Rethinking Code As Personal Data: A Holistic Legal Perspective

Büşra ÖZKAYA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD 7

TABLE OF CONTENTS. 11

TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS . 13

INTRODUCTION 15

Background and Problem Statement 15

Research Question and Sub-questions .26

Literature Review 26

Methodology and Methods 30

Outline of Chapters31

RELEVANT LEGAL MECHANISMS . 33

Current Legal Framework33

Code as Personal Data38

Elements of Personal Data Concept under the GDPR38

Applying the Elements of Personal Data Concept to

Code.40

a) Code is Information 40

b) Code Relates to a Natural Person .42

c) Requirement of Being Identified or Identifiable47

Conclusion 48

III. IMPLICATIONS OF CONSIDERING CODE AS PERSONAL DATA. 51

Prospective Implications 51

Conclusion.58

SCRUTINIZING THE CODE IS PERSONAL DATA ARGUMENT 59

Applying the Key Principles of the GDPR to Code .59

The Lawfulness, Fairness and Transparency Principles60

12 Table of Contents

a) The Lawfulness Principle 60

b) The Fairness Principle 64

c) The Transparency Principle. 71

The Accountability Principle 79

A Holistic Examination 80

CONCLUSION 83

BIBLIOGRAPHY  85