Personal Data Protection in the Digital Economy:

New Challenges, Information Asymmetries, and the Need for a National Strategy

Abstract

The article analyzes personal data protection as a fundamental right in the context of the digital economy, examining its consolidation within the Brazilian legal system and the new challenges arising from the growing concentration of the capacity to collect, process, and use information. Based on bibliographical and documentary research, it addresses the evolution of privacy protection up to the recognition of informational self-determination. The article argues that the effectiveness of this right cannot depend solely on the individual exercise of rights by data subjects or on the isolated application of regulatory mechanisms. Finally, it proposes the formulation of a national strategy capable of coordinating regulation, enforcement, competition and consumer protection, scientific and technological development, and cooperation among state institutions, academia, civil society, and private actors.