LEX ELECTRONICA: 1995-2005

Another fantastic magazine it is Lex Electronica, a bilingual electronic law review (French and English) published three times annually: in winter (January-February), spring (May-June) and fall (September-October). Lex Electronica is published by the Public Law Research Centre (CRDP) of the University of Montreal and it was created by Karim Benyekhlef in 1995.

In celebration of its tenth anniversary, Lex Electronica has gathered together eminent authors (Bourcier, Burkert, Gautrais, Geist, Gélinas, Guibault, Katsh, Mackaay, Marx, Poullet, Van Gyseghem, Vermeys) expressing their points of view on developments in thought on the impact of new technologies on law.

Few months ago we talk about Yves Poullet (CRID, Belgium) who writes this paper about Internet regulation “"Les aspects juridiques des systèmes d’information".

Another paper in the same issue is: “Soft Surveillance: The Growth of Mandatory Volunteerism in Collecting Personal Information” by Gary T. Marx

Gary T. Marx is Professor Emeritus of Sociology from M.I.T. Major work in progress are books on new forms of surveillance and social control across borders.

"The accelerated development of communication and information processing technologies during the last few years has led the way to new methods of social control. Author Gary Marx believes that these new, non-coercive methods permit private and public actors to obtain private information on individuals without their consent, or even without their actual knowledge." LEX ELECTRONICA Summary

Beyond the ease of gathering DNA, consider the change from a urine drug test requiring an observer, to those that require a strand of hair, sweat, or saliva. Saliva is particularly interesting.

Whatever can be revealed from the analysis of blood or urine is also potentially found (although in smaller quantities) in saliva –not only evidence of disease and DNA, but also of drugs taken and pregnancy. The recent development of nonelectrical sensors now make it possible to detect molecules at minute levels in saliva. (New York Times, April 19, 2005).....

We value privacy not to protect wrongdoing, but because an appropriate degree of control over personal and social information is central to our sense of self, autonomy, and material well being-as well as being necessary for independent group actions.