The course aims to offer essential knowledge of legal informatics, with particular attention to online freedom of speech and the regulation of digital platforms. Students will learn to profitably analyze from a legal point of view new phenomena of central importance of the "digital era": fake news, use of hate speech on social networks, the prospects and problems of digital justice.
The program aims to develop the essential basic knowledge of Information Technologies (hardware, software and computer networks) applied to legal studies.
In particular, the course will allow the students to:
1) Appropriately describe the main relationships between law and informatics.
2) Identify and correctly evaluate fake news, hate speech, and the use of populist speeches online.
3) Illustrate in detail the problems related to new digital powers.
4) Illustrate in detail the prospects and problems related to digital justice.
No prerequisites are required to take the course
The course will take place through participated lectures, with frequent involvement of students in seminar discussions.
The course is divided into two parts, closely related to each other. The first part addresses the main relationships between information technology and law: - Elements of computer science and legal information systems; - Algorithms and artificial intelligence; - Protection of personal data. - Digital justice: prospects and problems. The second part, instead, focuses on freedom of expression online: - Fake News; - Hate speech; - Digital populism; - Social networks and separation of powers.
1. BARBERIS M. (2021). Ecologia della rete. Come usare internet e vivere felici. MILANO: Mimesis Editore.
2. ZICCARDI G. (2016). L’odio online. Violenza verbale e ossessioni in rete. MILANO: Raffaello Cortina Editore;
3. SARTOR G. (2022). Corso di Informatica giuridica. L’informatica giuridica e le tecnologie dell’informazione, Fourth Edition. TORINO: Giappichelli.
Ricevimento: The student/graduating reception will take place by appointment, agreed by e-mail.
LUCA MALAGOLI (President)
MARIO ARMANDO SANDOVAL ISLAS
ALESSIO SARDO (President Substitute)
AHMET BILAL AYTEKIN (Substitute)
The lessons will take place in the second semester, in the period between February 10 and May 15 2025.
Students will have to take an oral exam at the end of the course. Usually, the student will be asked a maximum of 6 questions on the course contents. Students may be asked to reason on some practical cases examined in class.
The exam methods aim to verify the student's actual knowledge and acquisition of the basic notions of legal informatics.
In more detail, as to the first part of the course, the student will have to demonstrate that he has understood the fundamental concepts illustrated during the lessons, offering precise definitions and application examples taken from case law.
Regarding the second part, the student will be asked to define, problematize, and illustrate the application of the theoretical notions of fake news, hate speech, and online populism.
