Yours Lawfully Podcast

"We are already more dependent on US digital services, such as Microsoft and OpenAI, than we were ever dependent on Russian energy and we’ve seen the risks of that.” 

The most powerful empires were previously built by armies and borders. Now empires are backed by algorithms, data and cloud servers. There is a new story unfolding with every click and scroll. Data is flowing beneath our fingertips to fuel a new form of “Digital Empires”. 

In this episode of Yours Lawfully, Hans Diels, a geopolitical expert and futurist joins us to uncover the proliferation of digital empires and how the battle of data is redefining conflict in the 21st century. 

Governments and BigTech compete to control systems that underpin modern life. The conversations are shifting from who controls territory to who controls data, because whoever controls data doesn’t just influence the future … they define it. 

Join us as we unpack the implications of the empires rising behind our screens and the hidden architecture of digital dominance. What does this shift mean for the future of sovereignty, independence and the global order? 

"Platforms have an obligation to take things down... but the problem is that the thing spreads so fast that the victim would constantly have to issue these notifications to take stuff down. Then there are some platforms that would just refuse."

Every day, intimate images are shared without consent - stolen, or increasingly fabricated with AI. Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is now a major driver of sexual offending, and the law is only just catching up.

In this bonus episode of Yours Lawfully, we're joined by Professor Julia Hörnle, Professor of Internet Law at Queen Mary University of London and Technology Law Institute Director. Drawing on her two-part article series "Fighting the Beast," we ask why criminal law alone can't stop IBSA, where platform regulation is falling short, and whether Ofcom is being ambitious enough.

Read Julia's articles:

·        Fighting the beast of image-based sexual abuse, Part 1: https://academic.oup.com/ijlit/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ijlit/eaag006/8673064

·        Fighting the beast of image-based sexual abuse, Part 2: https://academic.oup.com/ijlit/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ijlit/eaag007/8673065

“Our digital life feels invisible: putting data in the cloud, but it goes into a server, and every transaction has a certain CO₂ footprint. Our industry has to build more responsible infrastructure because we are hitting the limits of our Planet.” 

Our digital lives feel effortless, but are we aware of the infrastructure and impact behind them? From streaming and cloud storage to AI tools and automated backups, global data demand is accelerating at an extraordinary pace. But what does this rapid growth mean for the environment? 

In this episode of Yours Lawfully, we explore the physical reality behind “the cloud”: large-scale data centres and their growing energy footprint. Joined by Laurens van Reijen, Founder and CEO of LCL Data Centers, we unpack the pressures on energy, water, and land, the innovations aimed at improving efficiency, and examine whether our digital habits need to evolve. Can technological progress and environmental responsibility truly align or are we heading toward a breaking point? 

Tune in for an insightful conversation about infrastructure, accountability, and the unseen cost of staying connected. 

“Not every attack is visible and not every war is declared.”

In recent decades, conflict has moved beyond physical borders into the digital realm. Cyber operations now have the power to disrupt critical infrastructure, manipulate information, and cause real-world harm without a single shot being fired.

In this episode of Yours Lawfully, we are joined by Dr. Elizabeth Hofberger-Pippan, who brings expert insight into how international law is adapting to this evolving landscape. From the “scale and effects” test in cyber warfare to the legal challenges of attribution, we unpack how states respond to threats that are often invisible and difficult to trace.

We also explore the rise of information warfare, where disinformation and digital influence campaigns blur the line between peace and conflict.

As the battlefield becomes increasingly intangible, the question remains: can law keep pace with a war that is fought in code rather than combat?

“Screens are the hardest part of modern parenting, but who’s really in control?”

Whether it’s calming a tantrum, filling a childcare gap, or supporting learning, screens have become an essential and often unavoidable part of childhood. But as devices take on the role of a “third caregiver,” deeper questions begin to emerge about attention, behaviour, and what it means to grow up constantly connected.

In this episode of Yours Lawfully, produced by qLegal for the TMT Institute, we are joined by Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov, a global expert in digital parenting and children’s online safety. Drawing on her work advising governments, tech companies, parents, and schools worldwide, she brings a nuanced perspective to the challenges of raising children in an increasingly digital world.

Together, we explore what it really means to be an “iPad kid,” whether technology is shaping children more than parents are, and why families have become so reliant on screens in the first place. We also examine the role of persuasive design, the realities behind “digital natives,” and the growing concerns around children’s data, profiling, and online safety.

As digital devices become embedded in everyday parenting, we ask a fundamental question: how do we strike the right balance between convenience and control and what role can law and regulation but more importantly we play in protecting the next generation?

The show must go on… but only if the contracts allow it.  

Ever wondered what keeps a West End production running smoothly behind the scenes? In this episode of Yours Lawfully, we explore the fascinating intersection of creativity, law, and commerce with theatre lawyer Stephen Pidcock. From copyright and licensing to contracts, royalties, and union agreements, we uncover the legal frameworks that quietly shape every production. Stephen shares insights on commercial vs. subsidized theatre, how financial considerations influence creative decisions, the complexities of digital and live-streamed performances, and what happens when productions cross borders from London to Broadway. Whether you’re a theatre enthusiast, a creative professional, or curious about the legal side of the arts, this episode offers a fascinating look behind the curtain of the West End.

"Critics argue that the UK is ‘sleepwalking into a surveillance society’ where more information is collected than what the British society would normally feel comfortable with"

In a world where we already carry our bank cards and travel tickets on our phones, carrying a national digital ID is touted as being the ‘boarding pass to getting on in life’. This is the promise of a national digital ID: a tool stored on your smartphone, allowing you to prove your identity instantly.  

The UK government has set out its idea for how this could work. It wouldn’t be compulsory, but the goal is to make everyday processes smoother, cutting down on what the government sees as unnecessary paperwork and giving people a more control over their own information.

In this episode of Yours Lawfully, produced by qLegal for the TMT Institute, we are joined by Bryn Robinson Morgan, who has spent more than 20 years at the forefront of digital transformation and has experience designing digital identity systems for major organisations such as Mastercard and HSBC. He also advised the UK government on digital identity and privacy.  

In this episode, we explore a simple but important question: what is a national ID? From its basic purpose to how it works in practice, we break down the role it plays in modern society and why governments are increasingly moving toward digital identity systems.

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.

“If our devices are always listening, how much are they really hearing, and who else might be listening too?”

In 2018, a smart speaker recorded a private conversation and sent it to a third party, no hacking, no warning. Incidents like this force us to confront whether our homes are purely private spaces. As voice-enabled devices become embedded into daily life, the line between convenience and privacy grows increasingly fragile.

In this episode of Yours Lawfully, produced by qLegal for the TMT Institute, we are joined by Nimet Karaca, Legal Counsel at Ocado Group and a qualified solicitor in England and Wales who has also practised law in Turkey. With this international legal background, Nimet brings a unique perspective and takes us behind the scenes of how smart-home devices are designed, how wake-word detection and cloud processing function and meaningful consent.

Together, we explore voice-enabled devices, the privacy implications for guests and bystanders, the limits of the household exemption under data protection law, and current regulations.

As smart technology becomes ambient, invisible, and deeply integrated into domestic life, we ask a fundamental question: Are we trading privacy for convenience more than we realise?

There is growing uncertainty around what studying in the UK really offers international students today. With visa rules tightening, costs rising, and political rhetoric becoming increasingly hostile, many students are left questioning their future long-term after graduating from U.K. institutions.

In this episode of Yours Lawfully, we explore why student visas have become such a charged issue in the UK. Joined by Dr Mihnea Cuibus from the Oxford Migration Observatory, we look beyond the headlines to understand what the data actually tells us about student migration. Our conversation covers post-Brexit visa reforms, cross-party support for restricting student numbers, the lasting impact of the pandemic, and why international students so often find themselves at the centre of the public and media debate.