CyberBRICS

Dynamic Spectrum Sharing: Unlocking Connectivity and Innovation in South Africa’s Telecommunications Landscape

Article by CyberBRICS Fellow Dr Senka Hadzic South Africa’s telecommunications sector has transitioned from a state-owned monopoly to a more competitive environment over the past 25 years, with mobile communications and broadband access playing a crucial role in the country’s socioeconomic development. While broadband infrastructure has improved over the years, there are still challenges in … Read more

Webinar: Cybersecurity and Cybercrime: understanding Global Developments

The technologies we use daily, and we are adopting to foster “digital transformation” can be misused for highly unethical purposes and can present considerable vulnerabilities threatening cybersecurity. This webinar explores recent cybersecurity and cybercrime developments, to understand how existing initiatives can help coping with cyberthreats. Panellists discussed: • How can technology be misused to threaten … Read more

Seminário: A Construção do Marco Regulatório da Inteligência Artificial no Brasil

No dia 17/04/2023, nosso Diretor Luca Belli, nossa pesquisadora Nina da Hora e a Professora Visitante do CTS-FGV Bianca Kremer participaram do Seminário “A construção do marco regulatório da Inteligência Artificial no Brasil”, organizado pelo Centro de Estudos Judiciários do Conselho da Justiça Federal (CEJ/CJF) e o Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) em Brasília. O … Read more

Cybersecurity and Digital Sovereignty: A New Path for Brazil

This event will address cybersecurity in its various dimensions and will stress its connection with the emerging digital sovereignty debate. As cyberattacks grow exponentially in both number and breath, cybersecurity has become a general concern for literally every citizen, business, public administration, and decision-maker. At the same, cybersecurity discussion are increasingly intertwined with digital sovereignty … Read more

UNESCO Internet For Trust Side-Event: Exploring the Potential and Challenges of Generative AI and impact on Regulating AI and Online Platforms

Recent developments in Generative AI systems have sparked a global conversation about the capabilities and limitations of generative AI technology. These systems have been in the spotlight for their ability to generate human-like text, images, design, and even code, highlighting the tremendous potential of this technology. However, they have also raised concerns about ownership, transparency, … Read more

EU-Brazil Conference on AI Governance and Regulation

This international event aims at exploring challenges and opportunities regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance and regulation at a time when both the European Union and Brazil are elaborating legislative proposals to regulate comprehensively AI. Participants will explore the latest development in Artificial Intelligence policymaking offering their perspectives and highlighting intersections between AI and key areas … Read more

AI Regulation in Brazil: Advancements, Flows, and Need to Learn from the Data Protection Experience

Paper by Luca Belli, Yasmin Curzi and Walter Britto Gaspar published at Computer, Law and Security Review Abstract Brazil has recently moved forward on two important developments in its regulatory framework for artificial intelligence: the creation of a national AI strategy and parliamentary discussions on an overarching AI law. These efforts follow considerable advances in … Read more

Private and Controversial: When Public Health and Privacy Meet in India

By Smriti Parsheera (CyberBRICS Fellow)1 The book Private and Controversial: When Public Health and Privacy Meet in India brings to light the complex interactions between the fields of public health and privacy, placing them in the context of current developments in India. This includes the developments around the management of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing … Read more

Bruna Franqueira

CyberBRICS Researcher. Researcher at CTS-FGV, and Masters candidate in Theory of the State and Constitutional Law at PUC-Rio, where she’s also part of the Editorial Committee of the “Direito, Estado e Sociedade” Journal, acting as assisting editor. Her research aims to comprehend the Policies for Digital Transformation of Education from the proposals of Paulo Freire. Lawyer, working with data protection and privacy.

Erica Bakonyi

CyberBRICS Researcher. Lawyer and DPO-as-a-service, with experience in projects of compliance with privacy and data protection legislation for the consulting companies “Arquitetura Educacional” and “Macher Tecnologia”. Researcher at FGV Direito Rio, at the Center for Technology and Society (CTS). Mentor in the data protection area (“LGPD and Compliance”) at AB2L. Co-coordinator of MyData BR and Legal Hackers Rio. Master in Public and European International Law from Coimbra University. Specialist in “Tenders and Administrative Contracts”. MBA in Information Security Management (in progress), at Infinet.

BRICS-plus Digital Competition Forum

The 1st BRICS+ Digital Competition Forum took place in Rio de Janeiro, on 24 and 25 November 2022. The Forum brought together the BRICS Digital Working Group, which held its 6th meeting, while opening an opportunity of participation for competition authorities of BRICS candidate countries (Argentina, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan) and for local academics and … Read more

India’s Policy Responses to Big Tech: And an Eye on the Rise of ‘Alt Big Tech’

Smriti Parsheera The term ‘big tech’ offers a helpful and widely used label for describing the world’s most powerful technology companies. The challenges posed by big tech across the domains of competition, innovation, human rights, and social and political impact are real and immediate. So is the need for building more effective checks against them. … Read more

Cinderella’s shoe won’t fit Soundarya: An audit of facial processing tools on Indian faces

Gaurav Jain & Smriti Parsheera The increasing adoption of facial processing systems in India is fraught with concerns of privacy, transparency, accountability, and missing procedural safeguards. At the same time, we also know very little about how these technologies perform on the diverse features, characteristics, and skin tones of India’s 1.34 billion-plus population. In this paper, … Read more

CyberBRICS at IGF 2022

The 17th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) will take place between November 28th and December 2nd, 2022 in Ethiopia in a hybrid format. Members of the CyberBRICS Team will participate in 6 panels to debate this year’s theme: “Resilient Internet for a Shared Sustainable and Common Future”. The meeting programme is guided … Read more

Webinar – 5G Regulation: Standards, Surveillance and Ideology

On Friday, November 18th, the Center for Technology and Society (CTS-FGV) and the CyberBRICS Project will host the webinar “5G Regulation: Standards, Surveillance, and Ideology” at 11 AM (Rio Time). The event will be moderated by CyberBRICS Director, Luca Belli, and will count with CTS-FGV Visiting Professor Niels ten Oever and ANATEL Telecommunications Regulation Specialist … Read more

World Internet Conference – Wuzhen Summit 2022

The CyberBRICS Team attended the 2022 edition of the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit (WIC Wuzhen). This year, besides participating in two sessions, our team will also publish two papers in the Conference’s Outcome Report. On Wednesday, November 9, CyberBRICS Director Luca Belli attended the “Bridging the Digital Divide” Forum, organized by the China Federation … Read more

MyData Online 2022 Conference – Data Governance from the Global South

Exchange of knowledge about developments relating to data architectures in the BRICS countries is essential to furthering this cooperation. This session is organised by the Center for Technology and Society at FGV and the CyberBRICS Project at FGV Law School, to create a space for the exchange of information about the evolving data governance models … Read more

Governing Conversations: Interoperability

Governing Conversations aims to provide scholars in the digital governance field and interested audiences alike a time for genuine reflection and critical perspectives, without the need for a connection to recent events, or academic presentations. The series is co-created by the Digital Interests Lab at NYU, and the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, … Read more

Regulación E IA

 On August 30th, 2022, CyberBRICS Director Luca Belli participated as a speaker in the webinar “Regulación en IA” (Regulation in AI), organized by the Latin American Initiative on Open Data (ILDA). Presenting the Brazilian approach, Belli pointed out that AI is being used not only for e-commerce, but also for facial recognition technologies and access … Read more

Data Governance in the Context of Emerging Technologies: Promoting Human-Centred and Development-Oriented Societies

The importance of data is paramount, not only for promoting innovation, but also for better policymaking and long-term development. Data has become a cornerstone for the digital economy and a strategic asset for promoting the vision of a people-centred and development-oriented ecosystem, set forth by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). In particular, data availability and … Read more

Governing Conversations: BRICS & Cybersecurity

Governing Conversations aims to provide scholars in the digital governance field and interested audiences alike a time for genuine reflection and critical perspectives, without the need for a connection to recent events, or academic presentations. The series is co-created by the Digital Interests Lab at NYU, and the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, … Read more

Governing Conversations: Cybersecurity in the Global South

Governing Conversations aims to provide scholars in the digital governance field and interested audiences alike a time for genuine reflection and critical perspectives, without the need for a connection to recent events, or academic presentations. The series is co-created by the Digital Interests Lab at NYU, and the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, … Read more

CPDP LatAm 2022

CPDP LatAm 2022 was dedicated to “Artificial Intelligence and Data Protection in Latin America“. In its second edition, the Conference was held in a hybrid format on 12 and 13 of July, at FGV in Rio de Janeiro, RJ. You can check the full Programme here. CPDP Latam is the Latin American platform to discuss privacy, data … Read more

Digital Silk Road and its role in the China-Brazil Relation

This post provides a report of the webinar “Digital Silk Road as a promoter of closer people to people ties” that took place on October 22 as part of the 4th Seminar Brazil-China Dialogue. Sofia Chang, CyberBRICS researcher at CTS-FGV, moderated the session, joined by Fred Arruda (C.E.S.A.R. institute), Shen Yi (Fudan University), Lin Baihe (China Mobile International Brazil) and In Hsieh (Chinnovation).

4th Seminar Brazil-China Dialogue “Belt and Road & Brazil: Rules and Coordination”

From 18 to 22 October, Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Rio de Janeiro Law School will host its 4th Seminar Brazil-China Dialogue “Belt and Road & Brazil: Rules and Coordination”. The event will aim at deepening the discussions on the New Silk Road and mapping the relations between China and Brazil. The event will count with the participation … Read more

Call for Applications | CyberBRICS Fellowship Programme 2022

Logo: CyberBRICS | by Britto.Design

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS  Fellows in Rio  CyberBRICS Fellowship Programme  Hosted by FGV Rio de Janeiro Law School – FGV DIREITO RIO  Deadline for applications: 10 November 2021 Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) is a world-renowned institution of research and quality education. In 2018, FGV was deemed as one of the top 10 think tanks in the … Read more

Shilpa Singh Jaswant

CyberBRICS Visiting Professor. Shilpa Singh Jaswant is currently an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law school, O P Jindal Global Law University, India. She can be reached at ssjaswant@jgu.edu.in.

She completed B.Sc. LLB. (Hons) from Gujarat National Law University in 2017. She was awarded the DAAD Scholarship in 2017-18, financed by the European Union, to pursue LLM in European law at the Europa Kolleg- University of Hamburg. Her LLM thesis was published as a Study paper and awarded as the best research. 

Prior to teaching at Jindal, she worked as a competition lawyer in Germany and India. Her teaching and research focus at the intersection of law, trade and technology. She writes and researches on decentralised systems, data governance and digital privacy. Her work involves issues regarding constitutional principles, governance systems, and dispute resolution systems.

Her work has appeared in International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, Kluwer Competition law blog, Kluwer Arbitration law blog, Oxford International organisation.

Wei Wang

Wei Wang

CyberBRICS Fellow. Wayne Wei Wang is now a PhD Candidate in Computational Legal Studies at the University of Hong Kong. Trained in Engineering and Law, Wayne focuses his research interests on IP & IT Law, Innovation Policy, particularly by means of data science methods. He engages as an Administrative Officer for Creative Commons Hong Kong Chapter. Wayne (has) held the fellowship of DERN/GSAN Resilience Scholar at University of Essex, funded by Global Challenges Research Fund of UK Research and Innovation. As Research Sprint Fellow at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) in Berlin, Wayne has been participating in the interdisciplinary scientific project – “Ethics of Digitalisation”, launched by the President of Germany and conducted by Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers.

Prior to his PhD studies, Wayne recently completed the WIPO/QUT LLM in Intellectual Property with Dean’s Scholarship in Australia and worked as Data Analyst of IP litigations at a legal tech start-up in Shenzhen as well as Research Associate at Law and Technology Centre, HKU. He also received BEng, LLB and MPhil from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China).

Smriti Parsheera

CyberBRICS Fellow. Smriti Parsheera is a Fellow at the National Institute of Public Finance & Policy, New Delhi, where she focuses on technology policy research. Her areas of interest include privacy and digital rights, regulatory governance and competition policy. She is one of the authors of the book “Responsible AI: A Global Policy Framework”.    She has previously worked as a member of the research secretariat for the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission and held research positions with the Competition Commission of India and the United Nations Development Programme.   Smriti graduated from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore and obtained her LLM from the University of Pennsylvania along with a Certificate in Law and Business from the Wharton School. She is currently pursuing a PhD in policy studies from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Senka Hadzic

CyberBRICS Fellow. Dr Senka Hadzic is a Senior Fellow at Research ICT Africa, where she was a Ford/Media Democracy Fund Tech Exchange fellow from 2018-2019 working on alternative spectrum policies to enable small scale operators and community networks. She is also affiliated with the ICT for Development Centre at the University of Cape Town where she was a postdoctoral fellow from 2016-2018. Her expertise is in low cost connectivity solutions in the Global South. In early 2020 she was awarded the Digital Futures fellowship from Hivos to research ownership models and sustainability of community networks. Dr Hadzic completed her PhD in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) in early 2014 and since then she has been working at the intersection of technology, design and policy.

Larissa Galdino

CyberBRICS Fellow. Larissa is Ph.D. in Political Science at the State University of Campinas, and analyzed the open government in the city of São Paulo. She was a researcher under the International Affairs Canada Award scholarship to participate in the Future Leaders in the Americas Program (“PFLA”), while she started to get interested working in the analyzing public policy development rooted in technology and data. Larissa became a member of the Social Science and Humanities Council of Canada and a young professional, an intern at Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Getúlio Vargas Foundation (“FGV”) in the School of Social Sciences. Also, she is Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Global Cities Program at the Institute of Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo (“USP”).

Larissa accumulated activities as a visiting researcher at the Université de Montréal, postdoctoral fellowship in Political Sociology about the Rio Doce Basin Rehabilitation and Environmental Disasters, a fellow of the Organization of American States’ Cyber South School on Internet Governance. Plus, she published three chapters of international books, six publications and made more than 16 presentations and international conferences. Currently, she is researching data governance ecosystems, smart cities, socio-digital inequalities, and computational social sciences.

Giullia Marques

Giullia Marques

CyberBRICS Assistant Researcher. Bachelor in International Relations (PUC – Rio) and currently a Master’s student in Sociology & Anthropology at the Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences (IFCS) at UFRJ. Has experience as a research assistant in the area of public policies, having done scientific initiation at the Núcleo de Pesquisa em Desenvolvimento (NPD – PUC Rio). Currently a volunteer coder at the “COVID-19 Response Tracker” (OxCGRT) of the Blavatnik School of Government, for Oxford University and part of “Laboratório de Estudos Digitais” (LED – UFRJ) as a researcher of digital imagery mediation in the context of international conflicts. With multidisciplinary research interests, has already worked in the following themes: urban studies, family planning programs and the aesthetics of conflict.

Walter B. Gaspar

Walter Britto Gaspar
Walter Britto Gaspar

CyberBRICS Manager. Lawyer, graduated Law at FGV in 2015. Master in Public Health from UERJ (2017), studying the interface between innovation, intellectual property and access to medicines policies in Brazil. Grantee of the Fundación Botín Programme for the Public Interest in Latin America (2013). Researcher in the Fiocruz and Shuttleworth Foundation project on intellectual property and access to medicines (2017). National Coordinator of the NGO Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (2013-2016). Certified Graphic Designer from the Istituto Europeo di Design (2018). Author of “O que é Creative Commons? Novos modelos de direito autoral em um mundo mais criativo“. Currently, researcher in the CyberBRICS project at FGV’s Center for Technology and Society and Ph.D. student at UFRJ.

China-Brazil Internet Governance Seminar

The event received the pre-launch of CyberBRICS' "Mapping cybersecurity frameworks in the BRICS" book as well as the Chinese Internet Governance Blue Book

On December 10th, FGV Law School (DIREITO RIO) and the CyberBRICS project organized the first  “China-Brazil Internet Governance Seminar” in partnership with the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies (CACS). The event was attended by the Chinese Vice Minister of Cyberspace, Mr. Sheng Ronghua, and the chairman of the … Read more

Seminário China-Brasil de Governança da Internet

The event received the pre-launch of CyberBRICS' "Mapping cybersecurity frameworks in the BRICS" book as well as the Chinese Internet Governance Blue Book

No dia 10 de dezembro, foi realizado na FGV Direito Rio o Seminário China-Brasil de Governança da Internet, em parceria com a Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) e da Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies (CACS). O evento, organizado no âmbito do projeto CyberBRICS, contou com a presença de importantes palestrantes, como o vice-ministro chinês de … Read more

Download the exclusive preview of “CyberBRICS: Mapping Cybersecurity frameworks in the BRICS”

CyberBRICS: Mapping cybersecurity frameworks in the BRICS Book

CyberBRICS: Mapping Cybersecuity Frameworks in the BRICS This book stems from the CyberBRICS project, which is the first initiative to develop a comparative analysis of the digital policies developed by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries. BRICS have been chosen as a focus not only because their digital policies are affecting more … Read more

CyberBRICS: challenges and opportunities for data protection in the BRICS

CPDP DATA PROTECTION AND DEMOCRACY 2019

BRICS are developing or enacting data protection frameworks that will soon affect almost 50% of the world’s population and almost 40% of existing Internet users, who live in the BRICS. This panel discussion analysed the advancements and challenges regarding the most recent privacy and data protection developments in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and … Read more

CyberBRICS: Building the Next Generation Internet, STEP by Step

The 12th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) took place between 18 and 21 December 2017 at the United Nations Office at Geneva

This workshop of the UN Internet Governance Forum 2017 was the inception meeting of the CyberBRICS project, gathering key stakeholders, including representatives of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Ministry of Telecommunications, to discuss digital policy trends and priorities in the BRICS. Data protection and cybersecurity, which are the current focus of … Read more

Luca Belli

Luca Belli | CyberBRICS

Director of CyberBRICS. Luca Belli, PhD, is Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) Law School, where he heads the Center for Technology and Society and the CyberBRICS project, and associated researcher at Centre de Droit Public Comparé of Paris 2 University. Luca is also Member of the Board of the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), Director of CPDP LatAm and member of the CPDP Programme committee.

Before joining FGV, Luca worked as an agent for the Council of Europe Internet Governance Unit and served as a Network Neutrality Expert for the Council of Europe. Over the past decade, Luca has authored and edited more than 30 research outputs in English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, amongst which “De la gouvernance à la régulation de l’Internet” (Berger-Levrault, 2016); the “Net Neutrality Compendium” (Springer, 2016); “Platform Regulations: How Platforms are Regulated and How They Regulate Us” (FGV, 2017) and “Gobernanza y Regulaciones de Internet en América Latina” (FGV, 2018); the “Community Network Manual” (FGV-ITU-ISOC, 2018); and “CyberBRICS: Cybersecurity Regulations in the BRICS Countries” (Springer-Nature 2021).

Luca’s works have been i.a. quoted by the Organization of American States Report on Freedom of Expression and the Internet (2013); used by the CoE to elaborate the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers on Network Neutrality (2016); featured in the French Telecoms Regulator (ARCEP) Report on the State of the Internet (2018); used by the Brazilian Telecom Regulator (ANATEL) to define community networks (2020); and published or quoted by various media outlets, and published or quoted by various media outlets, including The Economist, Financial Times, Forbes, Le Monde, BBC, The Hill, China Today, O Globo, El Pais, and La Stampa.

Luca can be found on LinkedIn and on Twitter

A list of Luca’s publications can be found at http://lattes.cnpq.br/3521741614966236

Ian Brown

Ian Brown
Ian Brown
Ian Brown

CyberBRICS Visiting Professor. Ian Brown is Senior Fellow with Research ICT Africa’s Digital Policy Programme, where he is researching cyber-security, data protection, and human rights policy in Africa. He was previously Principal Scientific Officer at the UK government’s Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport; Professor of Information Security and Privacy at the University of Oxford; and a Knowledge Exchange Fellow with the Commonwealth Secretariat and UK National Crime Agency. His academic publications include Regulating Code (2013, MIT Press, with Christopher T. Marsden) and Research Handbook on Governance of the Internet (2013, Edward Elgar).

Andrey A. Shcherbovich

Andrey Shcherbovich

CyberBRICS Visiting Professor. Andrey A. Shcherbovich is Associate professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Faculty of Law (Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law), in Moscow, Russia. His professional Interests include Internet Governance; Constitutional Law; Human Rights; International Public Law and Procedure; Information Law; International Organizations; United Nations.

Andrey graduated from the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Faculty of Law (Department of International Law) in 2008 and completed Postgraduate studies at the National Research University – Higher School of Economics (Moscow, Russia); Faculty of Law (Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law) at 2011.

Daniel Oppermann

Daniel Oppermann is a research coordinator for the International Relations Research Center at the University of São Paulo (NUPRI-USP)
Daniel Oppermann is a research coordinator for the International Relations Research Center at the University of São Paulo (NUPRI-USP)

Daniel Oppermann is a research coordinator for the International Relations Research Center at the University of São Paulo (NUPRI-USP). Daniel studied Political Science at the Free University of Berlin (FUB) and holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Brasília (UnB). He was a postdoctoral researcher in International Political Economy at the Institute of Economy at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IE-UFRJ) and a researcher at Observatório Político Sul-Americano at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (OPSA-UERJ). Daniel was a member of the Steering Committee of GigaNet, the Global Internet Governance Academic Network, and Chair of Program Committee for the annual GigaNet symposium. Daniel is a member of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Internet Association Abranet and has worked as an international representative for a European Internet company in Brazil.

Sagwadi Mabunda

Sagwadi Mabunda | CyberBRICS Non-Resident Fellow
Sagwadi Mabunda | CyberBRICS Non-Resident Fellow
Sagwadi Mabunda | CyberBRICS Non-Resident Fellow

CyberBRICS Non-Resident Fellow.

Sagwadi Mabunda is a PhD Candidate at the University of the Western Cape. Her Doctoral thesis investigates the legislative responses of Cybercrime by analysing and critiquing the South African Cybercrimes Bill. She is a prolific speaker who has presented papers in a numerous conferences both in South Africa and internationally (Italy, Germany, Namibia and Botswana). She has published a number papers on her research interests which include Cybercrime and economic crimes such as International Anti-Money Laundering Law and International Anti-Corruption Law.

She has been invited to be a guest lecturer at the University of the Western Cape on the topic of Cyber Money Laundering. She has also successfully organised the first Economic Crime and Cybercrime Conference (ECCC) hosted at the University of the Western Cape in collaboration with the Journal of Anti-Corruption Law (JACL).

In 2018 at age 25, Sagwadi was honoured as one of Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans.

Anja Kovacs

Anja Kovacs | CyberbRICS Non-Resident Fellow
Anja Kovacs | CyberbRICS Non-Resident Fellow
Anja Kovacs | CyberbRICS Non-Resident Fellow

CyberBRICS Non-resident Fellow.

Dr. Anja Kovacs directs the Internet Democracy Project in India, which works towards an Internet that supports freedom of expression, democracy and social justice, in India and beyond. Her research currently focuses on questions regarding cybersecurity, surveillance and privacy, and regarding freedom of expression, including work on gender, surveillance, bodies and dataveillance and gender and online abuse.

She has also worked as an international consultant on Internet issues, including for the Independent Commission on Multilateralism, the United Nations Development Programme Asia Pacific, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression. She has lectured at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, and Ambedkar University, Delhi, India, as well as having been a Fellow at the Centre for Internet and Society in Bangalore, India, and has conducted extensive fieldwork throughout South Asia. Dr. Kovacs obtained her PhD in Development Studies from the University of East Anglia in the UK.

Min Jiang

CyberBRICS Visiting Professor. Min Jiang (Ph.D.) is Associate Professor of Communication at UNC Charlotte, a secretariat member of the annual international Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC) and Associate Editor at Sage journal Communication & The Public.

Her research focuses on Chinese Internet technologies (search engine, social media, big data), politics (digital activism, online political satire, diplomacy), business (Chinese Internet giants, business ethics), and policies (real name registration, privacy).

She has co-edited 3 special journal issues and published over 30 journal articles and book chapters on the Chinese Internet, some of which have appeared in Journal of Communication, New Media & Society, Information, Communication & Society, International Journal of Communication, International Communication Gazette, and Policy & Internet. Media outlets including Reuters, Deutsche Welle, Foreign Policy, Financial Times, The New Scientist, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Al Jazeera English have interviewed her for her work.

She was born and raised in China. Prior to pursuing her doctor’s degree in the U.S., she had worked at China Central Television (CCTV) and Kill Bill I in her native country China. Dr. Jiang received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Beijing Foreign Studies University and her Ph.D. from Purdue University.