Aolan Li

Profile

Thesis title

Protecting the protectors: Optimizing the Legitimate Interest Ground in the Digital Market

Supervisors

• Dr Guan H. Tang
• Professor Anne Flanagan

Summary of research

While data controllers in the private sector heavily rely on their/third-party’s legitimate interests to process personal data, the legitimate interest ground has been less comprehensively discussed among existing literature and administrative guidelines. The gap is noteworthy. Aolan's research explores the origin, rationale, and application of the controversial legitimate interest ground (Article 6(1)(f) of GDPR), aiming to optimise this legal basis in the digital market.

Biography

Aolan Li started her journey at Queen Mary University of London in 2022. She is a PhD candidate in law, and her current research delves into the legitimate interests in data protection laws. Aolan holds an LLB (Hons) and two LLM degrees during which she receives academic training in prestigious universities in the UK (King's College London) and China Mainland (Sun Yat-sen University). Previously, she practised intellectual property law as a lawyer and IP consultant in China Mainland.

Research