PRIVACY-workshop at Computer, Privacy and Data Protection conference in Brussels
Thursday 21 May, 2026, during the Computers, Privacy and Data Protection (CPDP) annual conference in Brussels, Natalie Körner and Lucas Rigillo, representing Privacy Studies Journal and the centre, hosted the workshop: "Is there privacy in privacy regulation? Closing the gap between the experience of privacy and the regulation of online privacy".
Together with participants with experience in UX design, privacy law, product design, international relations, and LGBTQI+ policy, they mapped the limits of digital privacy laws and examined the gap between the experience of privacy and the regulation of online privacy.
Engaging with contemporary and historical cases, Natalie and Lucas highlighted how privacy is much more than protection of data. Privacy is a social experience, it is situational, relational, negotiable, sometimes a privilege, and sometimes a threat. The discussions and the response from the participants remind us that our historical research is important in contemporary contexts, as described by Natalie: “It was really rewarding to see that what we do is relevant in the context of privacy policy, because discussions there are so focused on data that the actual experience of privacy has almost been forgotten. Our angle on privacy really resonates with privacy professionals when we bring this up.” It became apparent that privacy regulation is very focused on data protection and often the social processes that regulate access to our thoughts, bodies, homes, and communities are forgotten. The experience of privacy is highly impacted by technologies and digital life, and today as well as historically private, professional, public, offline, and online spheres tend to entangle.
Natalie and Lucas talked to many interesting privacy professionals and are looking forward to participating at CPDP next year to continue the conversation on the experience of privacy in past and present.