

Serious Privacy
Dr. K Royal, Paul Breitbarth & Ralph O'Brien
The PICCASO award winning Podcast, for those who are interested in the hottest field of human rights and laws on the digital frontier. Whether you are a professional who wants to learn more about privacy and privacy laws, data protection, GDPR or cyber law or someone who just finds this fascinating, we have topics for you from data management to cybersecurity, from social justice to data ethics and AI and digital identity protection. In-depth information on serious privacy topics including interviews with privacy leadership, privacy culture, serious discussions, and more. This podcast, hosted by Dr. K Royal, Paul Breitbarth and Ralph O'Brien, features open, unscripted discussions with global privacy professionals (those kitchen table or back porch conversations) where you hear the opinions and thoughts of those who are on the front lines working on the newest issues in handling personal data. Real information on your schedule - because the world needs serious privacy. Follow us on BlueSky (@seriousprivacy.eu) or LinkedIn
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 16, 2026 • 35min
Royal Reports from IAPP 26 in DC
Send us Fan MailOn this episode of Serious Privacy with Paul Breitbarth, Ralph O'Brien, and Dr. K Royal, we review high points of the IAPP Summit held in Washington DC. K attended in person and connected with individuals on their take-aways and the keynote speakers - you know, just some people like Prince Harry, Salman Rushdie, and Maya Shankar (plus others, like Serious Privacy guest Prof. Woodrow Hatzog). We also extend our congratulations to Leadership Award winner Alexandra Reeve Givens (president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology) and the Vanguard winners:Asia: Charmian AwEMEA: John Bowman (who announced his retirement)Latin America (including Mexico): Diego FernándezNorth America (U.S. and Canada): Shana Morgan (beloved guest)Oceania: Christopher Rogers We also bring you a little bit of recent news. If you have comments or questions, find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @seriousprivacy, and on BlueSky under @seriousprivacy.eu, @europaulb.seriousprivacy.eu, @heartofprivacy.bsky.app and @igrobrien.seriousprivacy.eu, and email podcast@seriousprivacy.eu. Rate and Review us! From Season 6, our episodes are edited by Fey O'Brien. Our intro and exit music is Channel Intro 24 by Sascha Ende, licensed under CC BY 4.0. with the voiceover by Tim Foley.

Apr 8, 2026 • 39min
Fudge, DPIAs & Global Domination Plans (with Simon Pillinger)
Send us Fan MailIn this slightly chaotic (and mildly censored) April Fools’ episode, hosts Paul Breitbarth, Ralph O'Brien, and Dr. K Royal welcome Simon Pillinger of Pillinger Privacy, also known as the first president of the People's Republic of North Oxfordshire, to discuss how humour, healthcare, and hard-won experience shape a career in data protection—and why the profession sometimes takes itself far too seriously. Along the way, they unpack the risks of “compliance theatre”, the human reality behind privacy decisions, and how a well-timed joke can be more effective than a 6,000-word DPIA. If you have comments or questions, find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @seriousprivacy, and on BlueSky under @seriousprivacy.eu, @europaulb.seriousprivacy.eu, @heartofprivacy.bsky.app and @igrobrien.seriousprivacy.eu, and email podcast@seriousprivacy.eu. Rate and Review us! From Season 6, our episodes are edited by Fey O'Brien. Our intro and exit music is Channel Intro 24 by Sascha Ende, licensed under CC BY 4.0. with the voiceover by Tim Foley.

Apr 1, 2026 • 31min
A global world... of social media addiction?
Send us Fan MailWe are back again, and why so Serious?We are well into to season 7 of the Serious Privacy podcast, with dr. K Royal, Ralph O'Brien and Paul Breitbarth. Ahead of IAPP Washington DC, we discuss the new Oklahoma SB546, the Global CBPR forum meeting in Lima Peru, regulatory capture, Trademarking your image, Delve compliance controversy and the HUGE news of court cases regarding Social Media addiction which may open the floodgates to more cases... and much much more!CBPR updates: Social Media addiction case: Image Trademarking: Delve controversy: Also this season, we will keep you up to date of developments in the data protection and privacy community, artificial intelligence and some cybersecurity. And of course we'll bring you interviews with great guests! If you have comments or questions, find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @seriousprivacy, and on BlueSky under @seriousprivacy.eu, @europaulb.seriousprivacy.eu, @heartofprivacy.bsky.app and @igrobrien.seriousprivacy.eu, and email podcast@seriousprivacy.eu. Rate and Review us! From Season 6, our episodes are edited by Fey O'Brien. Our intro and exit music is Channel Intro 24 by Sascha Ende, licensed under CC BY 4.0. with the voiceover by Tim Foley.

Mar 26, 2026 • 33min
News and Views - A week of announcements!
Send us Fan MailWelcome to the newest episode of the Serious Privacy podcast, where hosts Ralph O'Brien, and Dr. K Royal, recovery from illness and come back strong with a cool announcement - and your regular news round up in all things Data Protection and Privacy.Latest regulatory penalties, new legislation and news from around the globe, as K and Ralph attempt the impossible - to convey all that has occurred to you - our dear "Serious Privettes"!Paul Breitbarth, our dearly beloved friend is out for one more week! If you have comments or questions, find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @seriousprivacy, and on BlueSky under @seriousprivacy.eu, @europaulb.seriousprivacy.eu, @heartofprivacy.bsky.app and @igrobrien.seriousprivacy.eu, and email podcast@seriousprivacy.eu. Rate and Review us! From Season 6, our episodes are edited by Fey O'Brien. Our intro and exit music is Channel Intro 24 by Sascha Ende, licensed under CC BY 4.0. with the voiceover by Tim Foley.

Mar 19, 2026 • 42min
A MONTH in Privacy with R & K
Send us Fan MailWelcome to the newest episode of the Serious Privacy podcast, where hosts Ralph O'Brien, and Dr. K Royal address the hot topics of the month, as we have been so full of guests that the time has flown by!Latest regulatory penalties, new legislation and news from around the globe, as K and Ralph attempt the impossible - to convey all that has occurred to you - our dear "Serious Privettes"!Paul Breitbarth, our dearly beloved friend is out this week, so send him much joy! If you have comments or questions, find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @seriousprivacy, and on BlueSky under @seriousprivacy.eu, @europaulb.seriousprivacy.eu, @heartofprivacy.bsky.app and @igrobrien.seriousprivacy.eu, and email podcast@seriousprivacy.eu. Rate and Review us! From Season 6, our episodes are edited by Fey O'Brien. Our intro and exit music is Channel Intro 24 by Sascha Ende, licensed under CC BY 4.0. with the voiceover by Tim Foley.

Mar 11, 2026 • 43min
Data Protection: A Labour of Love with James Robson
Send us Fan MailWelcome to the newest episode of the Serious Privacy podcast, where hosts Paul Breitbarth, Ralph O'Brien, and Dr. K Royal address the hot topic of data in Elections and Democratic engagement with James Robson, former DPO of the UK's Labour Party. If you have comments or questions, find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @seriousprivacy, and on BlueSky under @seriousprivacy.eu, @europaulb.seriousprivacy.eu, @heartofprivacy.bsky.app and @igrobrien.seriousprivacy.eu, and email podcast@seriousprivacy.eu. Rate and Review us! From Season 6, our episodes are edited by Fey O'Brien. Our intro and exit music is Channel Intro 24 by Sascha Ende, licensed under CC BY 4.0. with the voiceover by Tim Foley.

Mar 4, 2026 • 38min
It's okay not to be with K. News and Views!
Send us Fan MailWelcome to the newest episode of the Serious Privacy podcast, where hosts Paul Breitbarth and Ralph O'Brien address the hot topics of the day with news updates across #privacy, #dataprotection, #security, #AI and #humanrights. No K Royal, who is on a well earned vacation!EDPB, EDPS, ICO, GPA, DUAA and other strings of letters all get discussed!Lots of news, case law, regulatory penalties to discuss including;https://www.edps.europa.eu/data-protection/our-work/publications/events/2026-02-12-data-takes-flight-navigating-privacy-airport_enhttps://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2026/02/reddit-issued-with-1447m-fine-for-children-s-privacy-failures/https://ico.org.uk/media2/fb1br3d4/20260223-iewg-joint-statement-on-ai-generated-imagery.pdfhttps://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2026/02/ico-wins-court-of-appeal-case-in-dsg-retail-ruling/ If you have comments or questions, find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @seriousprivacy, and on BlueSky under @seriousprivacy.eu, @europaulb.seriousprivacy.eu, @heartofprivacy.bsky.app and @igrobrien.seriousprivacy.eu, and email podcast@seriousprivacy.eu. Rate and Review us! From Season 6, our episodes are edited by Fey O'Brien. Our intro and exit music is Channel Intro 24 by Sascha Ende, licensed under CC BY 4.0. with the voiceover by Tim Foley.

Feb 25, 2026 • 37min
The Agents and the Humans
Send us Fan MailWelcome to the newest episode of the Serious Privacy podcast, where hosts Paul Breitbarth, Ralph O'Brien, and Dr. K Royal address the hot topic of agentic AI and the risks to #privacy, #dataprotection, #security, and #humanrights. We cover the basics as well as human attributes (or not) along with how to take the risks into consideration as a professional. If you have comments or questions, find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @seriousprivacy, and on BlueSky under @seriousprivacy.eu, @europaulb.seriousprivacy.eu, @heartofprivacy.bsky.app and @igrobrien.seriousprivacy.eu, and email podcast@seriousprivacy.eu. Rate and Review us! From Season 6, our episodes are edited by Fey O'Brien. Our intro and exit music is Channel Intro 24 by Sascha Ende, licensed under CC BY 4.0. with the voiceover by Tim Foley.

Feb 18, 2026 • 38min
Our Sovereign Opinions (Week in Privacy)
Send us Fan MailWelcome to the newest episode of the Serious Privacy podcast, where hosts Paul Breitbarth and Dr. K Royal discuss the privacy and data protection news of the past couple of weeks. This week, Paul rants about digital sovereignty, K discusses new American legislation, especially to protection children's data, and together they also talk about the latest WhatsApp decision from the Court of Justice of the European Union. If you have comments or questions, find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @seriousprivacy, and on BlueSky under @seriousprivacy.eu, @europaulb.seriousprivacy.eu, @heartofprivacy.bsky.app and @igrobrien.seriousprivacy.eu, and email podcast@seriousprivacy.eu. Rate and Review us! From Season 6, our episodes are edited by Fey O'Brien. Our intro and exit music is Channel Intro 24 by Sascha Ende, licensed under CC BY 4.0. with the voiceover by Tim Foley.

Feb 11, 2026 • 35min
DSAR Overload (with Josh Schwartz)
Send us Fan MailWelcome to the newest episode of the Serious Privacy podcast, where hosts Paul Breitbarth, Ralph O'Brien, and Dr. K Royal connect with Josh Schwartz of Phaselaw to discuss the increasing use of data subject access rights (DSARs) as a weapon. The resources required to handle such requests can be quite extensive. How do companies keep up? Maybe Josh has some insight. If you have comments or questions, find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @seriousprivacy, and on BlueSky under @seriousprivacy.eu, @europaulb.seriousprivacy.eu, @heartofprivacy.bsky.app and @igrobrien.seriousprivacy.eu, and email podcast@seriousprivacy.eu. Rate and Review us! From Season 6, our episodes are edited by Fey O'Brien. Our intro and exit music is Channel Intro 24 by Sascha Ende, licensed under CC BY 4.0. with the voiceover by Tim Foley.


