Project description
New ways to protect our data in the digital age
Data is the world’s most valuable resource today. Digital technology has rapidly changed how we access information, work and connect with each other. Unlocking data’s full economic and social potential requires trust in terms of privacy protection and no misuse of personal data. The EU-funded PROTECT project will develop new ways of empowering users of digital services to understand the risks they take when they go online and to offer new ways to enable companies to incorporate data protection into digital services. The project will grow a new generation of 14 early stage researchers who will integrate and apply arguments, analyses and tools from across the fields of law, ethics and knowledge engineering.
Objective
The overall goal of PROTECT is to grow a new generation of 14 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs), as PhDs graduated via a unique multidisciplinary, inter-sectoral and international European Training Network ETN). The network will investigate the protection of rights and interests of individuals and groups impacted by the continuous large-scale analysis of personal data, while still enabling the economy and society to benefit from rapid innovation in digital applications that collect and use this data. The PROTECT ESRs will implement a Personal Career development Plan (PCDP) that will enable them to integrate and apply arguments, analyses and tools from across the fields of law, ethics and knowledge engineering, so that they can take on leading research and data scientist roles within digital services industry and public policy sectors too address challenges of data protection, data ethics and data governance.
The rate of technological innovation, now accelerated by big data and machine learning invariably outpaces public policy debate and the development of new regulation for the protection of personal data. This come as the scale and social impact of data analysis is rapidly increasing. Tech companies, especially SMEs, face complex legal and ethical implications resulting from the collection of personal data from users. The pace of change and its complex technical nature serves to overload individuals and enterprises in considering the impact of use of their personal information, especially when this use also delivers attractive personalisation of services. PROTECT ESRs will develop new ways of empowering users of digital services to understand the risks they take with their rights and interests when they go online and offer new ways to enable companies to incorporate privacy, data protection and broader ethical considerations into the development of digital services, even as they are face growing commercial and competitive demands to exploit personal data.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Coordinator
D02 CX56 DUBLIN 2
Ireland