Protection of personal data in international law

Privacy has become one of the main problems of humanity since the existence of humanity. It is seen that the need for protection comes to the forefront in addition to basic needs such as food and shelter seen in people in ancient times. The need for self-preservation, which is required by the natural instinct of man, has turned into the need to protect its own information over time. As we will mention in the part of our study that we include the historical development of personal data, it is seen that the beginning of the need for the protection of the information of individuals is the obligation of some professionals to keep secrets. Until the development of computer technology, it is seen that humanity did not call this information protection motive 'protection of personal data'. With the inability of states to remain indifferent to these concerns regarding the protection of their citizens' personal data, it is observed that international legislation on the protection of personal data has started to emerge. In our study, some basic information about the protection of personal data, the historical process that brought humanity to the present level in the protection of personal data, and legal regulations for data protection in the international area are included.