Research Interests
My research trajectory has consistently explored the evolving intersections between law, technology, and society, with a strong focus on the rights and risks emerging in the digital age. Over the past twenty-five years, my work has developed along multiple, interconnected lines of inquiry, often anticipating critical challenges in the governance of digital phenomena.
Initially, my research was devoted to cybercrime, digital liberties, and the constitutional dimension of the Internet, particularly through the lens of U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence. This early phase laid the groundwork for my subsequent investigations into cryptography and law, domain name disputes, and the implications of open source licensing models, all analyzed within the broader context of freedom of expression and technological innovation.
As Legal Informatics gained relevance in both theoretical and operational dimensions, I deepened my studies on the practical evolution of legal technologies, with particular attention to the digital tools available to legal professionals, the automation of legal reasoning, and data-driven legal research. These themes converged in my academic engagement with legal education, especially through pioneering efforts to teach programming for lawyers, coding literacy, and legal design.
In the last decade, my research has focused intensively on data protection and privacy, digital surveillance, hate speech and online extremism, computer forensics, and digital investigation techniques, with an emphasis on the legal and ethical boundaries of investigative practices in cyberspace. These inquiries have also informed policy contributions and institutional collaborations, including appointments in national and European expert panels on online hate, cybersecurity, and AI governance.
More recently, I have addressed cutting-edge and underexplored topics such as digital death and posthumous data management, the emergence of synthetic identities, algorithmic manipulation, and the impact of artificial intelligence on fundamental rights. These areas converge in an overarching interest in human rights in the digital society, at the crossroads of law, ethics, and technological acceleration.
I am currently the scientific coordinator of the Information Society Law Center at the University of Milan and principal investigator in several international research projects, including Horizon Europe and Jean Monnet initiatives, focusing on disinformation, algorithmic governance, and the societal impact of emerging technologies.
I welcome collaborations with researchers, institutions, and interdisciplinary networks interested in exploring the normative, philosophical, and practical challenges of digital transformation.
Selected Research Areas
Freedom of expression · Cybercrime · Legal tech · Open source & free software · Cryptography & law · Digital identity · Privacy & security · Data governance · Hate speech · Digital death · Surveillance · Online extremism · Hacking · Computer forensics · Legal informatics · Digital human rights · Algorithmic justice · Posthumous data · Programming for lawyers
Teaching Activities
Over the years, I have developed an extensive and diversified teaching portfolio in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs, combining traditional legal education with a strong commitment to digital innovation, interdisciplinary learning, and practical skill-building for jurists operating in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Undergraduate Teaching
At the University of Milan’s Faculty of Law, I currently teach a range of core and elective courses that reflect the intersection of law, technology, and society. My teaching in the LL.B. and LL.M. programs includes:
- Legal Informatics
A foundational course introducing students to legal technologies, digital legal research, and the legal implications of digital transformation. - Digital Products Law
An advanced course exploring the regulation of software, platforms, and digital goods, with particular emphasis on consumer rights and algorithmic structures. - Philosophy of Law and Legal Informatics
A critical reflection on the conceptual foundations of law in the digital era, co-taught with Prof. Silvia Zorzetto. - Smart Cities, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation Law
A multidisciplinary course focused on the regulatory frameworks and legal-ethical dilemmas surrounding AI, data-driven cities, and emerging technologies. - Sociology of Law and Legal Informatics
A hybrid course designed to provide sociological and legal perspectives on the social impacts of digital technologies and legal information systems. - Digital Lawyering Skills
A practical module on digital tools for legal professionals, including document automation, secure communication, and legal data analysis.
In these courses, I adopt an interdisciplinary and student-centered teaching approach, integrating case studies, simulations, and real-world applications of legal technology. The aim is to equip future jurists with critical thinking skills and digital awareness necessary to navigate contemporary legal challenges.
Postgraduate Teaching and Supervision
My postgraduate teaching spans across PhD programs, advanced specialization courses, and professional master’s degrees, where I train graduate students, legal practitioners, judges, data protection officers, and public officials.
I am actively involved in the following programs:
- PhD in Legal Sciences (Cesare Beccaria Doctoral School)
- International Joint PhD Program in Law, Science and Technology (LAST-JD)
- Postgraduate Program in Criminal Cybercrime and Digital Investigations
- Postgraduate Program in Coding for Lawyers and Legal Tech
- Postgraduate Program in Data Protection and Data Governance
- Master in Data Science for Economics, Business and Finance
- Master in Digital Humanities
- Advanced Programs in Legal Education and Professional Training for Judges, Lawyers and Public Administrations
I also lecture in specialized modules on topics such as data protection in healthcare, cybersecurity and human rights, legal design, algorithmic bias, and digital evidence.
As co-director of the International Forensics Summer School (IFOSS) and founder of innovative training initiatives, I continuously explore new pedagogical formats, including hands-on legal tech labs, digital clinics, and interdisciplinary workshops.
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that legal education must evolve alongside technological innovation. I strive to cultivate technologically literate, ethically aware, and critically engaged legal professionals, able to address the complex regulatory challenges of the information society.
The Information Society Law Center (ISLC)
The Information Society Law Center (ISLC), based at the Cesare Beccaria Department of Legal Sciences of the University of Milan, is a multidisciplinary research center established in 2017 to explore the complex and evolving field of Digital Transformation Law. Our mission is to investigate the legal, technological, political, and social dynamics shaping the information society and its regulatory frameworks.
The Center is devoted to analyzing the profound transformations introduced by digital technologies and their impact on law and society, with a particular focus on anticipating future challenges that will redefine fundamental rights, governance structures, and democratic participation in the digital age.
A Multidisciplinary Approach
ISLC brings together scholars and researchers with diverse academic backgrounds, including:
- Legal informatics
- Philosophy and theory of law
- Sociology of law
- Criminal law and procedure
- Ecclesiastical law
- Philosophy of politics
- Bioethics
The Center maintains active collaborations with experts from other departments of the University of Milan, particularly in international law, constitutional law, private law, labor law, and administrative law, fostering a cross-disciplinary dialogue on the most pressing legal issues of our time.
Research Agenda and Activities
Over the coming years, ISLC will continue to expand its international reach and research initiatives through:
- Building a global network of affiliated research centers and academic institutions focused on digital society and law.
- Securing funding for innovative and high-impact national and international research projects.
- Hosting the Digital Transformation Law Conference (DTLC), an annual scholarly event held at the end of each year to present ongoing research, evaluate findings, and define future directions.
- Publishing books, essays, and research articles in Italian and English on critical topics related to the digital transformation of law.
- Organizing interdisciplinary events that bring together legal and technical expertise from across the University of Milan to address cutting-edge challenges in digital governance.
Join Us
We warmly invite scholars, research centers, institutions, and policy-makers from around the world to connect and collaborate with us.
If you are engaged in critical inquiry at the intersection of law and digital transformation, or if your institution is building a research network on topics related to digital rights, governance, cybersecurity, or emerging technologies, we would be delighted to explore opportunities for partnership.
Please feel free to contact us and become part of an open, innovative, and globally engaged academic community.