The Global Network Initiative (GNI) is pleased to announce that independent expert Dr Joan Barata has joined GNI’s academic constituency as a member.
Welcoming Dr Barata, GNI Executive Director Jason Pielemeier said, “We are thrilled to welcome Joan to GNI. He is a leading thinker and practitioner on issues of technology regulation and law, and his experience and insight will be invaluable as GNI continues its work to integrate human rights principles into these frameworks.”
Dr Barata’s work focuses on freedom of expression, media regulation, and intermediary liability. He is a Visiting Professor at the Faculdade de Direito – Católica no Porto and a Member of the
Centre for Law, Democracy, and Society at Queen Mary University of London. Prior to this, Dr Barata was a Senior Legal Fellow at the Future Free Speech project at Vanderbilt University and a Fellow of the Program on Platform Regulation at the Stanford Cyber Policy Center. He has published extensively on these issues in both academic journals and the popular press.
Reflecting on his joining GNI, Dr Barata said, “GNI’s focus on emerging issues at the intersection of freedom of expression, privacy, and corporate responsibility closely aligns with my interests and activities as both a scholar and an expert working with international actors. I look forward to actively engaging in GNI’s efforts to adapt human rights standards to a context in which the traditional, vertical role of the state vis-à-vis individuals and media actors has given way to a more complex ecosystem of diverse participants, legitimate interests, and plural normative approaches. I am also keen to contribute to GNI’s multi-regional strategy by helping to create a space where ongoing geopolitical influences and tensions are thoughtfully and effectively addressed.”
His work has taken him to most regions of the world, and he regularly collaborates with international organizations including UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the Organization of American States, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, where he served as Principal Advisor to the Representative on Freedom of the Media. He also brings regulatory experience, having served as Secretary General of the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia in Spain and as a member of the Permanent Secretariat of the Mediterranean Network of Regulatory Authorities.