Gerard Ritsema van Eck

Gerard Ritsema van Eck is an Assistant Professor in IT Law at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Law, specializing in privacy and data protection in public spaces, European data law, and surveillance studies. He holds a PhD in Law (2021) and currently serves as a post-doctoral researcher in the SMiLES Living Lab project. His roles include membership in the University Council, Research Ethics Review Committee (CETOR), and leadership of the Surveillance Studies in Groningen Network for All (SSiGNall).

His research focuses on the legal and societal implications of surveillance technologies, including body cameras, crowdsourced data collection, and biometric recognition. Notable projects include contributions to the FRA's biometric policing research and the CITYCoP and RESPECT EU-funded projects. He actively advises on privacy policies and frequently engages with media on issues like facial recognition misuse and public camera ethics.

Ritsema van Eck publishes extensively on data protection law, with recent works analyzing court rulings on live-stream surveillance and corporate compliance with post-Schrems GDPR obligations. He advises on Data Protection Impact Assessments and advocates for stronger group privacy rights in public spaces. Teaching roles include supervising law students' theses and mentoring junior researchers through the Surveillance Scholars Network.