Robert Bateman
Robert is a respected voice on data protection, privacy, and security law. He built his profile creating in-depth reports on legislation, compliance guidance documents for organizations, and news articles about the latest sectoral developments worldwide.
Robert’s passion for privacy and security began while studying for a postgraduate law degree. His dissertation, on the compatibility of the U.K.’s Data Protection Act with the European Convention on Human Rights, won the DMH Stallard Prize for best research project.
Since then, Robert has worked with privacy and security-focused tech firms and startups, creating detailed guidance and policy documents to help organizations comply with their data protection and security compliance obligations.
A passionate advocate for digital rights, Robert has also worked as a journalist reporting on the latest developments in digital privacy, tech policy, and state surveillance.
Throughout his career, Robert has interviewed some of the sector’s most prominent figures such as privacy campaigners Max Schrems and Johnny Ryan, plus representatives from leading NGOs including Privacy International, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and European Digital Rights (EDRi).
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NewsRegTech Investment Up 244% in 2021 As Vendors Raise Nearly $19 Billion
Around $18.9 billion was raised in funding deals by RegTech companies throughout 2021—more than double the $7.8 billion total raised in 2020—as businesses seek technical solutions to increasingly complex compliance and security demands.
- Feature
Cloud Modernisation and Data Protection 101
Cloud modernisation has accelerated rapidly since the start of the pandemic. But just because a third party is looking after your data, this doesn’t mean you’re no longer responsible for protecting it.
- Feature
Data Democratisation: Three Foundation Stones
Data democratisation extends data access to everybody (or nearly everybody) within an organisation. The process of data democratisation also involves ensuring that non-technical employees feel comfortable working with and interpreting your company’s data.
- News
Law Firm Fined £232,500 Over Money Laundering Concerns
Law firm Mischon de Reya has received a record fine after failing to conduct appropriate customer due diligence and breaching money-laundering regulations.
- News
China’s PIPL Increases Demand, and Legal Liability, for DPOs
The Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), China’s comprehensive data protection legislation that took effect last November, provides unprecedented opportunities for privacy professionals in China—but also puts them at direct risk of potential legal action.
- News
US and UK Governments Announce Privacy-Enhancing Tech Prize
The US and the UK are partnering on “bilateral prize challenges” to encourage the development of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs).
- News
Director at Belgian Data Regulator Quits, Alleging Conflicts of Interest
A director of the Belgian data protection authority (DPA) has resigned over concerns that some members of the regulator lack independence.
- Feature
ESG World Forum Day 2: The ‘Real Work’ of Reducing Carbon Emissions and Driving Social Change
ESG is sometimes criticised as “box-ticking,” by those who see reporting on environmental and social issues as a distraction from actually fighting climate change and closing social divides.
- News
Irish Regulator Submits Draft Decision on Instagram’s Use of Children’s Data
The Irish data regulator has submitted a draft decision about Instagram’s user registration process to other EU data protection authorities, bringing the total number of Irish decisions regarding Meta (formerly Facebook) companies to three.
- Feature
ESG World Forum Day 1: Exploring the “How” and the “Why” of ESG
Day 1 of the inaugural ESG World Forum took place on 7 Dec, bringing ESG and compliance professionals to discuss their vision of bringing about a cleaner, more ethical, and more sustainable world.
- News
Microsoft Takes Control of Cybercrime Sites Following Court Order
A Virginia court has allowed Microsoft to seize websites operated by Nickel, a Chinese cybercrime group that has been conducting cyberattacks in 29 countries.
- News
‘Family Safety’ App Selling Precise Location Data of Millions of Users
Life360, a family safety app, sells information about the whereabouts of millions of its users with “few safeguards to prevent the misuse of this sensitive information,” an investigation by The Markup has revealed.
- News
Irish Regulator Pushed for ‘Monetisation of Personal Data’ In Data Protection Guidelines, Documents Reveal
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) pushed for a liberal interpretation of data protection law that would favour social media companies, newly-released documents reveal. The proposals were characterised by another regulator as “contrary to everything we believe in” and “(reducing) the GDPR to a pro forma instrument.”
- News
UK Data Regulator Faces Possible Court Challenge Over Age Verification
A coalition of children’s charities has written to the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), demanding the mandating of age-checking processes on pornography websites.
- Analysis
Does Poor Career Progression Explain the Privacy Pros Pay Gap?
According to the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), privacy professionals worldwide enjoyed a salary increase of over $6,000 between 2019 and 2021.
- Analysis
UK GDPR and Privacy Law: 74 Reforms the Government is Considering
The UK government published its proposals for reforming data protection and privacy law on 10 September, 2021. If even a significant fraction of these reforms are passed, the UK’s data protection and privacy regime could radically change.
- Analysis
The Next UK Information Commissioner: What We Learned From the Pre-Appointment Committee
On Thursday, 9 September, the UK government’s preferred candidate for the next Information Commissioner, John Edwards, appeared before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee for a pre-appointment hearing.
- Report
A Report on the Colorado Privacy Act
The Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) was signed into law on 8 July 2021. The CPA is the third comprehensive state privacy law in the U.S., following the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act (CPDA).
- Analysis
WhatsApp’s €225 Million GDPR Fine — Disagreements Over Legitimate Interests and Transparency
WhatsApp received a €225 million fine on September 2—the second biggest GDPR penalty on record.
- Analysis
Apple Has Been Scanning iCloud Mail for CSAM For Years — And We’ve Known This Since 2019
Apple’s proposals to scan iCloud Photos for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) have proved controversial among privacy advocates. But did you know that the company has been scanning iCloud Mail for several years? Not many people do.
