Legal challenges in the digital age:: Big Data and democracy

Abstract

The advent of the digital era has brought with it countless challenges for the law. Technological developments and methods
such as Big Data analytics jeopardize the fundamental rights of citizens, particularly the right to privacy. The ease with which new technologies make it possible to share, process and analyse users’ personal data undoubtedly affects the intimate sphere of each person, but do they also have an impact on society at a macro level? This essay aims to analyse how data processing technologies can endanger democracy as we know it and to seek in public international law the tools to address this threat.