For some, data protection is a proud export product of the EU. For others, it is a technical and bureaucratic burden nobody needs. It has been several decades since the first data protection laws were adopted; the debate is mostly centred around specific legal provisions and their interpretations. However, what objectives does data protection serve as a fundamental right of both procedural and substantial nature? Are we on the right track to meet them? In simple words, what is the point of data protection, and what is the state of it?

To identify the ultimate goals of data protection, we will debate here, among others, the following questions. Why do we need data protection? Is data protection an answer to the societal challenges of the digital world? If so, to which ones? What is data protection protecting that cannot be secured through other means?

We will then move to the implementation of data protection laws in practice. Are there some limitations to data protection that stops from achieving its perceived objectives? Are there misconceptions about the aims of data protection, and who is prone to them? Is there unused potential in data protection? What is it that data protection offers that is still to be fulfilled?