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. Today more than ever, it becomes apparent that the rapid improvement of technology offers humanity the opportunity to escape the past and draw new horizons. A great example of an innovation capable of altering the infrastructure of society as we know it today as a whole is Internet of Things. In the sphere of the IoT scheme belong objects (things) that have embedded sensors which inter alias interact with the environment, collect, store, share data and possess the ability to do exactly what the name suggest; create an Internet full of digitalized things. But everything comes with a price, as the widespread use of IoT devices generates significant challenges regarding the balance between security and data protection. A vital first step that needs to be made in order to resolve effectively this equilibrium exercise is firstly to analyze the existing legal framework concerning security and privacy in the Internet of Things (IoT) scheme and secondly to define the term ‘security and to highlight its nuances. As it will be explained later on in Chapter 3, security can either collide directly with relative fundamental rights, such as privacy and data protection, or it can be considered as a precondition that builds the necessary ground for the enjoyment of these rights. Lastly, from a philosophical standpoint, security can take the form of the safety of one’s self that is compromised when personal data come into play and is misused. This dissertation will make an attempt to assess in a concise yet comprehensive manner the aforementioned three-fold dimension of security within the context of Internet of Things data sharing, as well as to illustrate its interplay with data protection and the relevant legal framework.