This paper assesses the adequacy of technology-neutral privacy frameworks in addressing quantum threats to zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) and other privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) in global data protection regimes. Challenging assumptions that cryptographic innovation inherently bolsters privacy rights, the analysis demonstrates how post-quantum migration, absent binding regulatory duties, risks entrenching a ‘quantum divide’ in access and liability. Grounded in legal frameworks and actual deployments, including Zcash’s classical Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge (ZK-SNARKs) and NantHealth Inc.’s quantum-aware homomorphic encryption systems, the paper contends that access to PETs is becoming ever more determined by institutional capability and geopolitical factors, as illustrated by comparative case studies. This research evaluates the efficacy of statutes such as the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Article 32), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) (§ 1798.150), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (45 C.F.R. § 164.308) in imposing liability for quantum vulnerable systems, using the cases to illustrate gaps in mandating equitable post-quantum migration. The conclusion reflects upon legal gaps enabling unequal protections, advocating reforms including mandatory quantum risk assessments. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Existing privacy and surveillance frameworks fail to govern structural democratic harms because their foundational paradigm requires demonstrable individual injury as the threshold for legal intervention. This paper diagnoses that failure through the Israeli constitutional experience, where a 99.3 per cent judicial approval rate for wiretap requests exposes a legal architecture that formally protects privacy while systematically immunising from accountability the institutions most capable of violating it. Drawing selectively on the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) framework, the paper introduces two theoretical innovations. Surveillance Justice Theory reconceptualises privacy violations as structural phenomena with individual, collective, and democratic dimensions, providing courts with a principled basis for recognising constitutional injury without requiring identifiable plaintiffs. The Structural-Dynamic Proportionality Principle reformulates proportionality analysis along institutional and temporal axes, requiring evaluation of oversight architecture and the ongoing validity of authorisation as surveillance capabilities evolve. These innovations are operationalised through the Integrated Constitutional Surveillance Model, a three-tier constitutional framework offering practical tools for courts and policy makers seeking to govern not merely discrete surveillance acts but the systemic conditions that produce structural democratic injury. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Synthetic data hold strong potential to increase access to administrative data systems while protecting privacy for individuals. This paper details the approach taken to evaluate the synthesis of Maryland’s State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) using fully synthetic Classification and Regression Tree (CART) models. Results demonstrate low disclosure risk (near zero) and high research utility, validated through robust evaluations. Practical insights and best practices from this case provide valuable lessons for other organisations seeking balanced synthetic data solutions for administrative data. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
The adoption of mobile banking and its impact on enhancing financial inclusion and consumer credit in Qatar is the focus of this research. A survey of 600 participants was conducted using a close-end questionnaire to measure variables across five key domains: literacy, mobile banking services, use of information technology, new formation of structures and banking, and clients’ confidence in security measures. The data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and t-tests. It was concluded that although the level of mobile banking is relatively high in the region, it is also associated with certain weaknesses such as financial liberalisation, digital literacy, development of banking structures, and customer confidence. In relation to improving the scale and users of digital financial services, this paper recommends that the government should pay more attention to issues of coverage/container, address specific groups of clients, support the financial value chain, and establish customer trust. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
This paper examines Indonesia’s legal framework for cross-border transfer of genomic data and evaluates how it balances the rights of data subjects, state sovereignty, and national security. Using a normative juridical method supported by comparative analysis, it reviews the Personal Data Protection Law 2022 and the Health Law 2023, along with their derivative ministerial regulations, in relation to international standards such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the World Health Organization (WHO) 2024 Guidelines, and China’s Regulation on Human Genetic Resources (HGR Regulation) 2019. The findings reveal three regulatory weaknesses: the limited recognition and protection of genomic data as sensitive data; the absence of benefit sharing and informed consent as fundamental rights of data subjects; and the lack of binding interstate treaty obligations to protect genomic data outside Indonesia. The paper proposes a ‘treaty-first’ approach in the Material Transfer Agreement (MTA), benefiting data subjects as a right, and a binding international framework designed explicitly for the cross-border protection of genomic data. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
