Teresa Scassa - Blog

Both globalization and the rapid development of communications technology have created an environment in which a very wide range of human activity can no longer be exclusively confined within the boundaries of any one state. Transborder commerce, communications, and crime are ubiquitous. The global movement of labour and capital, combined with widespread attempts to harmonize national laws to international standards also contribute to an environment in which the role of the nation state is greatly altered. As a result, the extent to which states can exercise jurisdiction over matters that take place outside their borders has become increasingly dynamic and controversial under international law. The goal of the project is to critically examine the use of extra-territorial jurisdiction by states and to formulate an analytical framework to help Canadian law and policy makers in making principled decisions on the issue.

My own work on this project has focussed on internet and privacy issues. A new paper exploring extraterritoriality in the context of the internet, co-authored with Robert Currie will be forthcoming shortly in the Georgetown Journal of International Law.

This SSHRC funded research project is being carried out with Stephen Coughlan, Robert Currie and Hugh Kindred of Dalhousie University.