Els de Busser is an associate professor of Information Law at IViR and programme director of the Master’s programma Information Law, which marks its 20th anniversary this year.
‘I think the future of this Master’s is assured because information is such a broad and relevant topic.’
Welcome to the UvA. What did you do before this?
‘My academic journey has been primarily in the field of criminal law, with a strong emphasis on information. This interest has been a constant in my research and teaching. My Doctoral research focused on the role of information and personal data protection in EU-US criminal justice cooperation. What truly fascinates me is the exchange of information between countries with starkly different perspectives on data protection and privacy.
Before my switch to the UvA, I worked for 8 years for the Cybersecurity Governance Group at the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs at Leiden University. That sounds like a foray from the legal field, but you can see it as a different approach to security. The step from personal data protection and privacy to cybersecurity is not that big. Sometimes, privacy is compromised by the way it is violated. That has a legal intersection.’
You are the new Information Law programme director. What does the position entail?
‘My position mainly focuses on liaising between lecturers and subject coordinators, but also with the education director. The Master’s Information Law is solid as a house and has been for 20 years. We are not going to tamper with its foundations. However, you can see that information and information law have broadened over the years thanks to digitalisation.
As programme director, I can contribute ideas about the curriculum and make suggestions for educational innovation. Not only in terms of subjects but also in terms of teaching methods or other issues that are strongly related to information. Think of the digitalisation of information. Information will play a huge role in many ways, including in civil, commercial, and criminal justice environments, in combination with technology. New questions are constantly arising. I think we need to incorporate those new questions into the curriculum in time.’
Can you name an example?
‘ChatGPT uses information from other sources. Which raises questions, both in education and society. Think of intellectual property rights, plagiarism, and fraud, but also people described by ChatGPT in incorrect terms. It could be defamation or defamation of honour.
Not only artificial intelligence but also quantum computing raises new questions. We don’t know what will happen to information and how it will be processed in 10 years. We are careful not to miss those questions and to fit them properly into the curriculum.’
The Master’s Information Law is celebrating 20 years. What do you expect for the future?
‘Information needs to be protected. Maybe we will focus more on that because digitalisation has a lot of impact. However, the use and processing of information also remain a theme. I think the future of this Master’s is assured because information is such a broad and relevant topic. Everyone, every company, every government, works with information.’
How will the 20th anniversary of the Master’s Information Law be celebrated?
‘On 4 October, there will be a festive event where we will reflect on the growth of the Master’s with several speakers. What does the Information Law programme look like today? We will also highlight different sides of the Master’s. I think it will be an exciting afternoon!’
About Els de Busser
After her PhD at Ghent University, Els de Busser worked as head of the European Criminal Law Department at the Max Planck Institute in Freiburg after her PhD at Ghent University. She then went on to teach law and cybersecurity in The Hague. Subsequently, she became an associate professor of Cyber Security Governance at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs at Leiden University. Since 1 September, Els de Busser has worked as programme director for Information Law at the Amsterdam Law School.