디지털 환경에서의 개인정보 보호 법제에 관한 연구 : 유럽연합 일반개인정보보호규칙과 독일 법제를 중심으로

AI-based digital payment and settlement systems have enhanced digital financial accessibility and convenience for system users; however, they have also increased the need to reconstruct security frameworks capable of responding to the misuse and abuse of related information. In this regard, an examination of Germany’s information protection laws, which are established on the basis of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, can provide institutional approaches to ensuring the rights of data subjects. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union governs the protection of personal data by adhering to the principles of data minimisation, accuracy, and storage limitation. Germany’s personal data protection framework promotes substantive equity and digital inclusion by applying differentiated levels of information protection to prevent excessive data collection and high-risk data processing, particularly with respect to digitally vulnerable groups. This approach offers important implications for the development of information protection governance in South Korea, where the deepening digital divide is being exacerbated by the advent of a super-aged society. Furthermore, the German Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz) clearly defines the roles and powers of data protection officers and explicitly assigns responsibility for guaranteeing the rights of data subjects and enforcing data protection, thereby establishing the public responsibility of information protection. By drawing on Germany’s regulatory framework for data protection supervisory authorities, South Korea should proactively develop measures enabling the Personal Information Protection Commission to effectively implement information protection guidelines tailored to vulnerable groups on the basis of institutional independence and professional expertise. Strengthening supervisory functions on this foundation—along with the implementation of education and public awareness campaigns and other customised support policies—will be essential to the effective realisation of informational self-determination and the sustainable development of a digital society.