Internet law is the fast-moving field concerning how we govern human activities and emerging digital technologies online. Lawyers are key players at this pivotal moment of human history, as our increasingly digitalised and networked society faces key regulatory choices in the face of unprecedented societal challenges. Internet Law and Policy is a new module at UCL. Laws designed to equip lawyers with the skills they need to navigate this daunting but exciting task.

The internet has radically and rapidly lowered barriers to global information communication and dissemination. Billions of people use it daily to communicate and access goods and services. In its earliest days, almost 50 years ago, the founders of the internet often believed that the internet could not or should not be regulated by governments. Today, in contrast, the internet and the law meet — often accompanied by fireworks — in a growing range of areas including government surveillance, electronic commerce, privacy, cybercrime and freedom of expression. The internet raises novel policy challenges and often requires new conceptual frameworks, which are still in rapid flux and development today. Internet lawyers require an appreciation and understanding of many legal, technical and political domains to successfully navigate the field.

In Internet Law and Policy, we will focus on some of the thorniest questions of the day. Who should be responsible for material posted online? Are 'data giants' such as Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft a threat to fundamental rights, and what is the role of the law in addressing this? How is personal information and privacy governed across the world? Is a 'right to be forgotten' possible or desirable? Does the use of predictive systems, AI and machine learning create exciting societal opportunities, or entrench structural injustice? Should the law ensure the internet is available on an equal basis to all, or are some websites and apps more equal than others? Are practices of government surveillance online compatible with human rights? The module would complement studies or interests in information, privacy and data protection, human rights, competition and corporate power, accountability, discrimination, equality and justice.

At the end of this module, students will have a firm understanding of the legal frameworks and case-law relevant to the topics studied. They will have the ability to analyse existing, new and emerging technologies and extract the legally relevant aspects and dynamics --- a key skill for internet lawyering. Students will also be able to critically appraise the trajectories and political choices ahead for the governance of the internet. Students will also benefit from guest lectures and talks from top internet and data lawyers, policymakers and civil society leaders. Readings will be drawn from many disciplines outside of law, including public policy, social science and computer science, but no background knowledge in any of those areas will be necessary. It will be assessed by a combination of an extended essay and a take-home exam.



Recommended texts:

Lilian Edwards (ed.) Law, Policy and the Internet (Hart 2019)

Andrew Murray, Information Technology Law: The Law and Society (OUP 2019)

Ian Brown and Christopher T Marsden, Regulating Code (MIT Press 2013)