Matrix Conference 2024

Regulatory compliance in decentralised environments
2024-09-21 , LAB 3

A look at how we approach new regulatory obligations for different types of Matrix use cases, with the Digital Services Act (EU) as a case study.


A talk aimed at server administrators and those responsible for regulatory compliance of their Matrix implementations, going through the process that we, at Element, follow to approach new obligations - from proposal to implementation and enforcement stages, such as:

  • How we decide which proposals to engage with
  • Navigating an ever changing global legal landscape
  • Early thoughts on the DSA and its implications on Matrix

I am a privacy, policy and regulation professional, currently working on the future of decentralised communication at Element as a DPO and Head of Policy and Compliance. Before joining Element in May 2020, I was a Senior Data Protection Officer for a multinational digital transformation and technology group, having joined in early 2018, a few months before the GDPR enforcement date.

Alongside work I am also in the final stages of writing my PhD thesis on technology workers attitudes and behaviours towards change, particularly in the context of privacy and information management. My main research interests are centred on privacy, change, human rights, privilege and power, ethics, and algorithmic accountability, particularly around how these areas interact with different social, demographic and contextual factors.