Skip to main content
School of Law
  1. School of Law
  2. People
  3. Academic Staff
  4. Items

Dr Henry Pearce, LLB (Reading, 2011); LLM, Regulation and Technology (King’s, 2012); PhD, Law (Southampton, 2020); Fellow (FHEA, Advance HE, 2022).

Henry

Senior Lecturer in Internet Law

Email: henry.pearce@qmul.ac.uk

Profile

Dr Henry Pearce is a Senior Lecturer in Internet Law at Queen Mary University of London.

He joined the University in June 2025, having previously been a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Portsmouth (November 2018–May 2025), a Lecturer in Law at the University of Hertfordshire (June 2015–October 2018), and a Tutor in Law at the University of Southampton (December 2012–May 2015).

He is also Editor-in-Chief of Computer Law & Security Review (CLSR), an international journal of technology law and practice. The journal provides a major platform for the publication of high quality research, policy and legal analysis in the field of information technology law and computer security.

He also provides data protection consultancy services, and is currently acting as a data protection specialist on the Ethics Review Board for the WAge (EU Project) on healthy working environments for all ages, represented by SINTEF.

Dr Pearce holds a PhD in Law from the University of Southampton (2020), a master’s degree in Regulation and Techology (LLM) from King’s College University of London (2012), and a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Reading (2011).

Undergraduate Teaching

  • LAW5112 Internet Law
  • LAW6472 Internet Law, Regulation, Policy and Ethics

Research

Dr Pearce’s research primarily focuses on the development of data protection law and policy, both in the UK and internationally, and he is widely published in this field.

His PhD thesis examined the data handling and disclosure practices of public sector organisations and how, given the limits of anonymisation techniques, these may represent risks to individual privacy and data protection.

His recent publications have examined topics such as the regulation of posthumous medical data donation, the data protection rights and interests of children, and the intersection of data protection law with other areas of law, such as criminal law and employment law.

He is also interested in IT law, media law, freedom of information, data governance, and the interplay between law and emerging technologies more generally.

Publications

Book Chapters in Edited Volumes:

  • H Pearce, Brexit and Data Protection Law: A Missed Opportunity for Innovative Reform?. in E Celeste et al (eds), Data Protection and Digital Sovereignty Post-Brexit (Hart 2023) 35-58.
  • S Saxby, A Knight and H Pearce, Piercing the Anonymity Veil: Re-Identification Risk and the UK Transparency Agenda. in S Kierkegaard (ed), Information Ethics and Security: Future of International World Time (IAITL 2014) 1-33.

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles:

  • H Pearce, ‘A normative case for criminalising unauthorised access to deceased persons’ medical records’ [2025] Information & Communications Technology Law (advance online).
  • H Pearce, ‘Christian perspectives on the regulation of posthumous medical data donation (PMDD): An empirical study’ [2024] 55 Computer Law & Security Review 106052.
  • H Pearce and C Buck, ‘Balancing the autonomy and protection of children: Competency challenges in data protection law’ [2024] 33(2) Information & Communications Technology Law 177-197.
  • V Hooton and H Pearce, ‘As clear as mud, assessing the relationship between proposed pay transparency mechanisms and data protection obligations in EU law’ [2023] 14(4) European Labour Law Journal.
  • V Hooton and H Pearce, ‘Pay transparency, information access rights, and data protection law: exploring viable alternatives to disclosure orders in equal pay litigation’ [2023] 52(3) Industrial Law Journal 595-634.
  • H Pearce, ‘Our data? An examination of the possible role of individual consent in the regulation of posthumous medical data donation (PMDD)’ [2022] 45 Computer Law & Security Review 105663.
  • H Pearce, ‘A proposal for a new risk-based licensing approach to disclosing anonymised data under the (UK) Freedom of Information Act 2000’ [2021] 30(2) Information & Communications Technology Law 108-139.
  • H Pearce, ‘The (UK) Freedom of Information Act’s disclosure process is broken: Where do we go from here?’ [2020] 29(3) Information & Communications Technology Law 354-390.
  • H Pearce and S Stalla-Bourdillon, ‘Rethinking the “release and forget” ethos of the Freedom of Information Act 2000: Why developments in the field of anonymisation necessitate the development of a new approach to disclosing data’ [2019] 10(1) European Journal of Law and Technology.
  • S Stalla-Bourdillon, H Pearce and N Tsakalakis, ‘The GDPR, a Game Changer for Electronic Identification Schemes? The Case Study of Gov.UK Verify’ [2018] 34(4) Computer Law & Security Review 784-805.
  • H Pearce, ‘Personality, property and other provocations: exploring the conceptual muddle of data protection rights under EU law’ [2018] 4(2) European Data Protection Law Review 190-208.
  • H Pearce, ‘Could the doctrine of moral rights be used as a basis for understanding the notion of control within data protection law?’ [2018] 27(2) Information & Communications Technology Law 133-165.
  • H Pearce, ‘Big Data and the Reform of the European Data Protection Framework: An Overview of Potential Concerns Associated with Proposals for Risk Management-based Approaches to the Concept of Personal Data’ [2017] 26(3) Information & Communications Technology Law 312-335.
  • H Pearce, ‘Systems thinking, big data, and data protection law: Using Ackoff’s Interactive Planning to respond to emergent policy challenges’ [2016] 18(4) European Journal of Law Reform 478-504.

Conference Papers and Presentations:

  • AI and Data Protection in the UK: An Overview of Post-Brexit Regulatory Developments. Presented at the Brussels Privacy Hub Summer Academy for Global Privacy Law 2025, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 20 June 2025.
  • UK Data Protection Law: Rethinking Post-Brexit Opportunities for Reform. Presented at the National Association of Data Protection Officers (NADPO) Annual Conference, Mishcon de Reya LLP, 18 February 2025.
  • Data Protection Law in a Post-Brexit World: The Future is not “Personal”? Presented at Contemporary Issues in Business and Law Series, Bath Spa University, 12 December 2024.
  • Brexit and Data Protection Law: A Possible (Missed) Opportunity for Innovative Reform? Presented at The CIPIL Seminar Series, University of Cambridge, 7 November 2024.
  • Pay Transparency and Data Protection: A Strained Relationship? Presented at The Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) Annual Conference 2024, University of Portsmouth, 28 March 2024.
  • Brexit and data protection law – A missed opportunity for the UK Government? Presented at Towards a new UK data protection model? Cross-border cooperation challenges after Brexit, Cross-Border Data Protection Network, Dublin City University, 7 April 2022.
  • Consent and Posthumous Medical Data Donation (PMDD). Presented at Kent Centre for European and Comparative Law Speaker Series, University of Kent, 25 March 2022.
  • Data protection law in a post-Brexit world: The future is not “personal”? Presented at Commercial data transfers between UK and EU and the adequacy decision, Cross-border Data Protection Network/Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS), 22 April 2021.
  • Posthumous medical data donation and privacy – a comparative outlook. Presented at BILETA Annual Conference, Queen’s University, Belfast, 16-17 April 20.
  • Open Metadata: a way of reconciling the open data movement with the European data protection framework? Presented at TRILCon Annual Conference, University of Winchester, 25 April 2018.
  • Open Metadata: a way to reconcile the use of anonymisation techniques and confidentiality agreements with the open data movement? Presented at BILETA Annual Conference, University of Aberdeen, 10-11 April 2018.     
  • Articles 8 ECHR and the Charter of Fundamental Rights – do the Courts understand the right to data protection? Presented at The Inter-Relationship between the European Convention on Human Rights and European Union Law Conference, University of Nicosia, 17-18 March 2017.
  • Future Possibilities of Digital Citizenship – The Internet of Things Presented as part of the CLSR-LSPI Lisbon Seminar on “The Digital Citizen”, October 2014.

Public Engagement

Back to top