MORGANTOWN – A recent symposium hosted by the West Virginia Law Review brought together legal scholars from across the country with the Law Review, students and attorneys in the community to discuss technology and the Fourth Amendment, according to the Law Review’s editor-in-chief.
“Technology has so permeated society, and it is something that most of us probably give little thought to on a daily basis,” West Virginia Law Review Vol. 119 Editor-In-Chief Benjamin J. Wilson told The West Virginia Record. “However, I think being able to understand the law and how it can be applied to advances in technology is becoming increasingly important.”
Benjamin J. Wilson
| WVUToday
Since the best place to learn is from the experts, Wilson said “in that sense, it really was a very successful day.”
Specifically, Wilson said the March 31 symposium offered participants a chance to learn about some of the technology currently in use, some that will soon be utilized, and how the law either is applied to the technology or needs to adapt to the technology.
“The symposium was designed to be thought provoking--this technology can and does affect us all,” Wilson said. “Do we really know what we are dealing with?”
Wilson said the goal of the symposium was to answer the questions about how the law deals with technology “in an interesting and fun way,” and he thinks the panelists accomplished that goal.
Wilson said the event had benefits for everyone involved.
“The Law Review and the WVU College of Law had the chance to entertain legal scholars and let them see what an influential place WVU can be,” he said. “Additionally, the presentations themselves allowed our attendees to think about the future of the law and technology, and just how the application of both may affect our lives.”
In addition, Wilson said the symposium offered a sort of “thought exercise, imagining how the law may change and adapt to advances in technology based on what courts have found before.”
One practical lesson learned at the symposium, according to Wilson, was to be cautious about what information is being put out on social media, email and other technological avenues.
“The symposium really gave us a chance to show others what WVU Law is all about, as well as giving people the opportunity to learn about an ever-evolving area of law and its relationship to ever-advancing technology,” Wilson said.