Vorlesung Nr. 1
What is law?
- ‘The law’ is a system of rules and regulations created by a governing authority to regulate
human behaviour in society.
- It serves as a fundamental framework shaping and governing individual conduct, and
maintaining order, justice, and harmony.
- Legal systems provide governance, in that they establish a social contract which outlines
acceptable behaviour and provides means for dispute resolution.
- Law broadly encompasses criminal, civil, and administrative aspects, that generally reflect
societal values.
- Law thus plays a crucial role in establishing and preserving social order, acting as a
deterrent to potential wrongdoing.
- Not all laws provide punishments for non-compliance; commonly, however, laws provides
rules and defines sanctions to ensure compliance.
- Law serves as a mechanism for dispute resolution, reducing the likelihood of victims
retorting to self-help or violence.
- The purpose of law is multifaceted, including the establishment and maintenance of social
order and the protection of individual rights.
- Law facilitates effective governance, outlining powers, responsibilities, and limitations of
government entities, fostering accountability.
- Law is inherently interdisciplinary, intersecting with sociology, politics, economics, ethics, and
history; this interdisciplinary approach is further essential in fields like IT law and
cybersecurity.
,Sources of Law
International Law
Treaties and Agreements:
• Agreements between sovereign states governing
their relationships.
• Examples: Human Rights Conventions, global trade
agreements.
International Custom:
• General practices accepted as law by states.
• Principles of significant concern and weight.
General Principles of Law:
• Fundamental legal principles recognized by civilized
nations.
• Includes the rule of law and considerations of
fairness and justice.
EU Law
Primary EU Law:
• EU Treaties: Treaty on European Union, Treaty on
the Functioning of the European Union, and the
Charter of Fundamental Rights.
• Highest laws for both the EU and its Member States.
Secondary EU Law:
• Regulations: Directly binding in all member states.
• Directives: Need implementation into domestic law.
• Decisions: Legally binding.
• Case law of the European Court of Justice provides
official interpretations.
,Swedish Law
Constitutional Documents:
• Instrument of Government, Act of Succession,
Freedom of the Press Act, Fundamental Law on
Freedom of Expression.
Acts of Parliament:
• Legislations passed by the Swedish Riksdag.
Government Regulations:
• Decisions and regulations issued by Swedish
government agencies.
Case Law:
• Judicial decisions from Swedish courts.
• Interpretations of the law in real-world scenarios.
Soft Law: non-binding instruments like declarations and guidelines, lacking traditional legal
enforceability but carrying significant influence (for example
in interpreting the law).
Industry Standards: developed within specific sectors, are non-binding norms widely accepted
as best practices; they can gain legal viability through
incorporation into contracts.
What is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity Basics:
• Protects digital systems, data from unauthorized access, attacks, and damage.
• Ensures confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information in interconnected, digital
world.
Vulnerability Management:
• Identifies and mitigates weaknesses in software, hardware, preventing exploitation.
Threat Landscape:
• Various threats, from common malware to advanced persistent threats (APTs).
• APTs involve sophisticated, prolonged cyber-attacks for espionage or data theft.
, Security Measures:
• Access control manages and restricts digital resource access.
• Encryption converts sensitive information into unreadable code for added protection.
Response and Training:
• Incident response addresses and mitigates security incidents.
• Cybersecurity awareness training educates about threats, best practices.
What is Cybersecurity law?
• Cybersecurity Law addresses challenges in evolving cyber activities and
is crucial with our increased reliance on digital technologies.
• The main scope is focussed on providing regulation for safeguarding
individuals, organizations, and critical infrastructure from cyberthreats.
• Cybersecurity law includes, among others, data protection,
privacy, incident response, and regulatory compliance.
• It includes regulations ensuring responsible data handling and
privacy protection.
• Cybersecurity Laws further emphasise transparency and user
consent for data processing.
• Cybersecurity Law holds organisations accountable for security failures.
• Governments further recognised the need for legal frameworks to
prosecute cybercriminals.
• Modern Cybersecurity Law reflects the delicate balance between
technological innovation and security needs.
