$2m fund launched to support IT law policy

The NZ Law Foundation has launched the Information Law and Policy Project, a $2 million research fund that aims to support projects that develop law policy on IT, data, information and cyber security.

Law Foundation executive director Lynda Hagen says, “Technology affects virtually every area of our daily lives, and the pace of change has lawmakers and bureaucrats struggling to keep up.

“The global nature of information poses threats and opportunities for New Zealand – how we manage it and trade in it. What capabilities do we need to deal with cyber-crime, now a $400 billion global industry? How can citizens control the use of their data – and what is the impact of technology on our democracy?

The independent fund was launched with input from public and private interests, the Law Foundation says, and will bring together teams of experts to discuss issues.

Seven broad themes of inquiry have been identified and research projects will align with these:

1. The global nature of information – how we manage it and trade in it.

2. Cyber security and crime – what capabilities are needed to protect against this?

3. Social change following technological change – how is technology affecting society and how can the law keep up?

4. Ownership/exploitation of data – how can citizens control the use of their data?

5. Philosophical notions – looking at the impact of technology on the state and what that means for democracy and other constitutional issues.

6. The ethics of inference – algorithmic decision-making and its implications for society.

7. The exclusionary effect of technology – catering for citizens and business lacking the ability to access and unlock the benefits of technology.

The research teams will have around three years to complete their projects.

University law schools are collaborating with the foundation and other consultants include the government’s 2015 cyber-security strategy, InternetNZ, the Innovation Partnership, the Data Futures Partnership, Google New Zealand, Spark and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

Ms Hagen says other potential contributors include computer scientists, economists, sociologists, philosophers, IT and data specialists, business, cyber-security experts, Crown research institutes, civil society and users.

“While the rapidly evolving information landscape makes the development of lasting law and policy solutions especially challenging, we expect the projects to be future focused, to identify issues and propose solution frameworks,” Ms Hagen says.

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