Professor Mark Burdon

Find Mark Burdon on

Associate Professor, Law School

PhD (Queensland University of Technology), Master of Science (University of London)

My primary research interests are privacy, information privacy law and the regulation of information security. I focus on the complex privacy issues that arise from the sensorisation of everyday devices and infrastructures. These issues are explored significantly in my book, Digital Data Collection and Information Privacy Law, published by Cambridge University Press. Recent research examines the privacy issues that arise from smart homes particularly involving domestic violence reporting and commercial uses of smart home sensor data. Previous research includes a diverse range of multi-disciplinary projects involving:

  • The regulation of information security practices;
  • Legislative frameworks for the mandatory reporting of data breaches;
  • Data sharing in e-government information frameworks;
  • Privacy and consumer protection in e-commerce and
  • Information protection standards for e-courts.

The relationship between privacy and power is a consistent theme in my work that I will be exploring further in the future. Sensor data generation is instrumental to the formulation of new power relationships in networked societies. Information privacy law will consequently need to adapt. How it adapts is therefore a crucial question to resolve as we move into an increasingly collected world, where data about everything is collected and analysed. Research Highlights:

Current Research Projects:

  • Development of legal validation strategies for converting legislation into machine readable code.
  • Examination of privacy policies relating to the popular smart home products in Australia.

Additional information

  • The Datafied Polity: Protecting Voter Privacy in the Context of Data-Driven Political Campaigning
    PhD, Principal Supervisor
    Other supervisors: Professor Nicolas Suzor
  • THE INFORMATION PRIVACY LAW CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY HIGHLY CONNECTED AND AUTOMATED VEHICLES (CAVS) - A HUMAN CENTRED DESIGN APPROACH TO LAW REFORM
    PhD, Principal Supervisor
    Other supervisors: Professor Belinda Bennett
  • MAPPING THE LEGAL BOUNDARIES OF MOBILE AND WEARABLE DEVICE (MWD) DATA FLOWS IN SAFE, HEALTHY AND PRODUCTIVE AUSTRALIAN WORK SETTINGS
    PhD, Principal Supervisor
    Other supervisors: Professor Richard Johnstone, Professor Kieran Tranter