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ARTICLE · 19 MAY 2022

The Data Act – "It's Not Personal, It's Just Business"

RDJ LLP
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In February 2020 the European Commission published its strategies for the use of data and artificial intelligence.

European UnionPrivacy
Ricky Kelly
Ricky Kelly
Lorcan Moylan Burke
Lorcan Moylan Burke
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Introduction

In February 2020 the European Commission published its strategies for the use of data and artificial intelligence. The objectives of its data strategy are to make the EU a "role model and leader for a society empowered by data". Recognising the amount of data that continues to be generated, which it estimates will increase from 33 zettabytes in 2018 to 175 zettabytes by 2025, and the underutilisation of that data, the European Commission has published draft legislation which will regulate the use and access of data generated in the EU, across all economic sectors.

In what is described as the "last horizontal building block of the Commissioner's data strategy", the  Data Act is intended to address the "legal, economic and technical issues" that lead to data being under-used. The new rules will make more data available for use/reuse and is designed to position the EU as a global leader in a data-agile economy. Significantly, the European Commission

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