Dr. Laura García Vargas was a PhD in Law candidate at the University of Ottawa Centre for Law, Technology and Society, under the supervision of Prof. Elizabeth Judge.
Dr. Laura Garcia currently drives the operations and curation at Edgelands, a pop-up institute combining research and art to facilitate conversations about the growing digitalization of security and our ability to coexist in an increasingly connected society. A passionate advocate for regulatory and policy solutions that foster social innovation, protect human rights, and empower communities in the digital age. She firmly believes in facilitating technology discussions among key stakeholders to ensure its positive social impact.
Dr. García Vargas’ research focuses on regulating digital technologies with location capabilities beyond the data protection framework to protect our privacy in our interactions with private companies. She is interested in the interplay between technology and society and the law’s role in ensuring that human rights are respected in the path to innovation.
Dr. García Vargas has participated in various research projects in law and technology. As a student member of the Geothink SSHRC Partnership Grant, she researched some privacy issues raised by the Geoweb. In 2017, she contributed to the project Optimizing Canada’s International Assistance Efforts with Blockchain Technology: An Assessment of Regulatory Challenges at Home and Abroad, which was selected at the International Policy Ideas Challenge organized by Global Affairs Canada.
In 2019, she worked as a research assistant at Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, where she researched on different issues regarding data governance, smart cities, patents and AI. Currently, she is participating in the “Digital Ethics in Times of Crisis: COVID-10 and Access to Education and Learning Spaces Research Sprint,” hosted by the Harvard Berkman Klein Center in collaboration with the Global Network of Internet and Society Centers.
Additionally, Dr. García Vargas was a visiting researcher at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law in Lausanne and the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ontario. She has participated in national and international conferences, including the Annual Meeting on Law and Society and RightCon.
Dr. García Vargas holds a law degree from Universidad de los Andes (Bogota, Colombia) and an LLM with a concentration in Law and Technology from the University of Ottawa.
Biography up to date as of October 3, 2025.