Digital Mare Nostrum - Mediterranean Digital Societies and Law

ended

Datafication of the physical and social environment, data-intensive systems, decision-making based on AI are reshaping our societies. This process has led EU legislator to significantly revise data protection and outline new legal frameworks on data governance and AI. Digital technologies must embed EU law values from the outset and students at technical universities must be aware of the EU legal framework, not as a set of constraints and technical requirements but as a set of principles to flourish fundamental rights for human-centred AI and data-driven technologies. In addition, the principles-based EU regulatory framework for digital societies needs to be considered in the light of the socio-cultural component impacting its implementation. To this end, this project focuses on the Mediterranean area addressing three main needs: i) strengthening the bridge between higher technical education and legal studies; ii) contextualising societal issues addressed by EU regulation; iii) fostering Mediterranean studies in computer law through an international network of experts. The main objectives are: i) to stimulate the interests of technical university students in EU regulation for digital innovation, contributing to a technical culture oriented towards EU values; ii) to generate knowledge and insights that can support EU policy-making with regard to Mediterranean data-driven societies, focusing on their socio-legal culture and contextual issues, such as tourism and responsible data use, humanitarian actions, maritime traffic data and non-personal archaeological data; iii) to foster dialogue between academia and civil society by involving relevant stakeholders in public debates; iv) to create a more intense dialogue between technology universities and society on EU digital strategies; v) to promote the dialogue between EU and non-EU Mediterranean countries, contributing to address common policy and cultural issues, such as migration and inclusive smart cities development.