Assessing the Security of Privacy Rights and Data Protection in Albania: A Critical Analysis Within the European Legal Framework

This paper adopts an analytical approach to the regulation of the right to privacy within the normative foundations of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), offering a comparative perspective with the Albanian legal framework. The paper elucidates the reasons that led to the enforcement of the GDPR and delves into the challenges arising in the field of data protection due to technological advancements. The comprehension of the GDPR approach will serve as a benchmark for comparing the progress of the implementation of data protection in Albania. This discussion will underscore the ongoing process of legislation harmonization with the EU 'Acquis communautaire', aiming to pinpoint potential disparities between the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Albanian Law on Data Protection. The paper will scrutinize various data protection breaches occurring from 2021 to 2022 in Albania, events that cast doubt on the legal framework concerning the right to privacy and its practical implementation. These instances of data breaches illuminate the challenges within the legal framework and its execution, underscoring the vulnerability of the state in the face of technological advancements. This emphasizes the imperative for proactive measures to enhance the protection of personal data and the right to privacy.