More than 100 legal experts, communications professionals, government representatives, members of the academic and student community of Frederick University, and other interested participants came together on December 15 to discuss Law and Technology.

The event, which was open to the public, was organized by the Department of Law at Frederick University and took place on the occasion of the release of Dr. Konstantinos Kouroupis' new book, titled "Privacy and Security in Light of the European Digital Agenda" (published by Legal Library). Using the book as a starting point, speakers from the fields of Law, Communications and Cyber Security delved into the ever-changing landscape of the modern era and the challenge of balancing privacy protection with technological advancements in all aspects of human activity.

Mr. Antonis Antoniades, Director of the Cyprus Digital Security Authority, who participated in the discussion panel, addressed the topic of Cybersecurity and the implementation of Cyprus' digital security strategy, providing examples such as the cyberattacks on the Vaccination Portal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event commenced with a speech by Mr. Georgios Christofidis, Vice President of the Cyprus Bar Association and a member of the faculty at the Department of Law. He discussed both Dr Kouroupis' book and the legal framework governing technology matters in Cyprus.

Mr. Andreas Paschalides, former Judge of the Supreme Court and a member of the Special Teaching Staff of the Department of Law, discussed the lifting of the confidentiality of telecommunications data, a decision that significantly engaged the legal and public communities. Through a recent decision, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Cyprus ruled that the provisions of the Law on the Retention of Telecommunications Data for the Purpose of Investigating Serious Criminal Offenses violated EU law and were therefore ineffective.

Dr. Evi Lambrou, Associate Professor at the Department of Arts and Communication of Frederick University, addressed the topic of freedom of expression and democracy in Social Media. Dr Lambrou began her speech with the recent change in ownership of Twitter, which was recently acquired by billionaire Elon Musk. She compared social media and traditional media as sources of information and touched upon the issue of credibility regarding the accuracy of information provided to the public.

Lastly, Dr Konstantinos Kouroupis gave the concluding remarks. He emphasized the legally complex yet necessary protection of fundamental rights and freedoms in the digital era. "At the top of all our efforts must be human dignity," he noted. Dr Kouroupis specializes in European law, human rights, and personal data protection and has contributed extensively to the academic community on these topics.