Does data protection really protect our data, or has it just given us endless cookie banners to click through?

Did you know that the data protection rules protecting your phone today actually have their roots in a 1978 French law? Long before the modern web, legislators already believed that technology should serve citizens and never violate human identity. Fast forward to today, and that spirit lives on in the General Data Protection Regulations, commonly known as the GDPR.

In this episode of Yours Lawfully, produced by qLegal for the TMT Institute, we explore the realities behind GDPR, moving beyond the legal text to examine how it operates in everyday digital interactions. We are joined by Professor Ian Walden, who’s an Of Counsel at Baker McKenzie, and has been a Professor of Information and Communications Law at the Centre for Commercial Law studies for over 30 years. We look at how GDPR functions from consent and transparency to enforcement challenges and organisational compliance. We also unpack the regulation’s strengths, limitations, and evolving role in a data-driven world.