Prof. Michael Birnhack

Michael Birnhack is a Professor of Law. He researches, teaches and writes about privacy law, information law, law and technology and intellectual property. In the privacy field, Michael served as a member of the Israeli Public Council for the Protection of Privacy (2004-2009; 2015-2016); advised the European Commission on the Israeli data protection regime (2007, 2008); was a member of the Schofmann Committee on Data Protection (2005-2007), advised the Ministry of Health on HaMagen Contact Tracing Application, and served in additional public committees. He is a member of the University Privacy Committee (2020-present). His IP-related research focuses on the intersection between copyright law and freedom of expression, IP and globalization, and IP history. He was a member of TAU’s Patent, Copyright and Internet committees.

Michael served as Associate Dean for Research (2017-2021); Director of the Parasol Foundation International LL.M (2015-2020); Founding Director of the S. Horowitz Institute for Intellectual Property in memory of Dr. Amnon Goldenberg (2015-2021); Chief Editor of Tel Aviv University Law Review (Vol. 33-34); a member of the board of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) (Sep. 2009 - August 2010); co-director of Computers & Ethics at the Mishkenot Sha’ananim Ethics Center in Jerusalem, and a founding member of ‘Privacy Israel’ (2020). He serves on the editorial boards of Global Privacy Law Review (2019 – present); Law, Technology and Humans (Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia) (2021 – present), Law & Social Inquiry (2022 – present), and Law & Medicine (Hebrew) (2022 – present). He won 5 ISF Grants, participated in two EU grants, and won several other research grants. He won the Zeltner Prize for Excellence in Legal Research (2020).

He earned his LL.B. degree at Tel Aviv University (’96), his LL.M. (’98) and J.S.D. (’00) at NYU School of Law. Prior to joining Tel Aviv University, he was a faculty member at the University of Haifa (2000-2007) and co-founder and co-director of the Haifa Center of Law & Technology.

1.      Privacy law

2.      Intellectual property, especially copyright law and IP history

3.      Law & Information Technology

Full CV

Colonial Copyright: Intellectual Property in Mandate Palestine (Oxford University Press, 2012) 336 pp

Private Space: The Right to Privacy, Law and Technology (Bar Ilan University Press & Nevo Press, 2010) pp. 543 [Hebrew]

Michael Birnhack & Niva Elkin-Koren, The Invisible Handshake: The Reemergence of the State in the Digital Environment, 8 Virginia Journal of Law & Technology 6 (2003)

Michael Birnhack, The EU Data Protection Directive: An Engine of a Global Regime, 24(6) Computer Law & Security Report 508-520 (2008)

Michael Birnhack, A Quest for A Theory of Privacy: Context and Control: Review of Helen Nissenbaum's Privacy in Context, 51(4) Jurimetrics: Journal of Law, Science, & Technology 447-479 (2011)

Michael Birnhack & Niva Elkin-Koren, Does Law Matter Online? Empirical Evidence on Privacy Law Compliance, 17Michigan Telecommunication & Technology Law Review337-384 (2011)

Michael Birnhack, Hebrew Authors and English Copyright Law in Mandate Palestine, 12(1) Theoretical Inquiries in Law 201-240 (2011)

Michael Birnhack, Reverse Engineering Informational Privacy Law, 15 Yale Journal of Law & Technology 24-91 (2012)

Michael Birnhack & Yofi Tirosh, Naked in Front of the Machine: Does Airport Scanning Violate Privacy? 74 Ohio State Law Journal 1263-1034 (2013)

Michael Birnhack, Copyright Pioneers, 5(1) WIPO J. 118-126 (2013)

Full CV