From Code to Codex: Exploring the Patterns of Technology-Related Legal Evolution

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

Although malicious uses of technology have become a persistent element of our reality, the surrounding narrative has seen little change: we always seem to face new, unprecedented threats that demand urgent attention and legislative action. From early photography to widespread surveillance, from the first computers to modern AI, and from automobiles to autonomous vehicles, each emergence and adoption of new technology has seen offenders devise new methods of misuse, sparking debates about the necessity of legislative changes. What lessons can we learn from past debates? The battle against cybercrime, from legal and criminological standpoints, spans several decades. It could offer a wealth of experiences and arguments that might be re-examined from today's perspective.

This poster presentation will highlight key aspects of the research design behind the project “From Code to Codex: Understanding Patterns in Technology-Related Legal Evolution.” The core objective of the project is to examine how legislation and policy evolve in response to new technological threats; it seeks to explore and understand the recurring nature of legislative debates about technology-related issues and criminality. The project’s methodology combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, employing case studies and statistical analysis of crime data selected from diverse technological domains and jurisdictions.

Author

• Piotr Lewulis, University of Warsaw