The narrative of data privacy protection degrading the innovative potential of smart technology is ongoingly utilized to serve quite different special interests. It is worthwhile, however, to point out that such an automatism does not exist. Rather trivial is the notion of restrictive regulation raising the cost of innovation - but cost of innovation is not the same as worth of innovation. 

Even in times of a crisis as we are experiencing it actually, the smart combination of data privacy protection and technology enables innovative approaches to and, as can be expected, solutions for the problem of using data of individuals for the good of the public, involving artificial intelligence, but without dissolving data privacy. The Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing, PEPP-PT, set to support the containment of the virus infections' propagation, is an excellent exemplification. And, by the way, this initiative underlines the value of cooperation as opposed to the reductionist ways of nationalism.