You may be aware that news has surfaced about sex allegations about me from nearly forty years ago. I utterly refute any such claim and will dispute them with full vigour. First, I am extremely angry that authorities have chosen to reveal my medical records. Outlets such as dailytelegraph.com.au have said that I am undergoing …
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Simon Davies
Forensic insights from
the world's most experienced
privacy advocate.
December 12, 2019
A new book reveals the dramatic history of the global privacy movement
By Simon Davies It’s not every day that any of us are given the chance to sit centre-stage in the growth of a movement, but I have enjoyed that privilege. Since the 1980’s I have occupied both the war room and the trenches in the gestation of the global privacy movement. And now – after …
Read More...January 28, 2019
The painful choices that await all whistleblowers
By Simon Davies Last year I was contacted – via an intricately circuitous route – by a contractor (a coder) working for the US National Security Agency (NSA). It was the third occasion over the past few years that this person had reached out to me. Longer-term readers of this site may recall that in …
Read More...January 4, 2018
Privacy Surgeon launches EU initiative to accelerate class action claims for breaches of privacy and data protection
By Simon Davies The Privacy Surgeon has launched an EU-wide initiative to massively increase the number of class action legal claims against governments, security services and corporations. The aim of this ambitious exercise is to force greater accountability from such organisations by supporting anyone in Europe to participate in litigation. The concept of class action …
Read More...October 27, 2017
What I’ve learned in five years of publishing the Privacy Surgeon
By Simon Davies It has been just over five years since the Privacy Surgeon began. Since then, the experience has been a rollercoaster. I wanted to share with readers the things I have learned from taking on this challenge. I pledged back then: “These pages are devoted to promoting such tests of evidence and contrasting …
Read More...September 14, 2017
Profile: The EPIC quest to build privacy rights on a foundation of integrity
In the first of an occasional series on the world’s leading privacy organisations, Simon Davies looks at the Washington DC-based Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). In the eyes of the US government, King Henry 11’s famous outburst “Will no-one rid me of this meddlesome priest” could well have been intended for the Electronic Privacy Information …
Read More...August 31, 2017
Game of Thrones meets the world of privacy. See who our poll reveals as privacy’s GoT nasties and heroes.
Game of Thrones is filled with intrigue, deception, redemption, conflict, heroism and deal-cutting. That sounds scarily like the world of privacy. So – we wondered – who are characters in the privacy world that most resemble those in Game of Thrones? The Privacy Surgeon recently published a poll to ask this very question. To …
Read More...August 29, 2017
For the sake of “real” news, Google must build public oversight of its new search algorithm
By Simon Davies Over the past few weeks, there have been reports that Google’s new search algorithm – intended to demote fake news and conspiracy theories – has in fact been censoring legitimate news sites. More worrying still, it’s arguable that the world’s most extensive censorship regime has just begun with hardly a whisper from …
Read More...August 21, 2017
All companies need to be more transparent – it’s in everyone’s interest
By Simon Davies I predict it’s only a matter of time before corporations feel the heat of public expectation to release more data about their operations. As people become more educated about privacy issues it is inevitable they will view disclosure of information as a key element of trust and accountability. Some companies like 3M …
Read More...August 21, 2017
The secret diary of a Neo-Nazi
As narrated to Simon Davies Dear Diary, 8AM Well, here it is. The Big Push. Must get myself ready for the march. Every other guy in this country is probably still in bed, fondling their black boyfriend, but not me! I’m up and about, bopping to Rage Against The Machine. Might take a …
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