Robin Hopkins KC

Robin has vast experience in all aspects of data protection, spanning contentious and advisory work. He regularly leads responses to data protection group actions and ICO enforcement matters. He works with clients on issues ranging from social media and apps, artificial intelligence, data-sharing, anti-hacking injunctions adtech and marketing, subject access and erasure disputes. He has appeared in numerous leading data protection cases, including Lloyd v Google (data protection compensation), RTM v Bonne Terre (marketing consents), Experian v ICO (marketing profiling), TikTok v ICO (age assurance measures) and DB v GMC (subject access).

Robin has also appeared in hundreds of appeals concerning FOIA and EIR matters, ranging from issues of commercial sensitivity to leading cases of legal principle, e.g. Department of Business and Trade v IC and Montague (Supreme Court; Brexit trade negotiations).

Robin works extensively with both media and individual clients on privacy disputes in the context of news, online content and reputation management. He works with major national news publications and content hosts, and is experienced in right to be forgotten/take-down disputes.

Robin’s public law practice often encompasses privacy issues. Most recently, he has acted – alongside Lord Pannick KC and Sir James Eadie KC – in the judicial review challenges to the government’s immigration arrangements with Rwanda. His experience in public law matters also includes R (Catt) and R (T) v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis and Others [2015] UKSC 9 (Supreme Court; application of Article 8 ECHR and the DPA to policing information).

Robin’s specialism in information rights and privacy matters routinely involves human rights issues, in particular under Article 8 and Article 10 ECHR.

Robin works in all aspects of local government law, with extensive experience in information rights matters in particular. Those include FOI and environmental disputes – often in commercial contexts – as well as data protection issues such as disclosure, retention and data- sharing. He appeared in the leading case on local authorities’ retention of child protection information (R (C) v Northumberland CC & ICO [2015] EWHC 2134 (Admin)) and assets of community value (Banner Homes v St Albans [2018] EWCA Civ 1187).