Michael J. S. Beauvais

Photo of smiling man with leaves in the background
SJD Candidate
Thesis title:
Transparent Youth
Office in Falconer Hall
84 Queen's Park
Toronto, M5S 2C5

My dissertation develops an account of legal obligations platforms and other intermediaries have to protect young people's privacy from their parents in the digital environment. Beyond youth privacy, I am interested in how technologies and law structure and mediate interpersonal relationships. I also research and publish on the intersection of health law and privacy, where I focus on international data transfers and European data protection law in biomedical research.

My doctoral work is supported by a Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and by a fellowship at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society at the University of Toronto. I am an affiliate of the Information Law Institute at New York University School of Law.

Education
Certificate in Childhood Ethics - Views On Interdisciplinary Childhood Ethics (VOICE), McGill University
Master of Science in International Planning - University College London (UCL)
Bachelor of Civil Law & Juris Doctor - McGill University
Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence with Senior Status - St Edmund Hall, Oxford University
Bachelor of Arts in Urban Systems - McGill University
Selected Publications

Books

Promoting the “Human” in Law, Policy, and Medicine: Essays in Honour of Bartha Maria Knoppers (Brill Nijhoff, 2025) with E Dove and V Rahimzadeh (eds).

Book chapters

"Introduction: Honouring the Humanity of Professor Bartha Maria Knoppers" in Promoting the “Human” in Law, Policy, and Medicine: Essays in Honour of Bartha Maria Knoppers, edited by E Dove, V Rahimzadeh, and M J S Beauvais (Brill Nijhoff, 2025) with E Dove and V Rahimzadeh.

“Biomedical Research Policy: Back to the Future?” in Law and Legacy in Medical Jurisprudence: Essays in Honour of Graeme Laurie, edited by E Dove and N N Shuibhne (Cambridge University Press, 2022) with B M Knoppers and R Chadwick.

“Frontline Ethico-Legal Issues in Childhood Cancer Genetics Research” in The Hereditary Basis of Childhood Cancer, edited by D Malkin (Springer, 2021) with K Sénécal, C V Fernandez, D Sinnett, et al.

Peer-reviewed articles

“Open Data governance at the Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (CONP): From the Walled Garden to the Arboretum” in GigaScience (2024) with A Bernier, B M Knoppers, P Bermudez, et al.

“Whither Health Research: The Missed Opportunities of the Child’s Right to Health” in The International Journal of Children’s Rights (2023) with D Patrinos, R McDougall, and B M Knoppers.

“The Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform—An open science framework for the neuroscience community” in PLOS Computational Biology (2023) with R Harding, P Bermudez, A Bernier, et al.

Data and Tools Integration in the Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform” in Scientific Data (2023) with J-B Poline, S Das, T Glatard, et al.

“A Proposal for an International Code of Conduct for Data Sharing in Genomics” in Developing World Bioethics (2022) with A Matar, M Hansson, S Skolkenberga, et al.

“Bridging the European Data Sharing Divide in Genomic Science” in Journal of Medical Internet Research (2022) with F Molnár-Gábor, A Bernier, M P N Jimenez, et al.

“Streamlining Ethics Review for International Health Research” in Science (2022) with M A Rothstein, M H Zawati, A Thorogood, et al.

“International Coordination of Research Ethics Review: An Adequacy Model” in Philosophies (2021) with A Thorogood.

“Three Decades of Genetic Privacy: A Metaphoric Journey” in Human Molecular Genetics (2021) with B M Knoppers [invited review].

“GA4GH: International policies and standards for data sharing across genomic research and healthcare” in Cell Genomics (2021) with H L Rehm, A J H Page, L Smith, et al.

“A Marathon, Not a Sprint – Neuroimaging, Open Science and Ethics” in NeuroImage (2021) with B M Knoppers and J Illes [invited review].

“Coming Out to Play: Privacy, Data Protection, Children’s Health, and COVID-19 Research” in Frontiers in Genetics (2021) with B M Knoppers.

“Centering inclusivity in the design of online conferences—An OHBM–Open Science perspective” in GigaScience (2021) with E Levitis, C S D G van Praag, R Gauet al.

“Parental Access to Children’s Raw Genomic Data in Canada: Legal Rights and Professional Responsibility” in Frontiers in Genetics (2021) with A Thorogood, M J Szego, K Seńécal, et al.

“COVID-19 Research: Navigating the European General Data Protection Regulation” in Journal of Medical Internet Research (2020) with R Becker, A Thorogood, and J Ordish.

“Modeling Consent in the Time of COVID-19” in Journal of Law and the Biosciences (2020) with B M Knoppers, Y Joly, M H Zawati, et al.

"When Information Is the Treatment? Precision Medicine in Healthcare” in Healthcare Management (2020) with B M Knoppers [invited review].

Other articles

"Implementing the human right to science in the context of health: introduction to the special issue" in Journal of Law and the Biosciences (2024) with B M Knoppers.

“Navigating the Ethical Maze of Genomics in Canada’s Military” in BMJ Military Health (2021) with B M Knoppers and C Boscarino.

“Basta con il biolaw: What about knowledge and trust?” in BioLaw Journal - Rivista di BioDiritto (2021) with B M Knoppers.

Reports

"Children's Data Protection" for the Human Cell Atlas (2022).

“Building the Human Cell Atlas: Issues with Tissues” for the Human Cell Atlas (2019) with E Kirby and B M Knoppers.

Policy interventions

"Submission to the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology Study of Bill C-27, The Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022" (2023) with L R Shade. (Appeared at Committee on November 23, 2023.)

“Children’s Privacy and Video Games: Comments on Commercial Surveillance ANPR, R111004” (2022) with S Grimes, D Jayemanne, and S Giddings.

“RE: Public consultation regarding data protection and international transfers of personal data to non-EU countries” (2020) with the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health.

Opinion pieces

“The World Health Organization Needs to Craft and Adopt an International Pandemic Regulation” in The Hill Times (2022) with B M Knoppers and D Turp.

“Liberté universitaire: La loi ne peut remplacer le dialogue” in La Presse (2021).

“Pour un traité mondial sur la riposte aux pandémies” in Le Devoir (2021) with B M Knoppers and D Turp.

“Opinion: Canada’s Tax Return System Jeopardizes the Privacy of Millions of Canadians” in The Globe and Mail (2021).

“COVID-19: Who’s Afraid of Data Sharing” in Canadian Science Policy Centre (2020) with B M Knoppers.

“Qui a peur du partage des données?” in Le Devoir (2020) with B M Knoppers.

Research Interests
Charter of Rights
Comparative Law
Family Law
Health Law
Legal Theory
Privacy Law
Supervisor
Committee Members
Sara Grimes (Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy, McGill University)

Barbara Landau (LLB 1980) named to the Order of Canada

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

After making their mark in spheres ranging from health care to social justice, more than two dozen members of the University of Toronto community have been honoured with a new appointment to – or promotion within – the Order of Canada.

Created in 1967, the Order of Canada is one of the country’s highest civilian honours. It recognizes people whose service, innovations and compassion shape Canadian society, foster imagination and unite people and communities.

Santa’s Christmas secret? Maybe it’s artificial intelligence: Op-Ed co-authored by Professor Benjamin Alarie

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

In an op-ed published in the Globe and Mail, Dec. 22, 2021, Arthur Cockfield, an associate dean and professor with Queen’s University’s Faculty of Law and Faculty of Law Professor Benjamin Alarie, Osler Chair in Business Law and CEO of Blue J, an AI company that helps lawyers, write about the future of AI: 

U of T News: U of T cancels in-person exams, delays in-person classes due to Omicron variant

Thursday, December 16, 2021

The University of Toronto will not be holding in-person exams effective Dec. 16 and will delay most in-person learning until Jan. 31 to help curb the spread of COVID-19 amid the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Online exams will proceed as scheduled and some in-person exams may move to online delivery. Individual divisions will be in contact with students and instructors to confirm arrangements, U of T said in a message to community members Wednesday.

Defy Gravity: Campaign for U of T offers vision of inclusive excellence with global impact

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

The University of Toronto has launched the largest university fundraising and alumni engagement campaign in Canadian history to address some of the world’s most pressing issues.

U of T Law students help produce PBSC's Indigenous Human Rights podcast

Monday, December 13, 2021

 

It's been one year since we launched the Indigenous Human Rights Podcast! We end our first season by speaking with lawyers Mandy Wesley and Amanda Driscoll about Garry McKay, who was racially profiled by the Toronto Police, filed a human rights complaint about it, and won. pic.twitter.com/xpkGShF2Jw — PBSC National | EPBC Bureau National (@PBSC_EPBC)

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