Jo Pierson, Ph.D., is a former Professor in the Department of Media and Communication Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium and Principal Investigator at the research centre SMIT (Studies on Media, Innovation and Technology). In this position, he was in charge of the research unit ‘Data, Privacy & Empowerment’, in close cooperation with imec (Belgian/Flemish R&D and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technology). He held the VUB Chair in ‘Data Protection on the Ground’ and is also affiliated with Hasselt University and University of Amsterdam.