1. Identify and explain legal issues relating to the global information society.
2. Analyse and evaluate policies, principles and rules which govern the regulation of the information society.
3. Identify and analyse a range of commercial, technological and other factors which impact on governance of the internet, effectively deploying and synthesising a range of sources which reflect the inter-relationship of Cyber Law with other fields of study
4. Communicate effectively in a manner appropriate to the intended audience and deploy digital skills to promote reader engagement with online textual communications.

The first element of assessment is a Blog. This reflects the importance of Cyber Law to everyone’s lives due to the global nature of cyberspace. Therefore, students will present a contemporary issue relating to the information society to a non-specialist audience in the form of a blog piece. This assessment incorporates online digital skills, requiring students to consider how to use digital design elements to engage a generalist reader with a complex topic, in an age in which we consume information in formats suited to the fast pace of the internet. Module tutors will support students to develop these skills and give guidance on the essential elements of an effective blog article. This blog will examine Learning Outcomes 1 and 4.

70% of the assessment weighting in this module will be for a coursework essay of 3000 words. This essay will require students to present an analysis of a legal issue and evaluate the way in which authorities have sought to regulate the internet in response to that issue. (Learning Outcomes 1 and 2) A key aspect of this coursework is the requirement to address the inter-disciplinary nature of the study of Cyber Law by the effective selection and synthesis of sources which reflect a range of relevant impact factors beyond the legal (Learning Outcome 3). This element of assessment will therefore require students to engage in independent learning and enquiry beyond the traditional confines of legal research.

This module addresses the legal issues which have arisen since the emergence of the internet. Online activity now dominates society commercially, culturally and technologically, and its rapid expansion has raised a whole host of legal issues relating to the regulation of online activity, including cyberspace as the location of criminal activity, and the interaction of existing human rights and legal principles with technology in an environment which permits rapid flow of data across national borders.

What is the information society?
The principle of neutrality
How is the information society regulated?
Domain names
Online speech and freedom of expression
Defamation and liability of ISPs
Cyber crime
Data protection
State surveillance

What has the impact of the internet been on existing principles of Law? How do we govern and regulate online activity, when data can be sent across national borders almost instantaneously? What opportunities for criminal activity has the internet created? How can our existing human and legal rights be protected in cyberspace? You will have an opportunity to explore all these questions on this module, which will introduce you to the exciting and fast-moving subject of Cyber Law, and the challenges of regulating a space we can’t see, but which has a huge impact on our lives.

The 39 face to face contact hours on this module will comprise a large group (1 hour) and a small group (2 hours) per week for one semester.

The large group teaching will take the form of a lecture. The module tutor will present the key concepts, theories, principles and regulations relating to topics in Cyber Law, directing students to consider developments and debates in the field. Lectures will also promote engagement with the subject knowledge by incorporating some active elements using a range of questioning techniques, including internet applications such as polls and quizzes.

The small groups will be taught as a mixture of workshops and seminars, to respond to different emphases on the range of topics. Workshops will focus more on developing subject knowledge and skills, including advice and support on the development of digital skills for the blog element of assessment. Seminars will focus more on reflection and responses to assigned readings in order to develop skills in synthesis and evaluation. Student may be required to research additional readings on a named topic, in order to expand the range of sources beyond traditional academic legal sources, in order to build an appreciation of the interplay between legal principles and a range of factors which would traditionally fall within other academic disciplines.

In all small group activities, the focus will be on active learning, and the co-construction of knowledge. Students will undertake a range of activities including independent, paired and group tasks. Students will be expected to engage in class discussions in seminars, responding to readings and points of view expressed by other students. Throughout the module there will be opportunities for students to build on previous learning of foundational legal principles, especially in the area of the Law of Torts, Human Rights, and Criminal Law.

Murray A, Information Technology Law: The Law and Society. (OUP 2019) - this textbook is available as part of the university library subscription to OUP’s Law Trove service.

Specific journal and book chapter readings will be assigned for each topic by the module tutors.

Clough J, Principles of Cybercrime (Cambridge University Press 2010) (available in university library)
Gillespie A, Cybercrime: Key Issues and Debates (Routledge 2019) (available as e-book from university library)

Legal databases: WestLaw and LexisNexis

Digital Law – law firm specialising in cyber law https://www.digitallawuk.com/
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers www.ICANN.org
Nominet - The Official Registry for UK Domain Names www.nominet.uk

E-journals available via university library:
Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal
International Journal of Law and Information Technology
International Review of Law, Computers and Technology
Journal of International Commercial Law and Technology

University of Richmond Journal of Law and Technology, and blog https://jolt.richmond.edu/