This edited collection brings together a series of interdisciplinary
contributions in the field of Information Technology Law. The topics
addressed in this book cover a wide range of theoretical and practical
legal issues that have been created by cutting-edge Internet
technologies, primarily Big Data, the Internet of Things, and Cloud
computing. Consideration is also given to more recent technological
breakthroughs that are now used to assist, and -- at times -- substitute
for, human work, such as automation, robots, sensors, and algorithms.
The chapters presented in this edition address these issues from the
perspective of different legal backgrounds. The first part of the book
discusses some of the shortcomings that have prompted legislators to
carry out reforms with regard to privacy, data protection, and data
security. Notably, some of the complexities and salient points with
regard to the new European General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR)
and the new amendments to the Japan's Personal Information Protection
Act (PIPA) have been scrutinized.
The second part looks at the vital role of Internet intermediaries (or
brokers) for the proper functioning of the globalized electronic market
and innovation technologies in general. The third part examines an
electronic approach to evidence with an evaluation of how these
technologies affect civil and criminal investigations. The authors also
explore issues that have emerged in e-commerce, such as Bitcoin and its
blockchain network effects.
The book aims to explain, systemize and solve some of the lingering
legal questions created by the disruptive technological change that
characterizes the early twenty-first century.
