Objective This project will investigate how the prominence of counting and computation transforms many of the assumptions, operations and outcomes of the law. It targets two types of computational law: artificial legal intelligence or data-driven law (based on machine learning), and cryptographic or code-driven law (based on blockchain technologies). Both disrupt, erode and challenge conventional legal scholarship and legal practice. The core thesis of the research is that the upcoming integration of computational law into mainstream legal practice, could transform the mode of existence of law and notably of the Rule of Law. Such a transformation will affect the nature of legal protection, potentially reducing the capability of individual human beings to invoke legal remedies, restricting or ruling out effective redress. To understand and address this transformation, modern positive law will be analysed as text-driven law, enabling a comparative analysis of text-driven, data-driven and code-driven normativity. The overarching goal is to develop a new hermeneutics for computational law, based on (1) research into the assumptions and (2) the implications of computational law, and on (3) the development of conceptual tools to rethink and reconstruct the Rule of Law in the era of computational law. The intermediate goals are an in-depth assessment of the nature of legal protection in text-driven law, and of the potential for legal protection in data-driven and code-driven law. The new hermeneutics will enable a new practice of interpretation on the cusp of law and computer science. The research methodology is based on legal theory and philosophy of law in close interaction with computer science, integrating key insights into the affordances of computational architectures into legal methodology, thus achieving a pivotal innovation of legal method. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputer securitycryptographynatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencemachine learningsocial scienceslawhumanitiesphilosophy, ethics and religionphilosophy Keywords Rule of Law algorithmic regulation philosophy of technology Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2017-ADG - ERC Advanced Grant Call for proposal ERC-2017-ADG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant Host institution VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL Net EU contribution € 1 963 445,00 Address PLEINLAAN 2 1050 Bruxelles / Brussel Belgium See on map Region Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 963 445,00 Beneficiaries (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL Belgium Net EU contribution € 1 963 445,00 Address PLEINLAAN 2 1050 Bruxelles / Brussel See on map Region Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 963 445,00 STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEIT Netherlands Net EU contribution € 528 988,00 Address HOUTLAAN 4 6525 XZ Nijmegen See on map Region Oost-Nederland Gelderland Arnhem/Nijmegen Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 596 471,25