Centre for Public Law (CPL) Podcast

Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age: CIPIL/CPL Lunchtime Seminar - Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law (CIPIL) Podcast

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:55:00 +0000

Speaker: Professor Jon Penney (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto)

In this talk, Jon Penney explores key themes from his new book Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age (Cambridge University Press, 2025), which examines the increasing weaponization of surveillance, censorship, and new technology to repress and control us. With corporations, governments, and extremists employing big data, artificial intelligence, FRT, cyber-mobs, and other technological threats to limit our rights and freedoms, concerns about chilling effects—or how these activities deter us from exercising our rights—have become urgent. Penney draws on law, privacy theory, and social science to present a new conformity theory that highlights the dangers of chilling effects and their potential to erode democracy and enable a more illiberal future. Following the book’s urgent and timely message, he sheds light on the repressive and conforming effects of technology, state, and corporate power and offers a roadmap of how to respond to their weaponization today and tomorrow.

Biography: Jon Penney is a legal scholar and social scientist at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, where he is an Associate Professor and holds the York Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance, and the Law. He is also a Faculty Associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab. His award-winning research on privacy, technology, and human rights has received national and international attention, including coverage in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Reuters International, The Guardian, and Le Monde, among others, and has been profiled in WIRED and Harvard Magazine.

For more information see:

https://www.cipil.law.cam.ac.uk/seminars-and-events/cipil-seminars

https://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk/

'Law, race, rights and the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery'

Fri, 12 May 2023 10:04:00 +0000

Professor Parosha Chandran is a distinguished, multi-award winning human rights barrister at One Pump Court Chambers in London, a specialist in modern slavery law, and a world-leading expert on the law relating to human trafficking, including for the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the British Parliament’s work for Commonwealth States.

She represents victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in their cases and during her 26-year legal career she has set critical trafficking precedents in the Courts with national and global reach, most recently in a landmark judgment on non-punishment of the European Court of Human Rights in 2021, VCL and AN v UK, which concerned trafficked Vietnamese minors wrongly convicted of cannabis cultivation which their traffickers had required them to perform.

She works closely with NGOs and international organisations, provides trafficking training, including for judges, lawyers NGOs and prosecutors, and has advised on domestic and international legislation, including aspects of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. She has published two books, including ‘The Human Trafficking Handbook: Recognising Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery in the UK’ (LexisNexis, 2011). She is a co-author of the Council of Europe’s comprehensive e-learning course on ‘Combatting Human Trafficking’ (2018 & 2023 edition publication pending).

In 2015 she received the ‘Trafficking in Persons Hero Award’ from John Kerry and the Obama administration for her outstanding work in the field. In 2018 she received the distinction of being appointed the first Professor of Practice in Modern Slavery Law at King’s College London where she teaches her own LLM course. In 2021 she represented the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons in two cases of significance, including in her third party intervention in the Supreme Court in Basfar and Wong, which lifted the diplomatic veil of immunity in a global landmark case concerning a female migrant domestic worker trafficked into the UK for exploitation.

Many of her landmark legal cases have involved critical issues concerning race and gender and she highlights these and bring her personal observations on how these impacted victim protection in her talk.

This lecture was delivered at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, on 11 May 2023 as part of the series of Law and Race talks.

Supported by the Centre for Public Law: https://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk/

Privacy International (Yorke Distinguished Visiting Fellows Seminars)

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 10:15:00 +0000

The Faculty of Law is organising in the 2022-23 academic years three seminars on key public law cases, given by three Yorke Distinguished Visiting Fellows – Lord Carnwath, Lady Hale, and Lord Lloyd-Jones.

The first of these seminars took place on Wednesday 16 November and was given by Lord Carnwath, looking at the Privacy International case. Lord Carnwath gave the leading judgment of the majority in the case. Lord Carnwath and Professor Alison Young talked about the impact of the new ouster clause found in section 2 of the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022. Lord Carnwath talked about his judgment in this case and the new legislation, with a brief response from Alison Young.

The talk was sponsored by the Centre for Public Law.

'Discrimination, Disproportionality, and Black Deaths in Custody'

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 10:02:00 +0000

Professor Leslie Thomas KC is a human rights and civil liberties barrister. He has appeared in many high-profile cases representing the families of the deceased (Birmingham Pub Bombing Inquests, Grenfell Inquiry, Azelle Rodney, Mark Duggan, Christopher Alder and Sean Rigg). In 2012 he was awarded Legal Aid Barrister of the Year (LALY) and again in 2016 for his work on the Hillsborough disaster. In 2020 he received the award for Outstanding Contribution to D&I in the UK Chambers Bar Awards. He is also former Joint Head of Garden Court Chambers. In 2020 he became the first Black Professor of Law at Gresham College and is a visiting Professor of Law at Goldsmiths. He sits on the Equality Diversity and Inclusion sub-committee for the Inner Temple and the Bar Standards Board Race Equality Task Force. He is also the author of 'Do Right and Fear No One', his autobiography published in 2022.

This lecture was delivered at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, on 13 October 2022 as part of the series of Law and Race talks.

Supported by the Centre for Public Law: https://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk/

'Addressing Structural Discrimination through International Human Rights Law: the Approach of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination'

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 10:07:00 +0000

Speaker: Professor Mehrdad Payandeh, Member, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Professor of International Law, European Law, and Public Law at Bucerius Law School

Professor Mehrdad Payandeh is Professor of International Law, European Law, and Public Law at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany. His research is focused on international human rights law, anti-discrimination law as well as general international law and constitutional law and theory. Since 2020, he is also a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Law and Race talks organised by Kirsty Hughes and Vandita Khanna at the Faculty of Law on 2 November 2022.

Supported by the Centre for Public Law: https://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk/

CPL Seminar: 'Is Foreign Policy Special?' - Ewan Smith

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 09:26:00 +0000

On 28 February 2020 Dr Ewan Smith (University of Oxford) gave a seminar entitled "Is Foreign Policy Special?" hosted by the Centre for Public Law (CPL).

For more information see the CPL website at: https://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk

'R (Privacy International) v Investigatory Powers Tribunal': CPL Discussion - Mark Elliott and Alison Young

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 09:28:00 +0000

A discussion held at the University of Cambridge on 18 November 2019, with Sir Patrick Elias, Professor Mark Elliott, and Professor Alison Young. The event was hosted by the Centre for Public Law.

In R (Privacy International) v Investigatory Powers Tribunal [2019] UKSC 22, the Supreme Court, by 4 judgments to 3, concluded that a clause removing judicial review of the court over decisions of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), including those as to whether the IPT had jurisdiction, could not remove judicial review by the court for legal errors made by the IPT when determining its jurisdiction. The legislation could be interpreted so as not to remove review over purported decisions as to whether the IPT had jurisdiction – in other words those decisions tainted by a legal error. The individual judgments provide an array of arguments which have an impact on how courts interpret ouster clauses and legislation more generally, the foundations of judicial review, parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law. This lecture explains the judgments and evaluates their implications.

For more information see: https://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk/

CPL Panel: 'The Constitutional Implications of AG Reference: UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill [2018] UKSC 64'

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 09:08:00 +0000

On 13 December 2018, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the 'Scottish Continuity Bill' (https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2018-0080.html). This Bill was enacted by the Scottish Parliament in order to provide its own version of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, providing for the continued application of EU law in Scotland from exit day onwards.

The legislation was enacted against the backdrop of Scotland’s refusal to agree to a legislative consent motion for the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2018, which then came into force without Scotland’s consent in breach of the Sewel convention. It also marked the first time that Scottish legislation had been challenged at the pre-legislative stage, using the provisions of section 33 of the Scotland Act 1998.

In this video produced by the Cambridge Centre for Public Law, Professor Mark Elliott, Professor Alison Young, and Dr Paul Daly each discuss the constitutional implications of the case, chaired by Dr Shona Wilson Stark.

The talk should be of interest for undergraduate students in Constitutional law, Administrative law and European Union law, in addition to postgraduate students working in these areas.

For more information, see the CPL website at: http://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk

CPL Seminar: 'The Miller Judgment: An Evaluation'

Tue, 23 May 2017 10:16:00 +0000

On 22 May 2017 Professor Mark Elliott of the University of Cambridge gave a seminar entitled "The "Brexit" decision, Miller v. Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union" hosted by the Centre for Public Law (CPL).

For more information see the CPL website at: https://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk

'Brexit and the Constitution' - Sir John Laws: CPL Lecture

Wed, 03 May 2017 11:29:00 +0000

The A. L. Goodhart Visiting Professor of Legal Science, the Rt Hon. Sir John Laws gave a talk entitled "Brexit and the Constitution" on 2 May 2017 as a guest of the Centre for Public Law (CPL).

Sir John spoke on a wide range of issues arising from the process of leaving the EU, including the use of the referendum and the Miller litigation in the Supreme Court.

For more information, or to download the full transcript, see the CPL website at: http://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk/past-activities-0

CPL Seminar: 'Administrative law values and the scope of judicial review of administrative action'

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 13:38:00 +0000

On 27 February Paul Daly of the University of Cambridge gave a seminar entitled "Administrative law values and the scope of judicial review of administrative action" as a guest of the Centre for Public Law (CPL).

For more information see the CPL website at: https://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk

'Reconstructing Judicial Review' - Sarah Nason: CPL New Faces in Public Law seminar

Tue, 21 Feb 2017 15:24:00 +0000

Dr Sarah Nason of the University of Bangor delivered a seminar discussing her book "Reconstructing Judicial Review" (Hart Publishing, 2016) on 21 February 2017 as a guest of the Centre for Public Law (CPL).

This is the first seminar in an occasional series in which early-career public lawyers from round the UK are given a forum to discuss their work with an interested, informed group of scholars.

More information about the Centre is available at the Centre for Public Law website at http://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk/

Justice Stratas, Professor Cora Hoexter, Professor Richard Rawlings and Professor Johannes Chan: ‘Themes and Reflections’

Fri, 16 Sep 2016 15:17:00 +0000

From 12 to 14 September 2016, the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge held the second in a biennial series of conferences on Public Law.

The theme for the second Public Law Conference was "The Unity of Public Law?". The conference brought together academics, judges and practitioners from a range of Public Law fields and a variety of common law jurisdictions. The intention was that the Public Law series should become a pre-eminent forum for the discussion of Public Law matters in the common law world.

In this video, Professor Mark Elliott introduces Justice Stratas, Professor Cora Hoexter, Professor Richard Rawlings and Professor Johannes Chan as they offer their reflections on the papers and themes presented at the conference.

For more information about the Public Law Conference, please refer to http://www.publiclawconference.law.cam.ac.uk/

Professor Cheryl Saunders: ‘Transplants in Public Law’ / Professor Aileen McHarg: ‘Unity and Diversity in the United Kingdom’s Territorial Constitution’

Fri, 16 Sep 2016 14:30:00 +0000

From 12 to 14 September 2016, the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge held the second in a biennial series of conferences on Public Law.

In this video, Lord Reed (UK Supreme Court) introduces Professor Cheryl Saunders who spoke on the topic ‘Transplants in Public Law’, and Professor Aileen McHarg who spoke on the topic ‘Unity and Diversity in the United Kingdom’s Territorial Constitution’.

For more information about the Public Law Conference, please refer to http://www.publiclawconference.law.cam.ac.uk/

Hiebert ‘Parliamentary Bills of Rights: Do They Alter the Norms of Legislative Decision-Making?’ / Geiringer ‘Unity and Disunity in the Commonwealth Model of Human Rights Protection’

Fri, 16 Sep 2016 12:31:00 +0000

From 12 to 14 September 2016, the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge held the second in a biennial series of conferences on Public Law.

In this video, Chief Justice French (High Court of Australia) introduces Professor Janet Hiebert who spoke on the topic ‘Parliamentary Bills of Rights: Do They Alter the Norms of Legislative Decision-Making?’ and Professor Claudia Geiringer who spoke on ‘Unity and Disunity in the Commonwealth Model of Human Rights Protection’.

For more information about the Public Law Conference, please refer to http://www.publiclawconference.law.cam.ac.uk/

Dame Sian Elias: 'The Unity of Public Law?' (audio)

Fri, 16 Sep 2016 10:08:00 +0000

From 12 to 14 September 2016, the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge held the second in a biennial series of conferences on Public Law.

In this video, Professor Mark Elliott welcomes delegates to the second day of the conference, and Dr Jason Varuhas introduces Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias (New Zealand Supreme Court) who spoke on the conference topic of 'The Unity of Public Law?'.

For more information about the Public Law Conference, please refer to http://www.publiclawconference.law.cam.ac.uk/

Opening / Chief Justice French & Lord Reed: 'Inter-Jurisdictional Dialogue'

Thu, 15 Sep 2016 16:31:00 +0000

From 12 to 14 September 2016, the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge held the second in a biennial series of conferences on Public Law.

In this video, Professor Richard Fentiman, Chair of the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, welcomes delegates to the conference. He is followed by Chief Justice French (High Court of Australia) and Lord Reed (UK Supreme Court) speaking on the subject of 'Inter-Jurisdictional Dialogue'.

For more information about the Public Law Conference, please refer to http://www.publiclawconference.law.cam.ac.uk/

'The contribution of the Court to a culture of human rights in Europe' - Judge Dean Spielmann: CPL Lecture

Fri, 13 Nov 2015 15:08:00 +0000

Judge Dean Spielmann, President of the European Court of Human Rights, gave a talk entitled "The contribution of the Court to a culture of human rights in Europe" on 12 November 2015 as a guest of the Centre for Public Law (CPL).

For more information, see the CPL website at: http://www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk

'The Principle of Legality in Foreign Relations' by Professor Campbell McLachlan

Fri, 21 Nov 2014 11:59:00 +0000

The Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (LCIL) and the Centre for Public Law (CPL) hosted a guest lecture entitled 'The Principle of Legality in Foreign Relations', which was delivered at the Faculty of Law on 17 November 2014 by Professor Campbell McLachlan, Professor of International Law in Victoria University of Wellington.

For more information about the series, please see the LCIL website at www.lcil.cam.ac.uk and the CPL website at www.cpl.law.cam.ac.uk

Closing Discussion: Professor John Bell, Professor David Dyzenhaus, Professor David Feldman, Professor Carol Harlow & Professor Cheryl Saunders

Thu, 30 Oct 2014 11:03:00 +0000

From 15 to 17 September 2014, the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge held a major international conference on Public Law. It was intended to be the first of what will become a biennial series of conferences.

The theme for the inaugural Public Law Conference was "Process and Substance in Public Law". The conference brought together academics, judges and practitioners from a range of Public Law fields and a variety of common law jurisdictions. The intention was that the Public Law series should become a pre-eminent forum for the discussion of Public Law matters in the common law world.

In this video, Professor John Bell, Professor David Dyzenhaus, Professor David Feldman, Professor Carol Harlow & Professor Cheryl Saunders reflect on their experiences at the conference, and themes going forwards.