City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong
CityU CPAL

Technology, Policy and Law Lab

Co-Directors

  • Prof Thomas CROFTS, Professor, School of Law and Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences
  • Prof Tat Kei Alfred HO, Head, Department of Public Policy

Objectives

Developments in technology has had and will continue to have a significant impact on society. These include the blurring of the online and offline worlds; issues relating to artificial intelligence and digitalization; online harms; e-government; contentious politics; provision and sale of digital services; use of data; and the future of business/commerce, work and education. Many of these themes link directly to the subject of Digital Society, which is one of the University’s strategic research areas. These themes are also consistent with the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the School of Law’s scholarly and research mission to engage in innovative interdisciplinary and cutting edge research to solve complex issues and challenges facing the world. The proposed Lab will interrogate, from an inter-disciplinary perspective, issues that societies, including Hong Kong and the world, are grappling with as a result of such developments. This is in line with CPAL’s mission of constructing a world class research centre on the interdisciplinary study of public affairs and law. The collaboration between scholars from diverse disciplines, in particular law, public policy, and communications promises to produce high impact research with many of the themes also speaking to the Centre’s purpose of promoting studies to mitigate uncertainty and change, and deliver solutions to enhance diversity, resilience and reconciliation in the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

The lab will focus initially on 4 areas:

  1. The impact of technology on societies, including online harms such as disinformation, terrorism, and cybercrime.
  2. Platform and media regulation.
  3. Environment and sustainability, including green finance, energy transitions, and environmental governance.
  4. Artificial intelligence and ethics.

Members

  • Prof Min XIE, Professor, Department of Advanced Design and Systems Engineering; Chair Professor, School of Data Science
  • Dr Fen LIN, Associate Professor, Department of Media and Communication
  • Prof Yu-li LIU, Head, Department of Media and Communication
  • Dr Yuan WANG, Assistant Professor, Department of Media and Communication
  • Prof Ruiping FAN, Professor, Department of Public and International Affairs
  • Dr DONG Liang, Assistant Professor, Department of Public and International Affairs
  • Dr Nicole LIU, Assistant Professor, Department of Public and International Affairs
  • Dr WANG, June, Associate Professor, Department of Public and International Affairs
  • Prof Xiaoling ZHANG, Professor, Department of Public and International Affairs
  • Dr Carrie DING Chunyan, Associate Professor, School of Law
  • Dr HE Tianxiang, Assistant Professor, School of Law
  • Prof Martin LAI Sin Chit, Professor, School of Law
  • Prof SIAU Keng Leng, Head, Department of Information Systems
  • Dr Bill TAYLOR, Associate Professor, Department of Public and International Affairs
  • Prof WAN Wai Yee, Professor, School of Law
  • Dr Man To TANG, Visiting Fellow, Department of Public and International Affairs