Cyber Security and Surveillance

As internet based criminal activities increase and evolve, threatening both national security and the integrity of online commercial systems, there is a growing need to design secure and safe internet spaces. The multidisciplinary Security and Surveillance research team seeks to develop effective governance frameworks and policies to advance cyber security and support the work of technology managers and law enforcement agencies. The research group aims to identify and calibrate competing proprietary and public interests to develop workable solutions to cyber security and surveillance problems. Focus areas include:

Cyber security (Commercial)

• Due diligence and legal compliance
• Risk analysis
• Governance of cloud computing
• Data security
• Internet of things (IoT) regulation

Cyber security – (Government)

• Encryption
• Harmonisation of international cyber security laws
• Biometric data regulation
• Drones

Surveillance capitalism

• Monitorising of data
• Market concentration

Cryptocurrency regulation

• Governance of Bitcoin, Stablecoin
• Digital payment platforms

Data Privacy, Proprietorship and Security

As the exchange of personal digital data is an integral part of social and commercial interaction, there is a critical need to develop effective laws and policies to protect privacy. This challenge is accentuated by the constantly evolving nature of internet data gathering technologies and the ubiquitous sharing of personal data on social media. The Data Privacy research team analyses legal duties surrounding the collection, use and storage of data, analyses to what extent existing laws apply to new and emerging technologies and recommends reforms and strategies to address gaps in protection. Focus areas include:

Data privacy and emerging technologies

• Revising data laws to address tech change
• Fintech governance
• Health sector governance
• Right to data portability
• Right to be forgotten
• Right to explanation

Data privacy and social media

• Fake news
• Cyberbullying
• Digital citizenship

Big Data

• New legal frameworks of governance
• Interconnected databases
• Secondary use

Technological sovereignty

• Market concentration
• Nationhood in the modern “boundaryless” internet space

Data proprietorship

• Shift from privacy to property law
• Commercial return for data

Blockchain governance

Gig Economy, AI and Biotechnology

As technological innovations create digital market places where employment can be on a fluid contingent or freelance basis, traditional laws struggle to effectively govern labour relations. Further, as government and corporations increasingly utilise artificial intelligence (AI) in decision-making, it raises a variety of complex legal issues, including liability for AI-generated decisions and intellectual property in AI-created works. In such a context, the Gig Economy and AI research team advises on the likely application of present laws and contributes to designing new legal frameworks to encompass new and emerging technologies to support responsible digital citizenship. Focus areas include:

Gig economy and the future of work

• Legal status of gig workers
• Disruption of business models
• Effect on stakeholders – corporates, employees and unions

AI

• Algorithmic bias
• Maintaining legal standards of consent for automated-decisions
• Biometric data governance
• Robots – responsibilities and liabilities
• AI and EQ – responsibilities and liabilities

Biotechnology governance

• Patents to protect biotech innovations
• International licensing laws (Copyright)
• Geographical indicators (Trademarks)
• Plant Breeders legislation
• Technology transfer laws
• WTO governance
• Food security
• IP capacity building

Applied Digital Ethics

The Applied Digital Ethics research team develops ethical frameworks for the internet that can provide a philosophical basis for future law reform. The research team especially focuses on vulnerable groups in society, such children, the aged and minority groups, to ensure that such groups receive both adequate legal protection and an equitable share of the benefits of technological advancement. Focus areas include:

Inclusion

• Access to technology by vulnerable groups
• Digital divide
• Digital democracy

Social media governance

• Fake news
• Cyberbullying
• Consent and disclosure

Digital citizenship