The EU is committed to making the single market fit for the digital age. This far-reaching political strategy has many facets. One consists in providing the Digital Single Market with a suitable legal infrastructure. A comprehensive and well-structured body of rules is required to enhance the protection of consumers and data subjects, while ensuring businesses the legal certainty they need to invest in this field and support growth and innovation.

The essays collected in this book, based on a series of seminars hosted by the Department of Law of the University of Ferrara between March and May 2016, address the impact of digital technology on private law within the EU. The papers examine a variety of topics, including the EU approach to personal information (namely as a tradeable commodity and as the object of a fundamental right for the individuals concerned), the protection of consumers’ and users’ rights and the issues surrounding the emergence of the so called platform economy.

The analysis, while being concerned to a large extent with contract law issues, extends to data protection and copyright law. Private international law issues are equally considered.

As the editor of this collection, I wish to thank the authors for their enthusiastic participation in this project.

A special thank also goes to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, whose financial support has been crucial to the organisation of the seminars and the publication of this volume.