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SOCIO LEGAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2003

INFORMATION LAW & CYBERSPACE STREAM

CALL FOR PAPERS

The last two decades have seen a phenomenal development in the extent and nature of the use of information technology and its impact upon our lives, with a corresponding expansion of all facets of the law in this field.  There has been  significant development in the law in the past few years in relation to many areas, including privacy and data protection with the introduction of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, e-voting and digital democratic development, and e-commerce as evidenced by the unveiling of new regulations in July of this year, implementing the EU E-Commerce Directive.

Hand-in-hand with these developments, there has been an increasing interest in  the effects of many of these powers on our lives, with focus upon rights, the impact of information technology on day-to-day life, business practices, constitutional framework, core values, morality and so forth.  

 This stream welcomes abstracts for papers with subject material within this area as very broadly defined, encompassing not only legal analysis, but also papers which place the relevant law and practice in its social, cultural and/or political contexts.  

These could address any area of the law in this field; examples may include:

·       development of information technology law in relation to privacy and data protection;

·       the implications of the use of technology by police forces to combat crime;

·       the law relating to defamation in the light of technological development;

·       issues surrounding the regulation of free speech on the internet;

·       the development of e-commerce law;

·       the implications of new e-commerce regulations for on-line services;

·       information technology and copyright;

·       changes in crime patterns as a result of the use of information technology

·       e-voting and e-democracy


 

or any other topic in this area.

Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be sent to the stream organisers:

Mark O'Brien
Deputy Director, Human Rights Research Centre
School of Social Science and Law
Sheffield Hallam University
Collegiate Campus
Sheffield
S10 2BP

Email: m.r.obrien@shu.ac.uk
Tel: 0114 225 5749

and

Chris Ashford
Legal Education Officer
Irwin Mitchell
St Peters House
Hartshead
Sheffield
S1 2EL

E-mail: ashfordc@irwinmitchell.co.uk
Tel: 0870 1500 100