Data flows, privacy risks and foreign surveillance of Australians with Johnny Ryan

Technology and Security

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Dr Johnny Ryan, Director of Enforce at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and a leading authority on surveillance, data rights, and privacy. Drawing on his extensive experience in the ad tech industry and digital rights advocacy, Dr Ryan explains how real-time bidding (RTB)—the backbone of online advertising—routinely exposes Australians’ sensitive personal information to hundreds of companies. The conversation unpacks the findings of "Australia’s Hidden Security Crisis," a report revealing how RTB enables the unchecked flow of data about individuals, their families, and even high-level government and defence personnel to foreign jurisdictions, including China and Russia.

Listeners learn how this invisible system works–and how extensive it is–why consent pop-ups do little to protect privacy, and how data categories traded in these auctions can include everything from health and finances to mental state and personal relationships. We explore the current challenges for legislators and enforcement agencies as well as the impact of algorithms on influence and interference. The discussion highlights the national security risks posed by this pervasive form of data collection and sale, including the potential for blackmail, espionage, and foreign surveillance. The episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, privacy, data and security.

*Note there was a slight audio issue in this recording. Apologies if the sound is less than our usual very high standard.

Resources mentioned in the recording:

· Johnny Ryan, Wolfie Christl, October 2024, Australia’s hidden security crisis, https://www.iccl.ie/digital-data/australias-hidden-security-crisis/

· Barry Lynn, 1 June 2025 Resurrecting the Rebel Alliance: To end the age of Trump, Democrats must relearn the language and levers of power. https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/06/01/resurrecting-the-rebel-alliance/

· Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way, March/April 2025, The Path to American Authoritarianism What Comes After Democratic Breakdown, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/path-american-authoritarianism-trump

· US State Department Substack, The Need for Civilizational Allies in Europe, https://statedept.substack.com/p/the-need-for-civilizational-allies-in-europe
· Johnny Ryan, 15 January 2025, Big tech is picking apart European democracy, but there is a solution: switch off its algorithms, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/14/big-tech-picking-apart-europe-democracy-switch-off-algorithms

· Miah Hammond-Errey (2024) Big Data, Emerging Technologies and Intelligence: National Security Disrupted, Routledge (30% off code: ADC24)

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal people, and we pay our respects

to their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge their continuing connection to land, sea and community, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Music by Dr Paul Mac and production by Elliott Brennan.