Cyber policy focuses on the legal and political aspects at the intersection of digital and network technologies such as privacy, data protection, cybercrime, cyber defence, contract law, intellectual property law, and human rights. The Chair in cyber policy at the University of Luxembourg will focus on developing policy and industry-relevant research on the social science aspects of digital and network technologies and conducting outreach activities to help raise awareness of cyber policy issues among the Luxembourg public.
Cyber policy recommendations
With input from public and private stakeholders, the Chair will propose cyber policy recommendations regarding the physical and technical elements of cyberspace activity and their related strategic and security risks. These will explore the interaction of cyber policy with the laws, norms and principles of information exchanges in the physical world and the virtual world. The Chair will ultimately suggest ways that national, European, and international legislators, ministries, regulators, and judges, as well as the general public, can maintain an appropriately defended position in cyberspace, while still enjoying the full benefits that cyberspace information exchanges offer.
A good and efficient governance in cyberspace is of key importance for the protection of democracy worldwide. “This Chair’s ambition is to help optimise the cyberspace rules.
“A good and efficient governance in cyberspace is of key importance for the protection of democracy worldwide”, stated Prof. Stéphane Pallage, Rector of the University of Luxembourg. “This Chair’s ambition is to help optimise the cyberspace rules. It illustrates the University’s strategy to help address key challenges of our time while being of service to society.”
Developing qualified cyber policy experts
The aim of the Chair is also to help fill the need for qualified and motivated individuals trained in the field of cyber policy of Luxembourg’s expanding labour market. The intention is to establish a cyber policy module and, ultimately, a new multidisciplinary Cyber Policy Track within the University’s Master in Space, Communication and Media Law.
“Three of the strategic goals of our Cyber Defence Strategy relate to the Cyber Policy Chair. Firstly, to ensure a qualified and motivated workforce, giving future and current professionals a holistic grounding in the societal consequences of cyber policy for businesses and our current and future daily lives,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, François Bausch. “Secondly, through ensuring strong national and international cooperation, the Chair will bring the public and private sectors together for collaboration, cross-pollination of ideas and exchange of best practice and information. Thirdly, to ensure that Luxembourg is prepared to make the most of opportunities and to mitigate risks, we need to establish knowledge and research capabilities in cyber policy.”
The agreement establishing the Chair was signed on 20 April 2022 between François Bausch, Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and University Rector Professor Stéphane Pallage, in the presence of Claude Meisch, Minister for Higher Education and Research, and Professor Katalin Ligeti, Dean of the Department of Law at the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance which will host the Chair.
Photo credit: © University of Luxembourg / Olivier Dessy