Virtual Routes is proudly launching Ironmonger House Talks: Conversations on Emerging Technology and Security, an event series at our London office bringing together leading experts to examine how emerging technologies are reshaping security, politics and global affairs.
Through expert-led conversations and opportunities to exchange ideas, the series will explore some of the most pressing questions around security and technology today. Ironmonger House is a growing home for our community in London, a place to build new collaborations, strengthen connections and discover new insights.
All events are free to attend, but places are limited. Accepted participants will be notified via email. This project is supported by the EU Horizon project REMIT.
The upcoming sessions are:
Moscow’s Long Game Against the West
Hanna Notte (Director Eurasia Nonproliferation Program, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies) & Keir Giles (Russia expert, author), moderated by Charles Clover (Security & Defence Correspondent, Financial Times)
Hanna Notte and Keir Giles will explore Russia’s efforts to build influence around the world, undermine its opponents and outlast Western resolve.
Public talk · Followed by a drinks reception
19 October, 16:00-17:45 BST
Sign up here.
Who Should Govern AI? Big Tech, Democracy and Europe’s Choices
Marietje Schaake (Fellow, Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center and Institute for Human-Centered AI, Former Member of European Parliament) moderated by James Shires (Co-Director, Virtual Routes)
Drawing on her book The Tech Coup and her experience in the European Parliament and at Stanford, Marietje Schaake examines how Big Tech’s growing power challenges democratic oversight and what Europe can do about it.
Public talk · Lunch (lunch served at 12:30, talk at 13:00)
4 November 2026, 12:30-14:00 GMT
Sign up here.
Fighting Drones: The New Frontier of Defence
Mikko Hypponen (Technology researcher & bestselling author) moderated by Max Smeets (Co-Director, Virtual Routes)
Mikko Hypponen explores the evolving drone threat, the technologies used to detect and counter it, and the challenges ahead—from coordinated swarms to AI-driven systems.
Public talk · Lunch (lunch served at 12:00, talk at 12:30)
24 November 2026, 12:00-13:30 GMT
Sign up here.
Repression Without Borders: The Global Reach of Digital Surveillance
Eva Galperin (Director of Cybersecurity, Electronic Frontier Foundation) moderated by James Shires (Co-Director, Virtual Routes)
Eva Galperin examines the current state of transnational digital repression: the tools enabling it, the commercial industry behind it, and the consequences for journalists, activists and diaspora communities.
Public talk · Followed by a drinks reception
10 December 2026, 16:00-17:00 GMT
Sign up here.
On Counterintelligence for Civil Society
Ron Deibert (Professor of political science, founder and director of the Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto)
In his talk, Ron Deibert will discuss how counterintelligence for civil society protects high-risk populations and address how advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping the threat landscape in ways that make counterintelligence for civil society more vital than ever.
Public talk · Followed by coffee and refreshments
28 January 2027, 14:00 – 15:00 GMT
Sign up here.
