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Privacy Law and Social Networks (BLAW20002)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
February
Overview
Availability | February |
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Fees | Look up fees |
The limited protection of personal information for those who engages with online social networks (eg Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter) has provoked a range of legal policy and law reform debates. This subject will delve deeply into the question of privacy law and social networks in an effort to explain and critique the current legal position as well as considering a range of proposals for improvements in the law.
- Introduction: privacy in a networked environment;
- Precursors: pamphlets, poetry, diaries, letters, biography, newspapers, photography, cinema, telephone, video and the rise of privacy;
- Traditional legal responses: the development of common law and statutory doctrine centred around misuse of private information;
- Traditional legal responses: the development of common law and statutory doctrine centred around intrusion;
- Post-war pockets of specialised privacy law including data protection, surveillance devices, spam, do not call register and accompanying institutional innovations;
- Modern trends and controversies: rise of an online networked society and challenges to privacy, problems of multi-jurisdictional laws;
- Traditional law in the circumstances of the internet - limits of incrementalism?
- Law reform proposals in Australia (including for a statutory cause of action for invasion of privacy, for protection against surveillance in 'public places', for reform of data protection law) - sufficient to address current challenges?
- Other jurisdictions (eg US and proposals for an online privacy code and 'do not track' register, Europe and the proposed 'right to be forgotten'); and
- Imagining the future - a limited role for law?
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject students should:
- Recognise that privacy and social networks have various legal connection points;
- Appreciate the multiple ways in which privacy may be constrained and protected by the law, including in the context of social networks; and
- Understand the basic features of the legal treatment of privacy specifically in the context of social networks.
Generic skills
On completion of the subject the student should have:
- Capacity for self-directed learning, specifically the ability to plan work and use time effectively;
- Cognitive and analytical skills;
- Ability to speak about complex ideas in a clear and cogent manner;
- An awareness of diversity and plurality;
- Write essays which develop structured argumentation; and
- Capacity to judge the worth of their own arguments.
Last updated: 27 April 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
It is strongly recommended that students have completed at least 100 points of undergraduate study before enrolling in this subject. The subject level is an indicator as to the difficulty of the subject and expected workload.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 27 April 2024
Assessment
Additional details
- One short exercise (800 words) based on the reading materials due at the end of the teaching period (20%);
- Tutorial attendance and participation (10%);
- One reflective essay (2,800 words) due 3 weeks after the end of teaching (70%).
The due date of the above assessment will be available to students via the Assessment Schedule on the LMS Community.
Last updated: 27 April 2024
Dates & times
- February
Principal coordinator Megan Richardson Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 30 hours (one 2-hour lecture and one 1-hour workshop per day) Total time commitment 136 hours Pre teaching start date 30 January 2017 Teaching period 6 February 2017 to 20 February 2017 Last self-enrol date 31 January 2017 Census date 10 February 2017 Last date to withdraw without fail 24 February 2017 Assessment period ends 13 March 2017 February contact information
Time commitment details
136 hours
Last updated: 27 April 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
- Printed subject materials will be available from the University Co-Op Bookshop.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Breadth Track Law - Media and Intellectual Property Law - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
If required, please contact law-admissions@unimelb.edu.au for subject coordinator approval.
Last updated: 27 April 2024