Stockholms universitet

Stanley Joel GreensteinUniversitetslektor, docent

Om mig

Stanley Greenstein (Jur. Dr.) is a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Law and Information Technology (IT) at the Department of Law, Stockholm University. He is also a co-worker at the Swedish Law and Informatics Research Institute (IRI, https://irilaw.org/), which is a research institute at the Department of Law that explores the interaction between law and IT. Stanley’s main area of interest is the interaction between technology and society. In this regard, his teaching, research and practical participation in project work has centred on the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and its ethical and societal implications, of which privacy, data protection, information security and cyber security considerations are central. Stanley is also Course Director for the optional course Cyberlaw. A South African trained lawyer, Stanley has experience of working in a mixed legal jurisdiction made up of both the civil law and common law legal traditions.

On the 1st of June 2017, Stanley successfully defended his dissertation within the discipline of Law and Information Technology. The dissertation was entitled ‘Our Humanity Exposed: Predictive Modelling in a Legal Context’ and examined the potential harms to individuals associated with the use of predictive models by commercial actors. Furthermore, it investigated alternative strategies to the regulation of this technology in order it empower individuals. The dissertation examined how the legal regime of data privacy (data protection and human rights) addressed the negative effects of black box decision-making systems and suggested complimentary mechanisms of regulation.

Stanley has also been involved in a number of projects. The project that he is currently working on is called EXTREMUM (Explainable and Ethical Machine Learning for Knowledge Discovery from Medical Data Sources, (https://dsv.su.se/en/research/research-areas/datascience/extremum-explainable-and-ethical-machine-learning-for-knowledge-discovery-from-medical-data-sources-1.442728 ). The project is funded by the Digital Futures initiative and will run until 2024. This project examines the use of historical medical data and accompanying predictive models in order to predict adverse drug detection and heart disease in humans in advance and thereby allow for preventive medical actions, Stanley addressing the legal and ethical considerations.

The above dissertation is available in full text at the following link: http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1088890&dswid=4705

Forskningsprojekt

Publikationer

I urval från Stockholms universitets publikationsdatabas

  • Our Humanity Exposed

    2017. Stanley Greenstein, Peter Wahlgren, Dan Svantesson.

    Avhandling (Dok)

    This thesis examines predictive modelling from the legal perspective. Predictive modelling is a technology based on applied statistics, mathematics, machine learning and artificial intelligence that uses algorithms to analyse big data collections, and identify patterns that are invisible to human beings. The accumulated knowledge is incorporated into computer models, which are then used to identify and predict human activity in new circumstances, allowing for the manipulation of human behaviour.

    Predictive models use big data to represent people. Big data is a term used to describe the large amounts of data produced in the digital environment. It is growing rapidly due mainly to the fact that individuals are spending an increasing portion of their lives within the on-line environment, spurred by the internet and social media. As individuals make use of the on-line environment, they part with information about themselves. This information may concern their actions but may also reveal their personality traits.

    Predictive modelling is a powerful tool, which private companies are increasingly using to identify business risks and opportunities. They are incorporated into on-line commercial decision-making systems, determining, among other things, the music people listen to, the news feeds they receive, the content people see and whether they will be granted credit. This results in a number of potential harms to the individual, especially in relation to personal autonomy.

    This thesis examines the harms resulting from predictive modelling, some of which are recognized by traditional law. Using the European legal context as a point of departure, this study ascertains to what extent legal regimes address the use of predictive models and the threats to personal autonomy. In particular, it analyses Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) adopted by the European Union (EU). Considering the shortcomings of traditional legal instruments, a strategy entitled ‘empowerment’ is suggested. It comprises components of a legal and technical nature, aimed at levelling the playing field between companies and individuals in the commercial setting. Is there a way to strengthen humanity as predictive modelling continues to develop?

    Läs mer om Our Humanity Exposed
  • Vem reglerar informationssamhället?

    2010. Stanley Greenstein.

    Bok (red)

    Den 23:e Nordiska konferensen i rättsinformatik ägde rum i Stockholm 2008 och tog sig an temat ”IT Regulations and Policies: from Theory into Practice”. Huvudsyftet med konferensen var att formulera en juridisk agenda för reglering av IT och policy. De frågor som behandlades rörde bland annat hur man bör balansera kraven på ökad juridisk reglering och hur man bör ta hänsyn till de röster som vill ha mindre regler i informationssamhället. Därtill diskuterades vilka juridiska angreppssätt som är mest lämpliga.

    Konferensen tog också upp problem som har blivit relevanta som en följd av samhällets användning av informations- och kommunikationsteknologi, bland annat: 

    • Hur den personliga integriteten ter sig i framtiden.
    • Hur immaterialrätten påverkas i informationssamhället.
    • Hur man kan skydda den personliga integriteten och samtidigt främja informationssäkerheten.
    • Vad begrepp som semantic web och sociala media har för betydelse för utvecklingen av juristers informationssökning.
    • Hur kunskapshanteringssystem kommer att fungera i framtiden. 

    I denna utgåva av Nordisk årsbok i rättsinformatik presenteras bidrag från flera av de talare som medverkade på konferensen. Boken belyser på så vis både aktuella frågor och utvecklingstendenser i informationssamhället.

    Läs mer om Vem reglerar informationssamhället?

Visa alla publikationer av Stanley Joel Greenstein vid Stockholms universitet