The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the legal nature of the category of “information” in Ukrainian legislation and legal doctrine, taking into account contemporary international standards. It highlights the multifaceted character of information as an object of legal relations, encompassing various dimensions – from a non-property good to an economic resource. The methodological basis of the study is a comparative legal analysis of the norms of current Ukrainian legislation and doctrinal approaches of both domestic and foreign scholars. The evolution of the concept of information is examined: from a narrow understanding as “data or facts recorded on tangible media” to its modern interpretation as a dynamic structure that includes personal data, results of intellectual activity, digital assets, and objects of constitutional rights to access and dissemination. The study identifies key properties of information – intangibility, marketability, and confidentiality – which determine the specific legal regime of information and complicate the process of regulatory unification. The article proposes an original three-tiered approach to the definition of information, integrating three doctrinal models: (1) information as a non-property good; (2) information as an object of legal relations; and (3) information as a resource and commodity in civil turnover. Particular attention is paid to the constitutional dimension, where information rights are divided into two groups: “information rights” (freedom of expression, secrecy of correspondence, etc.) and the “right of access to information” (transparency and openness of public authorities). The findings reveal the fragmentation of national legislation: a conflict persists between public law (access to public information) and private law (intellectual property), which creates regulatory gaps in the sphere of digital legal relations, particularly with regard to big data and AI-generated content. Based on this, the article substantiates an original definition: “Information is data or knowledge that reflect facts, events, phenomena, or processes, can be expressed in various forms (oral, written, electronic, visual, etc.) and exist on different media, have a dynamic intangible nature, and constitute an object of legal relations requiring specific approaches and flexible regulatory norms.” It is argued that harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with international standards, in particular the GDPR and ISO/IEC, is a necessary condition for the formation of a coherent system of information law. Such an approach would ensure proper protection of personal data, strengthen cybersecurity, foster the development of digital assets and the innovation-driven economy, and guarantee a balance between the right to information and the right to privacy in the modern information society.
A 2025 study studied this question.