Research

The research within IT law is influenced by technological developments and is therefore dynamic. It focuses on privacy, freedom of expression, right to government information, data protection, cyber security, state liability in cyber operations, legal aspects of the circular economy and electronic contracting. The research can be characterized as mainly legal, but also technical.

The research is linked to the education programme of the bachelor track and the master IT law. This increases the impact of research results and ensures that students get in touch with the research and the researchers themselves early and frequently.

STeP

STeP, the ‘Security, Technology and e-Privacy Research Group’, is an interdisciplinary team of researchers – from early stage researchers to advanced researchers - organised within the Department of Transboundary Legal Studies (TLS).

Characterization of the research

The research takes place in a field of law that can be characterized as functional, multidisciplinary, multilevel and cross-border. Under the influence of technological developments it answers questions about the suitability of the existing right to guarantee societal values - such as freedom, legal certainty, privacy, equality, democracy and autonomy - and contributes to legal development.

IT law is functional because viewed from technological developments it crosses the boundaries of classical jurisdictions. It raises questions about the enforcement of constitutional values ​​in a through technology changing society in which the relationship between government and citizen continues to digitize. Citizens are monitored by digital systems and decisions about their fate are taken with decision support systems. To what extent do these systems guarantee the safety of our communication and the functioning of our infrastructure? How far do the tentacles of developers of such systems reach when setting up our 'smart' cities in which government services partly depend on the cooperation with private parties that set up digital platforms for this purpose?

IT law is multidisciplinary because it operates on the crossroads of technological developments and legal principles. Technology and law can reinforce each other (e.g. privacy by design), but can they also conflict or lead to ambiguity. More and more agreements are concluded and executed automatically. What is the role of traditional legal concepts that characterize the legal relationship between the parties concerned and its legal effects in an electronic environment? What is the significance of sub-domains (such as intellectual property rights)?

IT law is multilevel and cross-border because it develops both nationally and under the influence of international and European law. Global technological developments can manifest itself differently depending on the geographical context. Not only is international comparison of interest, but research into local differences can provide insights into the influence of technology in a given context as well.