The European Union’s framework for privacy protection was established by the Data Protection Directive of 1995, and the term ‘Privacy Enhancing Technologies’ (PETs) was coined around that time also. Many believe that PETs have tremendous potential to simplify compliance and promote adherence to Data Protection principles, but a number of legal issues arising from the interpretation of the Directive and its transposition into national law remain unresolved. This talk will summarise the main elements of the Directive and it’s grounding in European human rights law, and explore some of the technical and legal issues which may require further harmonisation in order for the benefits of PETs to be realised.