The 2020 ‘MY DATA IS MINE’ Award winner: Laura Somaini

EUROCONSUMERS IS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE 2020 ‘MY DATA IS MINE’ AWARD WINNER IS LAURA SOMAINI

This year, Euroconsumers is delighted to announce that the winner is Laura Somaini. Ms. Somaini’s essay contributes to the broader debate on the European digital ecosystem, focusing on consumers, consumer organisations, policymakers and industry groups.

Laura Somaini is an Associate at Pierstone Brussels, specialising in IT and data protection law, and conducts research in affiliation with CRIDES center of Université Catholique de Louvain. She holds a Law Degree from Bocconi University and an LL.M in EU Law from the College of Europe. She previously was a Research & Teaching Assistant at Bocconi University, focusing on constitutional law and digital privacy. She has authored  contributions on EU data protection law, non-personal data, online disinformation and internet regulation.

The Essay The EU legal framework has set a high bar for the fundamental right to data protection – not least by adopting what is now a global golden standard, the GDPR. In practice, however, it can be difficult to reconcile this right with the complex reality of data collection and its use practices. Against this backdrop, Laura’s winning essay proposes the most effective (and realistic) way to frame a consumer-friendly  relationship with one’s data. She also challenges  the importance of the shift towards a holistic approach to data protection, competition and consumer law in the digital economy’s context. This essay points out the opportunities of consumer collective redress and the role of stakeholder groups in realising this.

Read the essay here