NWI-IMC006
Law in Cyberspace
Course infoSchedule
Course moduleNWI-IMC006
Credits (ECTS)6
CategoryMA (Master)
Language of instructionEnglish
Offered byRadboud University; Faculty of Science; Informatica en Informatiekunde;
Lecturer(s)
Lecturer
dr. R.M. Gellert
Other course modules lecturer
Examiner
prof. mr. F.J. Zuiderveen Borgesius
Other course modules lecturer
Lecturer
prof. mr. F.J. Zuiderveen Borgesius
Other course modules lecturer
Coordinator
prof. mr. F.J. Zuiderveen Borgesius
Other course modules lecturer
Contactperson for the course
prof. mr. F.J. Zuiderveen Borgesius
Other course modules lecturer
Academic year2020
Period
KW1-KW2  (31/08/2020 to 24/01/2021)
Starting block
KW1
Course mode
full-time
RemarksStudents for whom the course is compulsory in their programme have first access.
Registration using OSIRISYes
Course open to students from other facultiesYes
Pre-registrationNo
Waiting listNo
Placement procedureIn order of Study programme
ExplanationIn order of Study programme
Aims
Students will be able to:
- detect legal issues and distinguish them from the ethical, political and technical dimensions of a problem
- locate and interpret relevant legal sources (statutes, case law, doctrinal texts, international conventions, EU Directives)
- Apply legal rules, for instance regarding privacy and data protection, in situations that are relevant for computer scientists
Content
  • What makes law relevant for computer science experts?
  • What is the difference between law, morality and politics?
  • How do computational technologies change the playing field of traditional written law?
  • What law applies to the sharing of personal data with a company established in the US, e.g. Google?
  • Which investigative techniques can be employed lawfully by the police?  
  • How can citizens contest violations of privacy?
  • Can computer systems discriminate people unfairly, and if so: how should lawmakers react?  
 
These types of questions are discussed during the course Law in Cyberspace.

This course aims to provide computer and information scientists with an overview of the legal domain and a reflection on the fundamental changes in the legal system due to the emerging computational infrastructure.
 
We start with a general introduction to law in a constitutional democracy. We discuss the characteristics of private, public and criminal law. We examine how deterritorialization brought about by the internet affects the relationship between national and international jurisdiction. 
 
The core part of the course focuses on some topical issues for computer scientists, such as privacy, data protection, discrimination, e-commerce, cybercrime, freedom of expression, and the regulation of platforms.
 
We also investigate challenges and opportunities for building legal protection into the technological infrastructure.
Level

Presumed foreknowledge
No specific prior knowledge of law is required. If you want to prepare for the course, you can read these books: (i) Mireille Hildebrandt, Law for Computer Scientists and Other Folk, Oxford University Press 2019, https://lawforcomputerscientists.pubpub.org (ii) Hage, Jaap, Waltermann, Antonia, Akkermans, Bram (Eds.), Introduction to Law, Springer 2017 ISBN: 978-3-319-57252-9. It is available as an ebook in the university library.
Test information
Written exam. Possibly, there will also be assignments during the course.
Specifics
This course is an optional course in the security master specialisation.
Required materials
Learning Management System (Brigthspace)
We will study from his book: Mireille Hildebrandt, 'Law for Computer Scientists and Other Folk', Oxford University Press 2020. (Open access version here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/law-for-computer-scientists-and-other-folk-9780198860884?cc=nl&lang=en&# )

Instructional modes
Course occurrence

Project

Tests
Exam
Test weight1
Test typeExam
OpportunitiesBlock KW2, Block KW3, Block KW4