On March 31, 2023, Professor David Erdos, Director of the Intellectual Property and Information Law Research Center at the University of Cambridge in the UK, was invited to give the first lecture at the Law & Technology Forum of Wuhan University, with the theme of "European Data Protection Law: Core Structure and Standards".
The lecture was hosted by Professor Fa Chen from King's College London Law School and Professor Hong Zhang from Wuhan University Law School. Associate Professor Le Cheng from the Law School of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Assistant Professor Huaxian Li from the Law School of Beijing Institute of Technology, and Associate Professor Kang Yuan from the Law School of Wuhan University served as discussants. More than 100 scholars from different countries and regions such as China, Canada, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom participated online.
The lecture was hosted by Professor Fa Chen from King's College London Law School and Professor Hong Zhang from Wuhan University Law School. Associate Professor Le Cheng from the Law School of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Assistant Professor Huaxian Li from the Law School of Beijing Institute of Technology, and Associate Professor Kang Yuan from the Law School of Wuhan University served as discussants. More than 100 scholars from different countries and regions such as China, Canada, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom participated online.
Associate Professor Le Cheng、Assistant Professor Huaxian Li and Associate Professor Kang Yuan provided in-depth comments on the lecture content separately. Associate Professor Le Cheng pointed out that protecting the openness and free flow of data is an incumbent responsibility of data protection laws. Balancing the interests of data processors, controllers, and individuals is actually ensuring fair access to data. Assistant Professor Huaxian Li thought that the introduction of GDPR is a legislative advancement for personal information protection worldwide, and emphasized the groundbreaking contributions of GDPR in the Transparency Principle and Consent System, particularly in terms of specific standards for transparency recognition and the refinement of legal requirements for data licensing. Associate Professor Kang Yuan brought up that, Cybersecurity Law, Data Security Law, and Personal Information Protection Law in China have laid a solid foundation for the construction of legal system for data protection in China, which cannot be separated from the reference of GDPR. They reflect the leading role of GDPR in global data protection and the common pursuit of fully protecting personal information from infringement worldwide. It should be emphasized that, in order to achieve a truly reasonable and sufficient data protection system, the establishment of a personal data protection system in China should pay attention to avoid the negative effects caused by high data processing costs. Similarly, Professor Fa Chen, the host, also believed that strict legal regulations may have a negative impact on the development of private enterprises.
LAW & TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE OF WUHAN UNIVERSITY
April 1, 2023
Professor David Erdos
David Erdos is Co-Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law (CIPIL) and University Associate Professor in Law and the Open Society (Grade 10) in the Faculty of Law and also WYNG Fellow in Law at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge. Before joining Cambridge in October 2013, David spent six years as a research fellow at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Faculty of Law and Balliol College, University of Oxford.
David’s current research explores the nature of Data Protection especially as it intersects with the right to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of information and freedom of research. In addition, David continues to have a research interest in bill of rights and related constitutional developments, especially in the UK and other ‘Westminster’ democracies.
David’s Data Protection and the Open Society project has developed arguments about the nature, substance and operation of the law by drawing on rigorous comparative empirical analysis using both quantitative and qualitative methods. This analysis, which draws on his background in both law and political science, has demonstrated that in terms of the application of Data Protection law to journalism, literature and the arts, large differences continue to be apparent between European Union countries. Moreover, such differences appear to reflect broader fissures in legal culture. Anglo and Germanic jurisdictions have tended to insulate journalism from Data Protection, whilst the law of Latin and East European jurisdictions stipulate onerous Data Protection standards even in this sensitive field. A strict approach here is also strongly correlated both with tight restrictions in the cognate fields of social science and biomedical research and with stringent formal Data Protection standards generally. At the doctrinal level, the project has explored, firstly, the difficulties of determining what sort of activities fall within the Data Protection derogation for journalism, art and literature and, more specifically, how Data Protection has affected the flow of information within research – an area where its stipulations are taken relatively seriously.
David’s consolidated research focuses on the origins and impacts of bills of rights especially in the UK and other Westminster-styled democracies (Australia, Canada, New Zealand). This work resulted in a publication of a single-authored OUP monograph, Delegating Rights Protection, in 2010. David’s academic work has received funding from a range of sources including the British Academy, Council of Europe, Economic and Social Research Council, European Union and Leverhulme Trust.
https://www.cipil.law.cam.ac.uk/people/cipil-directors
