HumenhukCIPP/E Study Guide
Ch 3.1 - Background

Background to European data protection law

Reviewed by Victor Humenhuk. Published . Reviewed .

European data protection law grew out of fears that new technologies - phone-tapping, surveillance, large mainframe computers - threatened individual privacy. The field has roots reaching back to 1970, when the German state of Hesse passed the first regional law; the first national law followed in Sweden in 1973. A serious, concerted European approach only began in the early 1980s.

A 1968 Council of Europe Recommendation already warned that techniques like phone-tapping, eavesdropping, surreptitious observation and subliminal advertising were a threat to the right to privacy. As mainframe computers spread, organisations gained efficiency, but individual rights came under pressure.

Early milestones in European data protection
YearMilestone
1968Council of Europe Recommendation warns of technological threats to privacy
1970German state of Hesse introduces first regional data protection law
1973Sweden introduces the first national data protection law
Early 1980sEurope begins a serious, concerted approach to regulation
Exam trap

Watch the dates: Hesse 1970 is the first regional law; Sweden 1973 is the first national law. Do not swap them.

Key terms - quick answers

What is “Hesse”?
German state that introduced the first regional data protection law in 1970.
What is “Mainframe computers”?
Large early computers whose rise in the public and private sectors drove the perceived threat to privacy.
What is “Council of Europe”?
International human-rights body (separate from the EU) that issued early privacy recommendations and resolutions.

Sources and study method

This independent lesson uses active recall, spaced retrieval and scenario practice. Read the full study method.