Centre for Commercial Law Studies

Dr Asma Vranaki, LLB (Hons) (LSE), LLM (QMW), DPhil (Oxon), Barrister (Inner Temple)

Asma

Research Assistant


Room Number: Lincoln's Inn Fields

Profile

Asma Vranaki joined the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) in March 2014 as a Research Assistant to the Cloud Accountability project, which is a major research project funded by the European Commission. 

Prior to joining CCLS, Asma read for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Law at the University of Oxford. Her thesis was entitled Rethinking Relations and Regimes of Power in Online Social Networking Sites: Tales of Control, Strife, and Negotiations in Facebook and YouTube. Her doctoral research project, which was a qualitative socio-legal research project, analysed the power effects generated in online social networking sites, such as Facebook and YouTube, when legal values, such as personal data and copyright, were protected and violated.

Prior to undertaking her doctorate, Asma was called to the Bar of England and Wales and completed part of her pupilage at the top-tier commercial law set, Fountain Court Chambers. She was also called to the Bar of Mauritius and practiced as a commercial barrister in Mauritius. Her areas of expertise included technology, telecommunications, media, data protection and intellectual property law. Asma also lectured at various universities including Queen Mary, the City Law School and the University of Oxford.

In addition to her role at CCLS, Asma is a consultant to Preiskel & Co LLP, a leading City law firm in the fields of technology, media, and telecommunications (‘TMT’). She regularly provides strategic advice in various contentious and non-contentious TMT matters, such as, content liability and data protection.

Asma currently serves as an Assistant Editor of the International Journal of Communications Law & Policy and avidly blogs about key issues in internet regulation.

Asma has an LLM in Computer and Communications Law from Queen Mary and Westfield and an LLB in Law from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences.

Research

Research Interests:

Asma Vranaki's research interests include:

  • Regulation of computer-mediated communication technologies (‘CMCT’).
  • Legal issues raised by CMCT such as data protection, privacy, free speech and copyright.
  • Internet regulation theory, regulatory theories and internet studies.
  • Legal theory, socio-legal studies, science and technology studies (in particular actor-network theory) and Foucault.

Publications

Thesis

  • Vranaki A, Rethinking Relations and Regimes of Power in Online Social Networking Sites: Tales of Control, Strife, and Negotiations in Facebook and YouTube (Thesis, University of Oxford, November 2013)

Articles in peer-reviewed journals

  • Vranaki A, ‘Wilson v. Yahoo! UK Ltd & Anor and the law on online sponsored links,’ (2008) 13(4) Communications Law, 135.
  • Vranaki A, ‘Compensation of Commercial Agents,’ (2008) 17(2) Modern Law Review, 271.

Refereed conference papers

  • Vranaki A, ‘The Irish Facebook Audit: a tale of power and relations,’ (GIKII Conference, September 2013).
  • Vranaki A, ‘The Irish Facebook Audit: a tale of power and relations,’ (Kent Critical Law Society Conference, Kent, March 2012)
  • Vranaki A, ‘Is “code” law in the copyright network of YouTube? An empirical analysis of the relationship between law and technology in YouTube,’ (Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, Cambridge, September 2011)
  • Vranaki A, ‘An analysis of the copyright network of YouTube as a socio-legal-technological network,’ (Socio-Legal Studies Association Conference, Sussex, April 2011)
  • Vranaki A, ‘An alternative way of conceptualising the role of law and technological artefacts in protecting privacy and copyright interests in Online Social Networking Sites,’ (4th International Graduate Legal Research Conference, King`s College London, April 2010)
  • Vranaki A, ‘The role of law as a modality of power in the protection of privacy and copyright interests in the participative web,’ (CSLS Conference, Oxford, May 2009).

Research Presentations

  • Vranaki A, ‘An analysis of the copyright network of YouTube as a socio-legal-technological network,’ (Socio-Legal Discussion Group, University of Oxford, March 2011).

Workshops

  • ‘Material Worlds: Intersections between Socio-Legal Studies and Science and Technology Studies Workshop,’ (King`s College London, April 2011) (participant).
  • Vranaki A, ‘The role of socio-cyber ties as a modality of power in Social Networking Sites,’ Modes of Governance in Digitally Networked Environments Workshop, (Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, March 2009).