London School of Economics (LSE)

These notes consider how pornographic and obscene content, as well as criminal speech, is regulated in the informational society. It analyses the distinction between indecent content and obscene content and examines how the law applies to child abuse images as well as pseudo-images. How should we regulate the problem of online obscenity and indecency? Who should be responsible? Is this a legal issue or a code issue?

The internet is the greatest tool and forum for human creativity ever developed. It allows us to be creative in a way unlike any other tool and it allows for the sharing of the fruits of our creativity and fore collaborative creativity in a way we never imagined possible. Terms such as user-generates content, remix, fanfiction and many others have entered our conscience. However, every creative act may be seen by copyright holders to be a destructive act or an act of parasitical creation. How do...

The extent to which state surveillance of electronic communications is permissible has been the subject of much debate since Edward Snowden's revelations in the Summer of 2013. State surveillance raises critical questions about how the balance should be struck between the individual's right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence and the State's duty to investigate and thwart serious criminal threats. Here, we will examine the legal framework applicable t...

Broadly, these notes will examine such challenges and identify how the law has sought to regulate automated decision-making. We examine the privacy and public policy implications of employing algorithmic processes to profile individuals and to make decisions of legal impact.

These notes introduce two key philosophies underpinning freedom of expression, including freedom of expression online. The US philosophy, 'the marketplace of ideas', envisages minimal governmental intervention in order to preserve freedom of thought, autonomy and democratic speech. The European philosophy allows for governmental content regulation provided certain safeguards are present. Such differing philosophies regarding the relative value of free speech when balanced with other rights and...

The main theme of these notes will be the increasing ‘datafication’ of children online and special attention is given to children’s rights to privacy and data protection. We will then move on to the specific protection for children’s personal data as provided by data protection law. Containing lecture notes, academic discussion and class notes, these notes reflect on how to interpret the GDPR in a children’s rights-inspired manner and what this means in practice.

Containing lecture notes, class notes, academic discussion and textbook notes, these notes consider in what ways it can be said that the data protection regime is broad in scope and what objectives such a broadly framed data protection regime seeks to achieve.

States retain control over how their citizens behave in the online environment through a host of laws and regulatory initiatives. Cyber-paternalism has prevailed in this way. Moreover, the divide between countries on critical matters such as online freedom of expression is not a new issue. However, in recent years States have become more vocal in their ambitions for network and, more commonly, data sovereignty, with China and Russia being two good examples. However, other regional initiatives re...

Containing lecture notes, class notes, textbook notes and academic discussion, these notes discuss whether platforms should be held responsible for the illegal content they host and, in particular, what the shift from intermediary liability exemption to a more active duty of care would entail.

Lecture notes, class notes, academic articles and textbook notes. Ideal for exams, coursework and essays. The debate on net neutrality is a debate on the future shape of the internet. It questions whether the internet should remain open and impartial by treating all data packets (irrespective of their content, destination or source) in an identical manner or whether Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can differentiate between data packets when transferring them in order to achieve certain aims ...