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In January 2017 the Consultative Committee of Convention 108 adopted its Guidelines on the Protection of Individuals with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data in a World of Big Data. These are the first guidelines on data protection provided by an international body which specifically address the issues surrounding big data applications. This article examines the main provisions of these Guidelines and highlights the approach adopted by the Consultative Committee, which contextualises the traditional principles of data protection in the big data scenario and also takes into account the challenges of the big data paradigm. The analysis of the different provisions adopted focuses primarily on the core of the Guidelines namely the risk assessment procedure. Moreover, the article discusses the novel solutions provided by the Guidelines with regard to the data subject's informed consent, the by-design approach, anonymization, and the role of the human factor in big data-supported decisions. This critical analysis of the Guidelines introduces a broader reflection on the divergent approaches of the Council of Europe and the European Union to regulating data processing. Where the principle-based model of the Council of Europe differs from the approach adopted by the EU legislator in the detailed Regulation (EU) 2016/679. In the light of this, the provisions of the Guidelines and their attempt to address the major challenges of the new big data paradigm set the stage for concluding remarks about the most suitable regulatory model to deal with the different issues posed by the development of technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the big data era, new technologies and powerful analytics make it possible to collect and analyse large amounts of data in order to identify patterns in the behaviour of groups, communities and even entire countries. Existing case law and regulations are inadequate to address the potential risks and issues related to this change of paradigm in social investigation. This is due to the fact that both the right to privacy and the more recent right to data protection are protected as individual rights. The social dimension of these rights has been taken into account by courts and policymakers in various countries. Nevertheless, the rights holder has always been the data subject and the rights related to informational privacy have mainly been exercised by individuals. This atomistic approach shows its limits in the existing context of mass predictive analysis, where the larger scale of data processing and the deeper analysis of information make it necessary to consider another layer, which is different from individual rights. This new layer is represented by the collective dimension of data protection, which protects groups of persons from the potential harms of discriminatory and invasive forms of data processing. On the basis of the distinction between individual, group and collective dimensions of privacy and data protection, the author outlines the main elements that characterise the collective dimension of these rights and the representation of the underlying interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new E.U. proposal for a general data protection regulation has been introduced to give an answer to the challenges of the evolving digital environment. In some cases, these expectations could be disappointed, since the proposal is still based on the traditional main pillars of the last generation of data protection laws. In the field of consumer data protection, these pillars are the purpose specification principle, the use limitation principle and the "notice and consent" model. Nevertheless, the complexity of data processing, the power of modern analytics and the "transformative" use of personal information drastically limit the awareness of consumers, their capability to evaluate the various consequences of their choices and to give a free and informed consent. To respond to the above, it is necessary to clarify the rationale of the "notice and consent" paradigm, looking back to its origins and assessing its effectiveness in a world of predictive analytics. From this perspective, the paper considers the historical evolution of data protection and how the fundamental issues coming from the technological and socio-economic contexts have been addressed by regulations. On the basis of this analysis, the author suggests a revision of the "notice and consent" model focused on the optin and proposes the adoption of a different approach when, such as in Big Data collection, the data subject cannot be totally aware of the tools of analysis and their potential output. For this reason, the author sustains the provision of a subset of rules for Big Data analytics, which is based on a multiple impact assessment of data processing, on a deeper level of control by data protection authorities, and on the different optout model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different approaches have been adopted in addressing the challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI), some centred on personal data and others on ethics, respectively narrowing and broadening the scope of AI regulation. This contribution aims to demonstrate that a third way is possible, starting from the acknowledgement of the role that human rights can play in regulating the impact of data-intensive systems. The focus on human rights is neither a paradigm shift nor a mere theoretical exercise. Through the analysis of more than 700 decisions and documents of the data protection authorities of six countries, we show that human rights already underpin the decisions in the field of data use. Based on empirical analysis of this evidence, this work presents a methodology and a model for a Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA). The methodology and related assessment model are focused on AI applications, whose nature and scale require a proper contextualisation of HRIA methodology. Moreover, the proposed models provide a more measurable approach to risk assessment which is consistent with the regulatory proposals centred on risk thresholds. The proposed methodology is tested in concrete case-studies to prove its feasibility and effectiveness. The overall goal is to respond to the growing interest in HRIA, moving from a mere theoretical debate to a concrete and context-specific implementation in the field of data-intensive applications based on AI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While GDPR has been described as the new gold standard for data protection, Convention 108 may represent the potential global standard in this field. The recent progressive expansion of the Council of Europe's model and the modernised version of the Convention have revitalised its role in the global context. In a multipolar world of different regulatory approaches where data protection legislation in many countries is still absent or in its early stages, Convention 108 could be seen as representing the embodiment of the Latin saying "in medio stat virtus". Between the extremes of a weak safeguarding of individual rights and a gold standard, Convention 108 provides a solution that is good enough and workable in many different contexts, without necessarily reaching a gold standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the guidelines set by the Council of Europe Data Protection Committee concerning data protection in the Big Data context. Topics covered include the importance of risk assessment procedures in data protection, the role of data protection authorities in supporting data controllers, and the provisions of the guidelines concerning the by-design approach and data subject's consent.