Peter van de Waerdt, LLM

Peter van de Waerdt studied International & European Law at the University of Groningen, during which he focused on European human rights.

Afterwards he completed a specialized Research Master at the University of Groningen. Throughout this research track he continued to develop his expertise in European human rights, and more specificially devoting himself to privacy and the protection of personal data. He graduated with a thesis titled "The Economic Value of Personal Data in European Law", for which he researched the monetary value of personal data to data-driven companies, and what the legal significance of such a value might be.

In addition, in 2014 he studied at the George Washington University in Washington D.C., United Sates, where he studied the American views on fundamental rights and the differences compared to the European approach.

As of September 2016, Peter van de Waerdt is conducting a PhD project at the University of Groningen, under the supervision of prof. dr. G.P. Mifsud Bonnici and prof. dr. H.H.B. Vedder. This research is devoted to data protection law and competition law as applied to large data-driven companies which maintain broad online (social) networks. How can the law be effectively applied when consumers face great difficulties in detaching themselves from such companies?