DOI: 10.47743/jss-2025-71-5-1

Faculty of Law, „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași

Abstract: In a digital economy characterized by the continuous circulation of data between devices and cloud platforms, the issue of identifying the subject who exercises effective control over information becomes central. In this article, we will analyze the concept of data possession from an interdisciplinary perspective, located at the intersection of private law and technology, focusing on the institution of possession as a state of affairs.

Starting from the classical structure of possession (corpus and animus), the possibility of reinterpreting the elements through technical mechanisms is analyzed, by referring to both traditional legal theory and the new regulatory framework established by Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 (“Data Act”). The limits of the classical paradigm are highlighted, and a functional reconstruction of possession is proposed, centered on the notion of effective control over the „instances” of data.

Within this framework, cryptographic protocols such as Provable Data Possession (PDP) and Proofs of Retrievability (PoR) are integrated, which provide a technical expression of the corpus/animus relationship in the digital environment and allow the establishment, maintenance and verification of control over data.

Finally, through this approach, possession ceases to be an abstract concept and becomes a tangible criterion in the relations between the parties, providing a coherent framework that harmonizes the traditional landmarks of civil law with digital realities and the practical demands of the data-based economy.

Keywords: data possession, corpus, animus, possession

References:

Ateniese, G., et al., Provable Data Possession at Untrusted Stores, disponibil online la https://web.njit.edu/~crix/publications/pdp.pdf .

Boroi, G., Curs de drept civil. Drepturile reale principale, Ed. Hamangiu, 2013.

Boroi, G., Curs de drept civil. Partea generală, Ed. Hamangiu, 2021.

Carro, V., Riflessioni su possesso e costituto possessorio tra corpus e animus, Ed. Giapichelli, 2022

Cawthra, J., et al., Data Integrity:Detecting and Responding to Ransomware and Other Destructive Events, disponibil online la https://www.nccoe.nist.gov/publication/1800-26/VolA/ index.html.

Dumitrache, M., Sandu, I., Securitatea rețelelor și sisteme de comunicații în medii Smart în Revista Română de Informatică și Automatică 30(1), 2020, p. 61-70.

Fisher, W., et al., Data Confidentiality: Identifying and Protecting Assets Against Data Breaches, disponibil online la https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/ NIST.SP.1800-28.pdf

Genna, I., Prosperetti, E., et al., The Reachability of Data: a Legal Perspective, disponibil online la https://www.seeweb.it/files/White_Paper_The_reachability_of_data_ A_legal_perspective.pd.

Getzler, J., Roman Ideas of Land Ownership, disponibil online la https://ora.ox.ac.uk/ objects/uuid:ad7f3871-79de-4598-be5d-4109327c7fab/files/s79407z42p.

Macdonald, C., et al., AccNimbus: Scalable Proofs of Data Possession for Cloud Storage, disponibil online la https://dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3768725.3768733

Malaurie, P., Aynes, L., Bunurile, Ed. Wolters Kluwers, 2013.

Marinotti, J., Possessing Intangibles, în Northwestern University Law Review 1227, 2022

Moses, L., Who owns information? Law Enforcement Information sharing as a case study in conceptual confusion, în UNSW Law Journal Volume 43(2), 2020, p. 615-641;

Mulligan, C., Grimmelmann, J., Data Property, în American University Law Review, vol. 72, 2023.

Newman, C, Getting Possessive about Data, în George Mason University Legal Studies Research Paper Series, 24-19, 2024.

G. Pender-Bey, The Parkerian Hexad, disponibil online la https://cs.lewisu.edu/mathcs/ msisprojects/papers/georgiependerbey.pdf .

Shacham, H., Waters, B., Compact Proofs of Retrievability, disponibil online la https://eprint.iacr.org/2008/073.pdf .

Stoica, V., Drept civil. Drepturile reale principale, Ed. C.H. Beck, 2017.

Szilagyi, F., The necessity of data allocation: A plea for a private law (property law) perspective, în European Property Law Journal, vol. 10, is. 2-3, 2021.

Ungureanu, C.T., Drept internațional privat european în raporturi de comerț internațional, Ed. Hamangiu, 2021.

First Nations principles of OCAP- Ownership, Control, Access, Possession; disponibil online la https://fnigc.ca/ocap-training/ .

The Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act, disponibil online la https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-115publ141/pdf/PLAW-115publ141.pdf .

Explanatory Report to the Convention on Cybercrime, disponibil online la https://rm.coe.int/16800cce5b .

International Institute of Communications, Final countdown to data protection, disponibil online la https://www.iicom.org/intermedia/vol-43-issue-4/final-countdownto-data-protection/ .