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This book examines hybridization as a defining phenomenon of regulatory frameworks in the transnational sphere. The contributions illustrate that globalization contributes to blurring the distinctions between national and international, public and private law; and that hybridization therefore necessitates a rethinking of fundamental legal concepts.

The General Data Protection Regulation contains a blanket prohibition on the transfer of personal data outside of the European Economic Area unless strict requirements are met. The rationale for this provision is to protect personal data and data subject rights by restricting data transfers to countries that may not have the same level of protection as the EEA. However, the ubiquitous and permeable character of new technologies such as cloud computing, and the increased inter connectivity between societies, has made international data transfers the norm and not the exception. The Schrems II case and subsequent regulatory developments have further raised the bar for companies to comply with complex and, often, opaque rules. Many firms are, therefore, pursuing technology-based solutions in order to mitigate this new legal risk. These emerging technological alternatives reduce the need for open-ended cross-border transfers and the practical challenges and legal risk that such transfers create after Schrems. This article examines one such alternative, namely a user-held data model. This approach takes advantage of personal data clouds that allows data subjects to store their data locally and in a more decentralised manner, thus decreasing the need for cross-border transfers and offering end-users the possibility of greater control over their data.

The emergence of AI twins, digital replicas that encapsulate an individual's knowledge, memories, psychological traits, and behavioral patterns, raises novel legal and ethical challenges for data governance and personal identity. Built from personal data, these systems require a rethinking of what it means to exercise dominion over one's data and to maintain personal autonomy in an AI-mediated environment. This article argues that natural persons should be recognized as the moral and legal owners of their AI twins, which function as intimate extensions of the self rather than as proprietary technological artifacts. It critiques prevailing legal frameworks that prioritize technological infrastructure and platform control over data and individual autonomy, exposing their structural limitations. In response, the article advances a human-centric model of data governance grounded in individual dominion and a private-by-default principle. This approach proposes a reimagined social contract for AI-driven identities that strengthens personal agency, promotes equitable data stewardship, and better aligns legal norms with the socio-technical realities of AI twins.

Why nudge: The politics of libertarian paternalism, by Cass Sunstein, New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 2014, 208 pp, pb, 10.99 pounds.