Privacy and Data Governance

Privacy law exists at the intersection of many areas of law and is, perhaps more than most fields, constantly evolving. This course will introduce students to privacy law, starting with its fundamental principles and moving into contemporary challenges and debates. Students will learn about the public dimensions of privacy law (e.g. how legislatures, regulators and courts seek to protect privacy) as well as its private dimensions (e.g. how organizations, consumers and the general public deal with privacy questions).

Privacy has become a major issue for Internet users, technology companies, online businesses, researchers, and policy-makers around the world, as more and more personal information is collected, aggregated, shared, and used across a wide variety of contexts.  It is therefore impossible to explore and understand the legal implications of innovation and technology without addressing privacy. A major emphasis of this course will be on emerging technologies; accordingly, students will have the chance to discuss the privacy implications of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), social networking, surveillance (including facial recognition), online behavioural advertising, and more.

Course materials and discussions will explore the field from the perspectives of various stakeholders, including consumers, businesses and regulators.