Niovi Vavoula

Bio: Niovi Vavoula is an academic researcher from Queen Mary University of London. The author has contributed to research in topics: Data Protection Act 1998 & Political science. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 13 publications receiving 73 citations.

Alternative Systems of Crime Control. National, Transnational, and International Dimensions

Abstract: The typical trial-oriented systems of criminal justice that are primarily based on the strict application of substantive criminal law have reached their functional and logistical limits in most parts of the modern legal world As a result, new sanction models, less formal, administrative, and discretionary case disposals, plea bargaining arrangements, and other alternative procedural and transitional justice mechanisms have emerged at unprecedented levels in national and international legal orders affiliated both with the civil law and the common law tradition These normative constructs and practices aim at abbreviating, simplifying, or circumventing the conventional criminal investigation and prosecution They seek to enhance the effectiveness of conflict resolution proceedings and to shift the focus of crime control from repression to prevention The present volume explores these alternative, informal, preventive, and transitional types of criminal justice and the legitimacy of new sanction models in the global risk society from the perspective of national and international justice and by focusing on the special regimes of anti-terrorism measures and security law The authors of the papers are experts and internationally acclaimed scholars in this field Their research results were presented and discussed at an inter-national conference held on 26-27 January 2018 at Middle Temple in London, UK, which was organized by the School of Law of the Queen Mary University of London, the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law (Freiburg), and the European & International Criminal Law Institute (Athens)

The Evolving EU Anti-Money Laundering Regime: Challenges for Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law

Abstract: Over the past twenty-five years, the European Union has developed a far-reaching legal regime aimed at countering money laundering. The evolution of this regime has been linked inextricably with the parallel development of global standards in the field, most notably by the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF). This article will critically evaluate the content of EU anti-money laundering law, by putting forward a comprehensive typology of the EU anti-money laundering regime as outlined in the successive EU Anti-Money Laundering Directives and consisting of three elements: the criminalization of money laundering and terrorist finance; the prevention of money laundering via the imposition of a series of duties on the private sector; and the focus on financial intelligence, via the establishment and co-operation of financial intelligence units responsible for receiving and analysing reports received from the private sector. The article will examine the evolution of EU law as regards all elements of anti-money laundering law, by focusing in particular on the changes brought forward by the post-Lisbon Fourth Money Laundering Directive. The article will cast light on the influence of the FATF in shaping these standards and will highlight the impact of the ever expanding EU antimoney laundering legal framework on fundamental rights and the rule of law.

The Recast Eurodac Regulation: Are Asylum Seekers Treated as Suspected Criminals?

Abstract: In June 2013, the European Union (eu) completed the second phase of the Common European Asylum System (ceas), one ‘important tool’ of which is the operation of Eurodac.1 Eurodac is a biometric database which primarily stores the fingerprints of asylum seekers2 and its rules were recently amended by Regulation 603/2013 (Recast Eurodac Regulation).3 Compared to the legal instruments adopted in the field of asylum, the Eurodac system attracts rather modest interest, perhaps due to its inherently technical nature. However, the new Regulation introduces a notable and controversial change in the operation of the database; from 20 July 2015, law enforcement authorities and Europol will be granted access to Eurodac data for the purpose of preventing, detecting and investigating terrorist offences and other serious crimes. By critically analysing eu legislation and relevant material including articles, reports, policy briefs and accompanying documents, the present contribution explores how law enforcement access to Eurodac data may affect the fundamental rights of asylum seekers and the extent to which this new functionality signifies that asylum seekers are treated as a population suspected of criminality. For the purposes of this Chapter, the focus is specifically on asylum seekers

Controlling the Schengen Information System (SIS II): The Infrastructural Politics of Fragility and Maintenance

Abstract: This article focuses on the Schengen Information System (SIS II) – the largest data infrastructure supporting police cooperation and border controls in the European Union. Through the SIS II, natio...

Computer security and privacy in the interactions between victim service providers and human trafficking survivors

Abstract: A victim service provider, or VSP, is a crucial partner in a human trafficking survivor's recovery. VSPs provide or connect survivors to resources such as medical care, legal services, employment opportunities, etc. In this work, we study VSP-survivor interactions from a computer security and privacy perspective. Through 17 semi-structured interviews with staff members at VSPs and survivors of trafficking, we surface the role technology plays in VSP-survivor interactions as well as related computer security and privacy concerns and mitigations. Our results highlight various tensions that VSPs must balance, including building trust with their clients (often by giving them as much autonomy as possible) while attempting to guide their use of technology to mitigate risks around revictimization. We conclude with concrete recommendations for computer security and privacy technologists who wish to partner with VSPs to support and empower trafficking survivors.

Understanding Law Enforcement Strategies and Needs for Combating Human Trafficking

Abstract: In working to rescue victims of human trafficking, law enforcement officers face a host of challenges. Working in complex, layered organizational structures, they face challenges of collaboration and communication. Online information is central to every phase of a human-trafficking investigation. With terabytes of available data such as sex work ads, policing is increasingly a big-data research problem. In this study, we interview sixteen law enforcement officers working to rescue victims of human trafficking to try to understand their computational needs. We highlight three major areas where future work in human-computer interaction can help. First, combating human trafficking requires advances in information visualization of large, complex, geospatial data, as victims are frequently forcibly moved across jurisdictions. Second, the need for unified information databases raises critical research issues of usable security and privacy. Finally, the archaic nature of information systems available to law enforcement raises policy issues regarding resource allocation for software development.