David Erdos

Infographic summary of history and trajectory of Commonwealth citizenship from end of Second World War to the present

New Working Paper: Pleased to post first comprehensive historical and comparative #law & #policy analysis of #Commonwealth #citizenship from end of WWII to present, also looking at its possible future faciliating short-term mobility especially for #business purposes: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Good to see coverage of ICO's UK #GDPR & #ePrivacy track-record including (slightly sensationalised) analysis of decisionmarketing.co.uk/top-story/la... of my blog piece ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/07/22/d... Momentum is building for parliamentary scrutiny: committees.parliament.uk/publications...

Even before inaction on 2022 #Afghan UK #GDPR #databreach, which put many lives at ↑ risk, civil society groups like @openrightsgroup.bsky.social were saying that those who have experienced #dataprotection violations were more likely to win lottery than get meaningful redress from ICO.

The ICO's failure to enforce UK #GDPR is at odds not just with #EU comparators like #Germany, #Spain & #Italy but with UK #regulation protecting people. Eg #dataprotection complaints are c. 70% those of #food hygiene yet formal action is at c. 0.3% level. See ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/07/22/d...

Very timely piece by @daviderdos.bsky.social highlighting, against the background of the absence of any formal regulatory action in respect of the Afghan data breach, the ICO's 'doubling down' on 'its hyper-selective and hyper-discretionary approach' to enforcement.

David Erdos: The UK Information Commissioner’s Annual Report 2024/25: Surveying a Systematic Trend Away from Adequate Enforcement The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Annual Report for 2024/25 released last week sadly provides evidence of a severe and serious weakening of information rights regulation compared to the s…

Here @daviderdos.bsky.social reflects upon the ICO's lack of enforcement of data protection rules, but his main thrust, on the hollowness of the UK's regulatory agencies, extends across public life (especially with no EU Commission oversight post-Brexit):

ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/07/22/d...

Thanks Andrew. The resourcing comment wasn't specific to #FoI as this is essentially a #dataprotection and #ePrivacy piece.

The ICO's hyper-discretionary & hyper-selective approach to regulatory action (often to near vanishing point) must change if the “strong enforcement” promised in the law is to be delivered & UK can answer the serious questions which EU should raise in #adequacy renewal this year.

ICO data protection enforcement statistics 2024/25 alongside regulatory comparisons and legal standards

My new blog exploring Information Commissioner's 2024/25 Annual Report shows that inaction on 2022 #Afghan UK #GDPR #databreach was sadly in line with poor & starkly declining track-record in formal monitoring & enforcement of UK #dataprotection & #ePrivacy: ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/07/22/d...

Thanks very much Mark - much appreciated!

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office and the 2022 Afghan Relocations UK GDPR Data Breach: Regulatory Action Is Necessary – David Erdos The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has some history of failing to learn the lessons from its past information governance mistakes, even seeking to present these as a testament to succes…

First look at @iconews stance on MoD #databreach, which put up to 100K #Afghans at grave risk, incl. its relationship to other MoD UK #GDPR violations, the lack of any formal ICO investigation, regulatory action or even reprimand & the need for action now: inforrm.org/2025/07/19/t...

First look at @iconews stance on MoD #databreach, which put up to 100K #Afghans at grave risk, incl. its relationship to other MoD UK #GDPR violations, the lack of any formal ICO investigation, regulatory action or even reprimand & the need for action now: inforrm.org/2025/07/19/t...

In 2023 the UK Information Commissioner stated that it was "necessary" "to apply the full sanctions" where UK #GDPR breaches "put people's lives at risk" x.com/ICOnews/stat... But today no regulatory action (DPA 2018 s160) results from #databreach that placed +18K at risk & perhaps caused death

RU CiTiP - PhD scholarship holder (100%) Doctoral researcher with a special interest in technology, law and children’s rights

📣We are recruiting!

CiTiP is looking for an enthusiastic and proactive PhD researcher to join its team and work on children’s rights to privacy and data protection.

Interested in doing a PhD on this topic?

⌛Deadline 14 July 2025.

More information👇

No Iran war will erase Israel's crimes in Gaza. Don't get distracted | Opinion ***

Regardless of whether the attack on Iran was justified, writes @michaelsfard.bsky.social, it will not "erase our crimes in Gaza" where "there's no military explanation that could even come close to justifying th[e] destruction [and] the starvation tactics". www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025...

#ECJ #AG Ćapeta: Hungary breached #EUlaw by banning or limiting access to #LGBTI content 👉 curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo...

Very much looking forward to launching our new book 'Animals and the Constitution: Towards Sentience-based Constitutionalism' at the Bonavero Institute @oxfordlawfac.bsky.social on 10 June. Truly honoured to have Timothy Endicott and Leah Trueblood as respondents.
www.law.ox.ac.uk/content/even...

Amazing opportunities to work with Jat Singh on responsible AI, for both a PhD student and a postdoc - he's particularly keen to find someone from a law background interested in FAccT-related themes

More info -
PhD: www.compacctsys.net/RespAI-PhD.pdf
Postdoc: www.compacctsys.net/RespAI-Postdoc.pdf

Generative AI: Exploring Regulatory Opportunities, Challenges and Dilemmas This cutting-edge symposium considers the role of law and regulation in harnessing benefits offered by Generative AI and mitigating harm.

Roll up! Roll up! Registration is now open for the Symposium on "Generative #AI: Exploring Regulatory Opportunities, Challenges and Dilemmas" hosted by ‪@tcddublin.bsky.social‬ Law School in ‪@tlrhub.bsky.social‬ on Wednesday 18 June next eventbrite.ie/e/generative... #RegulatingAI

David Erdos: A Clear Oversight? Inquiring into the Information Commissioner’s 2024 Statutory Review of Journalism 2024 was billed to be the year of the first ‘robust and comprehensive’ UK statutory review of the extent of journalism’s compliance with data protection law and good practice, a formal appraisal wh…

For eg #DPA2018 promised as "robust & comprehensive" a #journalism #GDPR #compliance review as pos with powers to match. In reality ICO relied solely on "internal" data, noncomparable published info & 11-person 10-15min survey & came to no clear findings ukconstitutionallaw.org/2024/12/17/d... 3/3

Leveson was also explicit that this was “not simply a historical matter; it is perceptible in its approach today” assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c87... Sadly, with almost no current UK #GDPR enforcement (there was just 2 fines in 2024-25) that is even more true today as it was in 2012 2/3

Surprised Information Commissioner's Office claims track-record of “stand[ing] up during scandals” as with Leveson Inquiry: vimeo.com/1070964964. In fact, Leveson held ICO’s #dataprotection conduct constituted “regulatory failure” arising from it “not be[ing] keen to exercise" powers & functions 1/3

Reform are doing a lot of media about the party

Leader of Kent County Council has written a personal letter on party letterhead asking council officers to give lots of documents to party political volunteers

The letter also threatens (?!) to pass a council motion requiring this

Thanks Markus - it's great to see you on here as well :)

The Commonwealth has promoted idea of softer economic links based on similar legal & administrative systems and networks like C/w Enterprise & Investment Council. Even after #Brexit UK is pursuing #bilateral approach though it has given priority some of C/w eg #Australia, NZ & #India.

Thanks Eoin! No, whilst there was more flexibility re migration, the customs union nature of EEC meant that right from the beginning it ruled out #Commonwealth trade preferences & these also died elsewhere.

Very grateful for the plug Steve!

During 1960s & 1970s the #Commonwealth - with its new multilateral Secretariat from 1965 - substantially increased its #development cooperation & became significant North/South actor. This could have synergised well with #Ireland as Global Citizen but it adopted narrow approach to its Cw links. 4/4

By end 1970s all this was at an end, although very significantly UK-Irish arrangements largely continued, bilaterally or within deepening EEC framework. This Irish-Commonwealth dissociation primarily traces to the end of a tangible Commonwealth citizenship and economic framework. 3/4

Up until early 1960s #Ireland (i) participated in significant Commonwealth (C/w) #citizenship arrangements, (ii) gave & recieved "C/w" #trade preferences, (iii) was part of the Sterling Area (which included all C/w bar Canada) and (iv) actively engaged in C/w functional work. 2/4