August Bourgeus

August holds a Master's in Business Engineering: Data Analytics from the University of Ghent. During his master's thesis, he investigated the potential of giving citizens control over their personal data and thus rethinking the government-to-citizen relationship (G2C). In September 2020, he was granted a post-master research scholarship from the Collegio dei Fiamminghi at the University of Bologna. 

His research primarily centres on understanding privacy attitudes and expectations, exploring the ways in which technology can empower data subjects beyond traditional frameworks of notice and consent. He is dedicated to translating user needs into system requirements to enhance privacy protections. Furthermore, he investigates how to enhance trust in a data-sharing economy, focusing on the role of intermediaries within this ecosystem. Recognizing trust as a dynamic concept, his research examines how individuals depend on various sources to form their trust judgments.

August works on SolidLab Vlaanderen. He is involved in user research, investigating how to meaningfully empower data subjects and increase trust in the web ecosystem.