
Ahmed Ghappour
Associate Professor of Law
Data Science Faculty Fellow, Boston University Hariri Institute for Computing
BS, Rutgers University
JD, New York University School of Law
Areas of Interest
Contact
- Office Room 1404F
- Email ghappour@bu.edu
- Phone 617-358-7340
Biography
Ahmed Ghappour, an expert in criminal law and computer security, joined the full-time faculty of Boston University School of Law in 2017. He was previously a Visiting Assistant Professor at U.C. Hastings College of the Law where he taught Criminal Procedure and a seminar on Electronic Surveillance.
Ghappour’s research bridges computer science and the law to address contemporary challenges wrought by new technologies in the administration of criminal justice and national security. His recently published Stanford Law Review article, “Searching Places Unknown: Law Enforcement Jurisdiction on the Dark Web,” examines the foreign relations and national security implications of government hacking operations that use malware to pursue criminal suspects that use sophisticated cryptographic tools to anonymize their communications on the “dark web.” The article was competitively selected for presentation at the New Voices in National Security Law session of the 2017 American Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting, and the New Voices in International Law session of the 2017 American Society of International Law Annual Meeting.
Ghappour’s research and teaching interests stem from his experience litigating complex computer crime and national security cases. At U.C. Hastings, he founded the school’s Liberty, Security & Technology Clinic, which provided legal services to criminal defendants in espionage and computer crime cases. Prior to UC-Hastings, he taught the National Security Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law, represented Guantanamo detainees in their habeas corpus proceedings at Reprieve UK, and worked as a patent litigator at Orrick Herrington and Sutcliffe LLP. Formerly, Ghappour was a computer engineer focused on automation, diagnostics, distributed systems architecture and high performance computing.
Publications
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Ahmed Ghappour, James Cooper, Hillary Greene, David Lieber & Felix Wu, "Panel: Data Collection and the Regulatory State," in Symposium Privacy, Security & Power: The State of Digital Surveillance, 49 Connecticut Law Review 1733 (2017).
Publisher | Scholarly Commons -
Ahmed Ghappour, "Searching Places Unknown: Law Enforcement Jurisdiction on the Dark Web," 69 Stanford Law Review 1075 (2017).
SSRN | Scholarly Commons -
Ahmed Ghappour, "Tallinn, Hacking, and Customary International Law," 111 AJIL Unbound 224 (2017).
SSRN | Scholarly Commons
Courses
Cybersecurity Law: LAW JD 792
Privacy, Security & Technology (S): LAW JD 849
In the Media
- August 25, 2020
If TikTok and WeChat Bans Go into Effect, Will It Be a Crime to Use the Apps in the US?
Ahmed Ghappour interviewed. read more
- July 11, 2020
The Secret Service Tried to Catch a Hacker With a Malware Booby-Trap
Ahmed Ghappour's work referenced. read more
- October 23, 2018
Targeted by Mueller, What Did Trump Confidante Roger Stone Actually Do?
Ahmed Ghappour quoted in ABC News. read more
- October 2, 2018
Why Cops Can Force You to Unlock Your Phone with Your Face
Ahmed Ghappour quoted in Wired. read more
- June 12, 2018
WannaCry Hero’s New Legal Woes Spell Trouble For White Hat Hackers
Ahmed Ghappour quoted in "WannaCry Hero's New Legal Woes Spell Trouble for White Hat Hackers," Wired. read more
- April 18, 2018
Can the Law Stop Ransomware?
Andrew Sellars and Ahmed Ghappour quoted in Pressform read more
- April 12, 2018
BU Cybersecurity Law Professor Reacts to Zuckerberg Testimony
Ahmed Ghappour interviewed on WBZ read more
- December 21, 2017
What’s Under the Gravestone?
Ahmed Ghappour quoted in Slate. read more
- November 14, 2017
FBI Tries to Hack the World: Domestic Law Enforcement Agency Ignores Borders
Ahmed Ghappour quoted in Sputnik News read more
- November 9, 2017
The FBI Blindly Hacked Computers in Russia, China, and Iran
The FBI Blindly Hacked Computers in Russia, China, and Iran the Daily Beast read more