In order to ensure a consistent and high level of protection of the rights and freedoms of natural persons with regard to the processing of such data and to remove the obstacles to flows of personal data in all Member States of the EU, the “General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)” was adopted in 2016. Today, the GDPR is the main legislation in the EU for the protection of personal data of the natural persons. Due to the increased value of personal data in EU Member States, the objective of the GDPR is to provide high level protection of the data while harmonizing data protection within the EU. Even though it aims at a high level of data protection, it is questionable whether it actually achieves this objective. Since the natural persons provide their personal data on Internet frequently in order to purchase a product, the protection of consumers’ personal data is a significant matter in practice. In order to throw light on this matter, this thesis inquires the protection of consumers’ data in the EU regarding electronic contracts with businesses. Within the context, the main point that is discussed in this work is whether the personal data protection provided under the GDPR is sufficient to protect consumers' data regarding electronic contracts with businesses and some possible solutions and proposals to reduce the deficiencies of the GDPR protection.

In light of the EU's commitment to making the Single Market fit for the digital age, leading scholars analyse new and urgent issues in the field of contract, data protection, copyright and private international law.

Compares the legislative frameworks in the EU, US, China and International Organisations applicable to e-commerce and highlights the main legal obstacles to the development of electronic contracts and signatures, as well as Internet jurisdiction and online dispute resolutions.

Regulation of electronic communications in the EU Member States is increasingly driven by European legislation. This title collects the key European legislation and other instruments pertinent to the electronic communications sector and in some cases is annotated by Francesco Liberatore and his colleagues at global law firm, Squire Patton Boggs. The timing of this title is particularly opportune as it includes: - The new EU Electronic Communications Code Directive - The Commission's Guidelines on market analysis and its recommendation on relevant markets - Significant measures (other Directives, Commission decisions and recommendations) integral to the regulatory framework - The BEREC Common Position on Remedies and other BEREC texts

The second edition of this highly recommended work addresses the interaction between conflict of laws, dispute resolution, electronic commerce and consumer contracts. In addition it identifies specific difficulties that conflicts lawyers and consumer lawyers encounter in electronic commerce and proposes original approaches to balance the conflict of interest between consumers' access to justice and business efficiency. The European Union has played a leading role in this area of law and its initiatives are fully explored. It pays particular attention to the most recent development in collective redress and alternative/online dispute resolution. By adopting multiple research methods, including a comparative study of the EU and US approach; historical analysis of protective conflict of laws; doctrinal analysis of legal provisions and economic analysis of law, it provides the most comprehensive examination of frameworks in cross-border consumer contracts.

The book analyzes the most relevant developments in the relation between contracts and technology, from automatically concluded contracts to today's revolutionary "smart contracts" developed through blockchain, which are beginning to and will increasingly disrupt many economic and social relations. First of all, the author offers a broad analysis of the peculiarities and evolution of the relation between contracts and technology. The main features and elements of electronic contracts are then examined in depth to highlight the specific rules applicable to them in the international comparative legal framework. In turn, the book provides a detailed explanation of the technology, economic and social dynamics, and legal issues concerning blockchain and smart contracts. The analysis focuses on the question of the legal nature of smart contracts, the issues posed by their development and the first legal solutions adopted in some countries. The comparative approach pursued makes it possible to focus attention on the first solutions adopted until now in various systems, with particular regard to the circulation of models and ideas and to the specificities of their local variations, in terms of e.g. applicable law and jurisdiction. In reviewing the characteristics of distributed ledger technologies, and in particular of the blockchain technology on which smart contracts are based, above all the peculiarities of the latter are taken into consideration, especially automatic execution and resistance to tampering, which simultaneously present significant opportunities and complex legal issues. A comprehensive framework is then provided to reconcile smart contracts with comparative contract law, in order to define the scope and specificities of their binding force, legal effectiveness and regulation in various legal systems. Lastly, with specific reference to the elements, pathologies and contractual remedies for smart contracts, the book examines the peculiarities of their application and the main issues that emerge in comparative contract law in order to promote their harmonized use, in keeping with the transnational nature of such a revolutionary tool.