Royal Holloway opens Magna Carta centre to study digital age 'freedoms'

The Magna Carta was sealed in Runnymede, Surrey, in June 1215

A centre to mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta is to open to examine issues of personal freedom in the digital age.

In 2015, Royal Holloway, which is part of the University of London, will launch Magna Carta Doctoral Centre for Individual Freedom.

Magna Carta was sealed in 1215 in Runnymede, Surrey, two miles from Royal Holloway's campus in Egham.

The first cohort of 20 students will begin their studies in the autumn.

Magna Carta was a peace treaty signalling the end of a conflict between King John and the barons who were in revolt.

The document is seen as the cornerstone of the development of constitutional law in England, outlining a set of rights.

The university said the centre would aim to examine the legal, moral and technological dimensions associated with personal freedom in the digital age.

Students will assess what can and cannot be done to preserve privacy and other freedoms.