenges of implementing the DSGVO/GDPR and focuses in particular on the implications of the new rights and obligations that the DSGVO/GDPR lays down for scientific researchers as they design and conduct research.
The study examines to what extent DSGVO/GDPR exemptions are appropriate for scientific research, especially concerning securing scientific freedom and technological progress. Further, it provides policy recommendations that delineate a pathway towards enhancing rather than stifling research and facilitating privacy-preserving data-driven research under the provisions of the GDPR. Finally, this project asks whether EU legislation should be revised.
Goal: A Report for the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA)