This paper is part of Governing “European values” inside data flows, a special issue of Internet Policy Review guest-edited by Kristina Irion, Mira Burri, Ans Kolk, Stefania Milan. Introduction The entrenchment and establishment of particular rights has from the outset been part of the advancement of the European project and how the European Union (EU) has defined itself. References to ‘European values’ are often rooted in an understanding of this commitment to rights seen to uphold certain principles about democracy and the relationship between market, state and citizens. Although the notion that Europe is premised on a set of exceptional values is contentious, Foret and Calligaro argue …