EVOLUTION OF LEGAL SUPPORT FOR INFORMATIZATION IN UKRAINE (1990S–2020S)

The article examines the evolution of legal support for informatization in Ukraine over three decades (1990s–2020s). Based on historical-legal, comparative-legal, and systemic approaches, four key stages of the development of the legal foundations of the information society are identified. The first stage (1990s) laid the basic legal framework for regulating information relations through the adoption of the Laws “On Information” (1992), “On Scientific and Technical Information” (1993), “On Information Protection in Automated Systems” (1994), and “On the National Informatization Program” (1998). The second stage (2000s) was characterized by institutional development and gradual systematization of legislation, including the regulation of electronic documents, digital signatures, telecommunications, and personal data protection, which created prerequisites for e-government. The third stage (2010s) reflected Ukraine’s European integration course and adaptation to EU standards, marked by the updated Law “On Information” (2011), the Law “On Access to Public Information” (2011), amendments to the Law “On Personal Data Protection” in line with GDPR, and the Law “On the Basic Principles of Cybersecurity” (2017). At the same time, instruments of e-democracy such as e-petitions and open data were introduced. The fourth stage (2020s) is associated with large-scale digital transformation within the “State in a Smartphone” policy, the adoption of the Law “On Electronic Communications” (2020), the Law “On the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure” (2020), the modernization of the legal framework for trusted services, as well as the development of digital identification and mobile services (Diia). The article emphasizes existing challenges: fragmentation and inconsistencies of the current legal framework, and insufficient regulation of artificial intelligence, Big Data, and blockchain. It substantiates the need for codification in the form of an “Information Society Code” to unify legislation and ensure harmonization with the EU acquis, particularly the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act.