Perla Khattar

Perla Khattar is a doctoral candidate at the University of Notre Dame Law School, where she is pursuing her J.S.D. with a focus on consumer digital privacy. Under the guidance of Paolo Carozza, her dissertation, titled "Consumer Digital Privacy: The Argument for a Universal and Standardized Right Afforded to Every Human Around the Globe," explores the necessity of a comprehensive approach to digital privacy rights.

Perla earned her LL.M., Summa Cum Laude from Loyola University College of Law, and her LL.B., Magna Cum Laude, Valedictorian, from La Sagesse University in Beirut, Lebanon.

Perla's research and writings delve into various facets of law and technology, with a particular emphasis on privacy, online speech governance, and digital rights. Her articles have been published in prestigious legal journals in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, and she has contributed to academic blogs discussing the intersection of privacy and emerging technologies.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Perla is deeply engaged in advocacy and activism. She founded Project OOPS (Online and Offline, Privacy and Security), an initiative dedicated to educating children on privacy and security risks. She also served as an executive board member of a Lebanese non-profit, where she played a key role in advocating for the rights of marginalized groups and challenged discriminatory laws.

Given that digital privacy remains vulnerable despite the existence of numerous regulations and corporate compliance efforts, Perla's project, titled "Guardians of Bits and Bytes: Understanding the Ethical Landscape of Big Tech Privacy Policies," aims to study the efficacy of privacy policies in protecting consumer privacy.

By delving into the intricacies of privacy policies drafted by major technology companies such as Meta, Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM, and others, Perla seeks to understand whether these policies adopt a human rights approach to consumer protection or merely ensure corporate compliance with legal obligations set by local or international law. Through comparative legal analysis, Perla intends to study trends within these privacy policies to understand how legal principles are translated into "tools for corporate compliance."

The culmination of this research will be a white paper advocating for ethical practices throughout the lifecycle of consumer data, offering actionable recommendations and promoting transparency in data management. By engaging policymakers, industry professionals, and scholars, Perla's work aims to stimulate dialogue and empower stakeholders to navigate the complexities of data governance with a steadfast commitment to ethical principles.