Module: Comparative Digital Law: Privacy Data & AI

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Comparative Digital Law: Privacy Data & AI
Module Code	LAW1064 (ITS: LG5046)
Faculty	Law & Government	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	10

Description

A growing body of law is emerging to address the challenges of the digital revolution. Ensuring the respect of fundamental rights in the digital society, such as the right to privacy, equality and non-discrimination, and freedom of information and expression, requires complex regulatory interventions addressing the power of public institutions and private multinational companies managing and selling online services. The European Union is playing a pioneering role in the field, recently proposing regulations on AI, online platforms, digital services, data governance, digital identity and cybersecurity. The EU regulatory model is being imitated by several countries around the world but at the same time alternative legal approaches have emerged in other jurisdictions, often generating situations of potential conflict of law. This module aims to offer a comparative analysis of digital law and policies, focusing in particular on three main regulatory areas: the protection of privacy in the digital context, the governance of the data-driven economy, and the regulation of AI technologies.

Learning Outcomes

1. Critically evaluate the emergence of digital acts in the EU and its potential impact on business, consumers, internet users and public bodies beyond EU borders.
2. Analyse the key challenges of protecting digital rights and sovereignty in Europe while avoiding imperialistic or colonialist attitudes towards non-EU countries.
3. Analyse and have a systematic understanding of the differences between the EU and the US approach to privacy law.
4. Critically assess ECtHR case law on data protection and privacy.
5. Analyse and have a systematic understanding of AI regulation in Europe.
6. Analyse and have a comprehensive understanding of recent EU regulatory and policy initiatives in the field of online services, cybersecurity, and data governance.
7. Critically understand the implications of digitalisation and digital regulation on the green transition.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	24	2 hour lecture, class participation expected
Independent Study	226	Preparatory readings for lectures, background readings for assessments, research, reading, completing assignment
Total Workload: 250

Section Breakdown
CRN	20618	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Edoardo Celeste	Module Teacher	Iain McMenamin, John Quinn

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Reflective journal	Critical reaction paper on three topics.	60%	n/a
Research Paper	Blogpost including a comparative analysis of a recent legislative development in the field of digital law in a non-EU country.	40%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Indicative content
International privacy models: EU, US and UK;

Digital constitutionalism in the EU: towards a progressive 'actification';

Brussels vs California effect: EU-US tensions in the data privacy field;

Global digital sovereignty tensions;

The right to privacy and the role of the ECtHR;

Regulating AI in Europe and beyond;

The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act;

Digital identity and Cybersecurity;

Connectivity and Open Data;

The interplay between the digital and green transition.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Anu Bradford: 2019, The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World, OUP, Oxford,
Edoardo Celeste: 2022, Digital Constitutionalism: The Role of Internet Bills of Rights, Routledge, New York,

Articles:

Luciano Floridi: 2021, The European Legislation on AI: a Brief Analysis of its Philosophical Approach, Philosophy & Technology, 34, 215, 0
2018: Digital Sovereignty Or Digital Colonialsim?, Sur International Journal on Human Rights, 15, 15,

Other Resources

None