University of Advancing Technology's Official Technology Blog

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) was proudly represented at the annual Governance of Emerging Technologies and Science (GETS) Conference, hosted by the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

The prestigious event brought together global regulators, legal scholars, and technology experts to address a critical question: How do we govern innovations that are evolving faster than our legal frameworks?

Representing UAT, Professor Rawad Habib had the privilege of delivering two distinct talks focusing on the intersection of data security, decentralization, and regulatory compliance.

Day 1: Tackling Cross-Border Data Privacy

On Thursday, May 21, I joined Session 3.6 on Cyber Security to address the intricate legal and technical challenges of managing information across international lines.

Cross-Border Data Governance: Managing Privacy, Security, and Regulation in a Global Digital World

In this session, Rawad Habib, Professor of Blockchain, explored how traditional, localized data regulations clash with our boundaryless, decentralized digital ecosystem. The presentation analyzed the friction between data sovereignty laws (like the EU's GDPR) and global cloud architectures, offering technological frameworks that allow enterprises to maintain strict security without stifling cross-border innovation.

It was an honor to share the session stage with an incredible cohort of cyber security and legal minds:

• Larry Bridgesmith (Affiliated Professor, Vanderbilt Law School), who presented on Cybersecurity in an Age of Quantum Computing.
• Keith Swanson, Ben Archer, Ali Abel-Fattah, and Ben Bailey (ASU Enterprise Technology), breaking down From Compliance Theater to Operational Governance: Rebuilding Cybersecurity Standards in a Decentralized Institution.
• Matthew Murrell (Assistant Professor of Law, University of New Mexico School of Law), who detailed a fascinating look into The End of Passwords.
• Tolulope Falokun (Assistant Professor of Law, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law), presenting AI Meets Blockchain: Industry Self-Regulation as a Solution to Jurisdiction and Choice of Law Issues in Intelligent NFT Transactions.
• Gary Marchant, PhD, JD (Faculty Director, Center for Law, Science and Innovation, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law), presenting on Blockchain and Carbon Credits.

Day 2: Balancing Trust and Compliance with Cryptography

On Friday, May 22, the conversation shifted from macro governance down to specific, cutting-edge cryptographic tools during Session 4.6 on Blockchain and Financial Technology.

Zero-Knowledge Proofs and Privacy Regulation: Using Cryptography to Balance Compliance and Trust

For the second presentation, Rawad Habib, Professor of Blockchain, focused on a massive bottleneck in the blockchain space: the tension between user privacy and regulatory compliance (like Anti-Money Laundering laws). The talk demonstrated how Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs)—cryptographic protocols that allow one party to prove to another that a statement is true without revealing any actual underlying data—can bridge this gap. By utilizing ZKPs, systems can prove compliance to regulators while keeping consumer identity entirely private.

The panel provided a brilliant, multi-dimensional view of blockchain architectures and financial technology governance, alongside co-presenters:

Bringing the Leading Edge Back to the UAT Classroom

Participating in conferences like GETS highlights exactly why UAT's curriculum remains uniquely forward-looking. The legal, ethical, and structural questions being debated by the world’s leading scholars are the exact challenges our students learn to code around every single day.

Whether we are implementing smart contracts in Solidity or architecting distributed systems, understanding the global compliance landscape ensures that our graduates aren't just building tech—they are building the sustainable infrastructure of tomorrow.

Interested in exploring these topics further? Check out UAT’s degree offerings to see how we tackle tomorrow's technology governance challenges today.