UVA Data Points Podcast: Data Protection in Humanitarian Action
In this episode of Data Points, we explore data governance in the humanitarian sector. Our guests are Massimo Marelli, head of the data protection office at the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Ana Beduschi, a professor of law and strategic lead on the Fair and Inclusive Society at the Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (IDSAI) at the University of Exeter. The conversation is led by Aaron Martin, assistant professor of data science here at UVA.
Together, they discuss topics from the book Data Protection in Humanitarian Action: Responding to Crises in a Data-Driven World. Of note, they share insights on how data regulation is shaping privacy and security for vulnerable communities and the role of international frameworks in addressing these challenges.
Ana Beduschi is a professor of law with a personal chair at the University of Exeter, Law School. She is also currently serving as the strategic lead on Fair and Inclusive Society at the Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (IDSAI) at the University of Exeter. Her research and teaching concentrate on law and technology, particularly artificial intelligence, with a focus on data protection law, international human rights law, and privacy.
Massimo Marelli is the head of the data protection office at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He is also a member of the advisory board and a fellow at the European Centre on Privacy and Cybersecurity (ECPC) at Maastricht University, and co-director of the Humanitarian Action Programme at ECPC. He is also a member of the Brussels Privacy Hub Advisory Board, and the co-editor of the Handbook on Data Protection in Humanitarian Action. Prior to his current role, Massimo held several assignments with the ICRC in the field and at the headquarters, and worked as a référendaire at the General Court of the European Union and as a lawyer in private practice.
Aaron Martin is a social scientist specializing in technology policy and data governance. Aaron Martin studies how regulation can facilitate just, inclusive, and secure digital societies. In addition to focusing on how transnational policy is established by international bodies and humanitarian organizations, he explores how users in historically marginalized communities, including refugees and other vulnerable people, understand and shape technology and its regulation. He received his doctorate in information systems and innovation from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society in the Netherlands (2018-23). Before moving to UVA he led Maastricht University’s Humanitarian Action Program in partnership with the ICRC. He has held tech policy positions at JPMorganChase and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
