Dr Marion Oswald

Professor

Department: Northumbria Law School

Dr Marion Oswald is Professor in Law at the University of Northumbria. She researches the interaction between law and digital technology and has a particular interest in the use of information and innovative technology by criminal justice bodies and the wider public sector. Marion regularly writes, speaks and advises on the legal and ethical implications of new technologies.

Marion was awarded an MBE in The Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours list 2022 for services to digital innovation.

From July 2021 - March 2022, Marion was Specialist Adviser to the Justice and Home Affairs Committee advising the Lords Committee on its inquiry into new technologies and the application of the law: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1272/new-technologies-and-the-application-of-the-law/

From Sep 2021 - Sep 2023, Marion was appointed to the independent Advisory Board of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, a government expert body focused upon the trustworthy use of data and AI.

From November 2021, Marion will be working part-time for the Turing Institute as Senior Research Associate supporting the Safe and Ethical AI Programme, focused in particular on criminal justice and national security.

Marion is a solicitor (non-practicing), with previous experience in legal management roles within private practice, international companies and UK central government including national security. She has worked extensively in the fields of data protection, freedom of information and information technology, having advised on a number of information technology implementations, data sharing projects and statutory reforms. Marion spent 10 years at the University of Winchester where she founded and led the research and knowledge exchange centre, the Centre for Information Rights.

Marion was PI and Director of the AHRC-funded 'Observatory for the Monitoring of Data-Driven Approaches to Covid-19' (https://www.omddac.org.uk/). She chairs the West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner and West Midlands Police data ethics committee and is a member of the New Zealand Police independent advisory panel on emerging technologies. She is an Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute and a Board member of the UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Hub. She is an independent member of the Open Rights Group Advisory board. She was a member of the Advisory Board to the Ada Lovelace Institute Ryder Review of the Governance of Biometric Technologies.

Marion is Managing Editor of the Journal of Law, Technology and Trust, sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Research in Computational Law, and has guest edited the European Journal of Law and Technology. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of AHRC's peer review college.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Marion's research focuses on the interaction between law and digital technology, and involves multi-disciplinary collaboration and doctrinal, empirical and conceptual methodologies. Building on her background as a practising lawyer within Government and technology companies, she has developed a particular specialism in the use of digital technologies and big data within policing and the wider public sector. She regularly writes, speaks and advises on the impacts of new technologies, and the legal, ethical and social issues raised by personal data sharing and the deployment of innovative technology in the public and private sectors, focusing upon administrative and public law and human rights issues. She has a particular interest in the use of information, Big Data and algorithms to solve public sector problems, and in the challenges to children’s best interests raised by our digital society.

Marion was awarded an MBE in The Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours list 2022 for services to digital innovation.

From July 2021 - March 2022, Marion was Specialist Adviser to the Justice and Home Affairs Committee advising the Lords Committee on its inquiry into technologies and the application of the law: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1272/new-technologies-and-the-application-of-the-law/

From Sep 2021-Sep 23, Marion was appointed to the independent Advisory Board of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, a government expert body focused upon the trustworthy use of data and AI.

Marion is an Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute, Chair of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner and West Midlands Police Data Ethics Committee, a member of the New Zealand Police independent advisory panel on emerging technologies, and a Board member of the UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Hub. She is an independent member of the Open Rights Group Advisory board. She was a member of the Advisory Board to the Ada Lovelace Institute Ryder Review of the Governance of Biometric Technologies. She was joint law track chair of the Association of Computing Machinery Fairness, Accountability and Transparency (ACM FAT) Conference 2020 and a member of the Council of Europe Working Group of Experts on Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Law.

Marion was PI and Director of the AHRC-funded 'Observatory for the Monitoring of Data-Driven Approaches to Covid-19' (https://www.omddac.org.uk/).

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Evaluating (semi)-autonomous systems in policing and national security: A new framework based on the concept of ‘intelligence’: A new matrix framework of evaluation and grading, based on lessons from existing processes designed to define and assess ‘intelligence’, Oswald, M., Chambers, L., Paul, A. 11 Jul 2023, TAS '23, New York, US, ACM
Privacy Intrusion and National Security in the Age of AI: Assessing proportionality of automated analytics, Janjeva, A., Calder, M., Oswald, M. 23 May 2023
AI Regulation Policy Paper (CP 728): Response to call for views and evidence, Oswald, M. 23 Sep 2022
A three-pillar approach to achieving trustworthy and accountable use of AI and emerging technology in policing in England and Wales: Lessons from the West Midlands data ethics model, Oswald, M. 30 Apr 2022, In: European Journal of Law and Technology
‘Give Me A Ping, Vasili. One Ping Only’ Why The Success Of Machine Learning Depends On Empowered People, Oswald, M. 2 Mar 2022
Implications of Emerging Privacy Enhancing Technologies for UK Surveillance Policy, Balston, G., Oswald, M., Harris, A., Janjeva, A. Jul 2022
Lord Geidt and the Wild West of policing technology governance: How can a resignation improve police technology oversight?, Oswald, M. 25 Jun 2022
The UK Algorithmic Transparency Standard: A Qualitative Analysis of Police Perspectives, Oswald, M., Chambers, L., Goodman, E., Ugwudike, P., Zilka, M. 7 Jul 2022
Written evidence to Commons Science and Technology Committee inquiry into governance of AI, (GAI0012), Oswald, M. 13 Dec 2022

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
COVID-19: Observatory for Monitoring Data-Driven Approaches to COVID-19, Oswald, M. (Principal Investigator), UK Research and Innovation, 04/11/20 - 03/11/21, £406,656.00

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Invited talk: AI: clever, clumsy or clueless? 2023
Invited talk: AI-NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND CHALLENGES FOR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 2023
Oral presentation: British and Irish Law Education Technology Association (BILETA) Conference 2023 2023
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: The use of AI in sentencing and the management of offenders 2023
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Progressing the UK Government’s Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard: Police Perspectives 2023
Oral presentation: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Information Law and Policy Centre Annual Conference 2022 2022
Invited talk: Oversight of Police-Use of Surveillance Technology: Workshop hosted by the VUB Chair in Surveillance Studies 2022
Invited talk: Using Artificial Intelligence in National Security 2022
Invited talk: Keynote address at 'Responsible AI in Law Enforcement' organised by Oxford University and UNICRI 2022
Invited talk: ‘Technology Rules?’ The recent Lords Justice and Home Affairs committee report into new technologies in the justice system, recommendations around governance and ethics, and ethics models in policing 2022

PGR Supervision

James Winters Start Date: 01/10/2023
David Powell Innovation to implementation: the critical implementation factors in developing a machine learning forecasting tool to predict reoffending in domestic abuse. Start Date: 01/10/2019 End Date: 20/09/2023
Daria Onitiu Deconstructing the right to privacy considering the impact of fashion recommender systems on an individual's autonomy and identity Start Date: 01/10/2019 End Date: 25/06/2022
Luke Chambers AI and Machine Learning Nascent Visual Biometrics in Police Intelligence and Criminal Evidence – Impacts on Reliability and Fairness Start Date: 01/10/2021
Anna Butler The circular economy – is the law a pragmatic driver or a distracting passenger? Start Date: 13/09/2021
Angela Paul Police Use of Data from the Sky: Dissecting the Human Rights Implications Associated with Deploying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Law Enforcement in England and Wales Start Date: 18/01/2021