Prof. Fotios Spyropoulos
University of West Attica, Greece

Title: Digital Criminology and Technoethics: Policy Challenges and Criminal Law Perspectives in the AI Era

Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) increasingly reshapes the landscape of criminal behavior, legal accountability, and social control. This presentation builds upon the emerging field of Digital Criminology, exploring how technoethical principles can inform policy frameworks that govern AI-related risks. From algorithmic decision-making and predictive policing to deepfake manipulation and data-driven profiling, AI technologies generate novel forms of digital deviance that transcend traditional legal categories. The paper argues for a paradigm shift: criminal law and policy must integrate technoethical reasoning to ensure both effective prevention and respect for fundamental rights. It identifies three core policy challenges—algorithmic bias, opacity in AI- assisted policing, and accountability gaps in autonomous systems. Addressing these requires interdisciplinary cooperation among legal scholars, computer scientists, and ethicists to design transparent, human-centered governance models. Rather than relying on existing legal instruments—such as the AI Act, the GDPR, or the recent UN Convention on Cybercrime—which do not yet address AI-generated crimes directly, this research argues for the development of a technoethical framework capable of bridging this normative gap. Such a framework would connect digital responsibility with criminal law principles, guiding future policymaking in the governance of AI- related harms. By merging Digital Criminology with Technoethics, the presentation proposes a forward-looking approach to policymaking that reconciles innovation with justice— ensuring that technological progress remains anchored in human values and democratic oversight.

BIO: Dr. Fotios Spyropoulos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5950-3583) is Assistant Professor of Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law, Philips University (Cyprus). He holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Law and Criminology from the Faculty of Law of the University of Athens and conducted postdoctoral research on the legal treatment of fake news at the University of West Attica.

He currently teaches law-related courses at the University of West Attica and Criminal Law at the Hellenic Police Officers’ School. He has also taught at the Hellenic Open University and collaborated as a professor at undergraduate and postgraduate level with the University of Applied Sciences of Western Greece. He has delivered numerous lectures in Greece and abroad as a visiting professor or researcher (e.g., ADA University, Azerbaijan).

Dr. Spyropoulos has presented papers at international scientific conferences, published or edited three academic books, and authored more than forty scientific articles in peer- reviewed journals. He has represented Greece at the European Commission for Consumer Affairs, participated in legislative committees, and collaborated with civil society organizations at both national and supranational level, including Transparency International (as Scientific Advisor for the Greek EU Presidency, 2014) and INKA (as Legal Advisor).

His dissertation dealt with the complex issue of the legal treatment of hacking under the supervision of Professor Nestoras Courakis. He was awarded the “Heraclitus II" scholarship for the preparation of his dissertation – he was one of the candidates awarded this degree (10.00 / 10.00). His dissertation was accepted by the Faculty of Law of the University of Athens with “Excellent Unanimously". He studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He has completed postgraduate studies in Criminal Law and Litigation (Master) (2006 – 2008) and Criminology (Master with “Excellent”) (2008 – 2010) at the same university. He took courses in law, political science, sociology, criminology and forensics at the University of Liège (Belgium). He also graduated and obtained a degree from the Department of International and European Studies at the University of Piraeus.

Dr Fotios Spyropoulos is a member of several scientific associations (e.g. European Society of Criminology, Association of Greek Criminal Lawyers, etc.). Since 2015, Dr. Spyropoulos has been a founding member of the Centre for the Study of Crime (Greece), where he currently serves as Director of Academic Affairs and Development. Finally, he is a practicing litigation lawyer and managing partner of the firm “SPYROPOULOS LAW FIRM” and has represented his clients in some of the biggest lawsuits of the last decade. He is a member of the Athens Bar Association and a member of the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce as a financial advisor.