Led under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Judge, a Full Professor in the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section at the University of Ottawa and a Faculty member at the Centre for Law, Technology and Society, Dr. Laura García Vargas‘s thesis proposes an innovative regulatory framework designed to restrict corporate mass dataveillance. By targeting the business models that have driven the rise of pervasive data collection and the institutional structures that enable pathological corporate behaviour, her research challenges the existing regulatory approach. It calls for a shift towards a regime that prioritises human rights protection and creates the necessary space for alternative business models and technology designs to emerge and thrive.
Dr. García Vargas holds an LL.B. from Los Andes University, Colombia, and an LL.M. in Law and Technology from the University of Ottawa. She currently drives the operations and curation at Edgelands, a pop-up institute combining research and art to facilitate conversations about the growing digitalisation of security and our ability to coexist in an increasingly connected society.
Throughout her work and research, she advocates for regulatory and policy solutions that foster social innovation, protect human rights, and empower communities in the digital age. Believing firmly in the power of inclusive dialogue, she strives to bring together key stakeholders to ensure technology has a positive social impact.
In addition to her supervisor, the defense committee included Professors Jane Bailey, Marina Pavlović, Mistrale Goudreau, all Faculty members at the Centre, as well as Pascale Chapdelaine (University of Windsor). The chair of her thesis defense was Professor Kyle Kirkup.
Congratulations to Dr. García Vargas!