The course addresses the multi-faceted regulatory challenges of the data economy in the context of societal transitions. It aims to provide students with a critical understanding of the risks and perils of a data-driven society, as well as with awareness of the legal and regulatory options to mitigate those risks. Students will acquire knowledge of the applicable legal framework (with particular reference to informational privacy, human rights, competition law and data protection) and will be introduced to the challenges of applying legal principles to factual scenarios emerging from societal transitions, such as smart cities, self-driving vehicles, mobility-on-demand. In this connection, the course will pay particular attention to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the way in which Courts and Data Protection Authorities have interpreted legal principles in relation to Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

Having completed the course, the student is expected to be able to: - identify and ascertain key ethical issues related to the use of data and their impact on the IT industries, the users and the civil society. - engage critically with the complex and multi-faceted regulatory frameworks on the use of data and the legal and ethical issues that arise. - consider and evaluate the societal transitions in a reflective manner, including an evaluation of policy and regulatory options for maximizing the worth and minimizing risk of data-driven technologies. - demonstrate effective dissemination of findings to professional and academic standards.

The course focuses initially on data ethics and then moves on to discuss how the legal framework applies to factual scenarios, with specific reference to the GDPR. Indicative content: - Data and information: definitions - Digital transition and the issues with the “datafication” of human societies - Data monopolies and competition law issues - Responsible data processing and sharing - Personal data in the context of informational privacy - The principles and structure of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - The requirement of informed consent - The right to be forgotten - Automated decision making and the issue with algorithmic bias - Data portability and interoperability

The first part of the course consists of frontal lectures to introduce the main concepts and the legal framework. The remaining part consists of seminars and students’ presentations on specific issues, followed by discussion. Master classes with experts will also be part of the programme.

Students are expected to consult a general textbook on data protection law: Denis Kelleher, EU Data Protection Law (Bloomsbury). Other recommended reading for this course include: - Markus Dubber and Frank Pasquale (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Ethics of AI (Oxford University Press, 2020) - Frank Pasquale, The Black Box Society (Harvard University Press, 2015) - Maurice Stucke and Allen Grunes, Big Data and Competition Policy (Oxford University Press, 2016) - Ariel Ezrachi and Maurise Stucke, Virtual Competition (Harvard University Press, 2016) - Jaron Lanier, Who Owns the Future? (Penguin Books, 2015) - Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (Profile Books, 2019) - Viktor Mayer-Schonberger and Kenneth Cukier, Big Data (Murray, 2013)

Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato scritto individuale;

Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual essay;

... Oral presentation (20% of the mark): will be through an individual 20-minutes oral presentation. Each student will be given a specific topic of discussion, covering one of the major areas of data ethics and protection that will be addressed during the lectures. Students will present the main points of the allocated topic in 20 minutes, gaining credit for providing a careful explanation and analysis of the applicable legal rules and principles. All presentations will be followed by a Q & A session with the peers. Oral presentations will take place during seminars for this course. Individual essay (80% of the mark): An assignment (3,000 words) discussing one question about data ethics and protection.

Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.

Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato scritto individuale;

Oral presentation (20% of the mark): will be through an individual 20-minutes oral presentation. Each student will be given a specific topic of discussion, covering one of the major areas of data ethics and protection that will be addressed during the lectures. Students will present the main points of the allocated topic in 20 minutes, gaining credit for providing a careful explanation and analysis of the applicable legal rules and principles. All presentations will be followed by a Q & A session with the peers. Oral presentations will take place during seminars for this course. Individual essay (80% of the mark): An assignment (3,000 words) discussing one question about data ethics and protection.

Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato scritto individuale;

Oral presentation (20% of the mark): will be through an individual 20-minutes oral presentation. Each student will be given a specific topic of discussion, covering one of the major areas of data ethics and protection that will be addressed during the lectures. Students will present the main points of the allocated topic in 20 minutes, gaining credit for providing a careful explanation and analysis of the applicable legal rules and principles. All presentations will be followed by a Q & A session with the peers. Oral presentations will take place during seminars for this course. Individual essay (80% of the mark): An assignment (3,000 words) discussing one question about data ethics and protection.