"This Regulation respects all fundamental rights and observes the freedoms and principles recognised in the Charter as enshrined in the Treaties, in particular the respect for private and family life, home and communications, the protection of personal data, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression and information, freedom to conduct a business, the right to an effective remedy and to a fair trial, and cultural, religious and linguistic diversity."

GDPR Recital 4

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been in force since 25 May 2018 – a law with a long history that is sometimes referred to as the ‘privacy law’. But is that correct? What is privacy exactly? And how does privacy relate to data protection? In this module you will discover the connection between the GDPR and the fundamental right to privacy and learn about when and how the GDPR applies.


The GDPR is a very special law indeed! To discover the topics covered in this module and to test your previous knowledge, we will once again start with a short quiz.



The GDPR consists of more than 150 pages, with 99 articles describing the legal framework for the handling of our personal data. In this module you will learn about the main GDPR principles and articles relating to the performance of scientific research and we will also explore:

  • The difference between privacy and data protection
  • The purpose and operation of the GDPR, including in an international context
  • The reasons why the GDPR is technology neutral

Good luck!