Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the LLM in Transnational and European Commercial Law, Banking Law, Arbitration/Mediation at the International Hellenic University. The protection of personal data is at the heart of the interest and plays great role both socially and economically. The adoption of General Data Protection Regulation by the European Union created the right conditions for a better interpretation of the concept of personal data and for its practical implementation. It set out the new framework for protecting the personal data of European Union citizens in general and in particular the rules on their collection, use and storage, while enacting the right to erasure which is one of the most debated and controversial rights in the digital age. This study will first examine the concept and nature of personal data and data protection, the concepts and scope of the right to erasure and the relation between the right to erasure and other fundamental rights and freedoms, such as the freedom of expression, the right to historical memory, the freedom to conduct a business and the right to intellectual property. It will follow a reference to the ‘time’ as a determinative factor about erasure or retention of data and, finally, a reference will be made to the technological challenges in applying the right to erasure.