Nextcloud Podcast: Privacy and Surveillance Law with Max Schrems

Our new Nextcloud Podcast host, Brent Gervais, had the opportunity to sit down with Max Schrems – privacy lawyer and pioneer in the European data privacy movement – to explore some thoughts and ideas that stemmed from Max’s keynote given at the Nextcloud Conference 2023.

We explore the newly adopted Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework, it’s implications and why we all need to care and pay attention. We also touch on the 15-year debate on EU-US data transfers, surveillance law, anti-competitive behaviours in Big Tech, and the need for regulation despite the challenges presented by the process.

“If we move into this information age, and information is the new gold or the new currency, how do we distribute the rights to that information in a fair and balanced way? Different cultures and different democracies will have different answers to that.. there can be parts that are open source that allows you to move your data out into another system, which is one of your rights as an individual – your right to privacy.”
– Max Schrems

Max became known for campaigns against Facebook for its privacy violations, including violations of European privacy laws and the alleged transfer of personal data to the US National Security Agency (NSA). He is most well known for his lawsuits on the Safe Harbor agreement (Schrems I) and the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield (Schrems II).

Today he is the Founder & Honorary Chair of NOYB – European Center for Digital Rights.