The idea of informational self-determination and personal data protection in Ukrainian law

Andrii Hachkevych; Andrii Hachkevych

The idea of informational self-determination and personal data protection in Ukrainian law

Andrii Hachkevych

Received: 27.10.2025 Revised: 02.04.2026 Accepted: 30.04.2026 Published: 29.05.2026 https://doi.org/10.63341/2786-491X-2026-1-29 4 Views

Abstract

The field of personal data protection is becoming increasingly important, as the processing of information that can identify an individual has become common. Such processing is highly automated, raising a question about the effectiveness of personal data protection in the age of artificial intelligence. The answer to this concern depends, in part, on understanding the fundamental reasons behind the special status of personal data. This article aimed to examine current legal frameworks for the relations regarding personal data protection in Ukraine. It focused on the idea of informational self-determination and explored why and how individuals can control the collection and processing of their personal information. To achieve this goal, the following research methods were used: analysis and synthesis, structural and logical generalisation, and formal legal method. The results of the study revealed that the concept of informational self-determination is related to the right of every person to independently decide whether their personal information can be processed. The study analysed the interrelation between informational self-determination and privacy, while the former serving one of the theoretical models for understanding the nature of rights regarding personal data and justifying the requirement of non-interference in personal and family life. It was found that although the idea of informational self-determination originated in 1983, it still remains an important theoretical basis for studying data protection issues. The study substantiated the need to improve Ukraine’s legislation on personal data protection, as it has become more difficult for individuals to maintain control over personal data. The findings are significant for both law-making and law application within the field of personal data protection, as well as for advancing scientific research

Keywords

privacy; non-interference in private life; German Federal Constitutional Court; Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection”; artificial intelligence; personal data processing

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Hachkevych, A. (2026). The idea of informational self-determination and personal data protection in Ukrainian law. Philosophy, Economics and Law Review, 6(1), 29-39. https://doi.org/10.63341/2786-491X-2026-1-29