The data-driven home: towards a more coherent regulatory framework for smart homes in the European Union

The rapid proliferation of smart home technologies transforms the private domestic sphere into a key site of data generation, raising complex regulatory challenges in the European Union. This article examines how EU law – particularly the GDPR, Data Act, and ePrivacy framework – conceptualizes and regulates data produced within smart homes. We highlight tensions between privacy protection and innovation, the treatment of personal versus non-personal data, and the difficulties posed by multi-user household contexts. While current frameworks provide important safeguards, they remain fragmented and insufficiently tailored to the unique social and interpersonal dimensions of domestic data flows. We argue for a more coherent regulatory approach that balances innovation with privacy and recognizes the home not only as a space of intimacy but also as a site of data-driven economic activity.