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UK Privacy Advocate Caspar Bowden Dies

Posted by samzenpus on from the rest-in-peace dept.

wendyg writes: Many outlets are reporting that UK privacy advocate Caspar Bowden has died. For ten years or so, Caspar was one of Microsoft's leading privacy officers, but he is most significantly known as a tireless campaigner against back-doored encryption and key escrow. As a founder of the Foundation for Information Policy Research, he spent countless hours studying the legislation that became the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and was instrumental in keeping some of the worst proposals out of the eventual law. Campaigners from Privacy International, Big Brother Watch, Open Rights Group, and No2ID all speak of how important his advice and insight were in their work.

16 comments

  1. Fuck cancer. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Fuck cancer.

    1. Re:Fuck cancer. by Black+LED · · Score: 1

      You got that right. An long time friend of mine died from cancer this year.

      I can't help but be optimistic that a breakthrough in cancer treatment is on the horizon.

    2. Re:Fuck cancer. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      Fuck cancer.

      do you get angry at your car for being wrecked or do you get angry at the person who wrecked it?

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    3. Re:Fuck cancer. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can't help but be optimistic that a breakthrough in cancer treatment is on the horizon.

      I'm less optimistic about a breakthrough, per se, but slow steady progress is overwhelmingly likely. In a few decades, sequencing technology will almost certainly be at a point where cancer cells can be detected circulating in the blood stream before the cancer can advance to the point where it's incurable. And treatments will be able to target the specific mutations that have given rise to each different person's cancer - leading to much better treatment outcomes. There's also a possibility of treatments based on targeting the cancer cells specific genetic signature/mutations but that's a big unknown.

    4. Re:Fuck cancer. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The answer to that probably depends on whether there was anyone responsible.

      If my one of my car's front wheels suddenly fell off through nothing other than the a random failing forcing it into a ditch, then yeah, I'd probably say "Fuck this car".

      So, exactly like this guy's comment on cancer then.

    5. Re:Fuck cancer. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck cancer.

      do you get angry at your car for being wrecked or do you get angry at the person who wrecked it?

      So who do you blame? Was he a smoker? Did someone put Thorium in his tea?

    6. Re: Fuck cancer. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe not Thorium, but I could see Polonium

  2. Rest in peace. by Burz · · Score: 2

    I know that Caspar was active in the Qubes OS community and he is credited with introducing Qubes to the European Parliament before they recommended it as a mitigation against mass surveillance. He also served as a Director for the Tor Project.

    Computing UK has posted an obituary here.

  3. Sadly he failed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    With GCHQ and NSA effectively going ahead with mass surveillance anyway, the police via the MET anti terror squad getting access to that data, and the Home Secretary getting briefings from this mountain of data he failed.

    Even now we get hints that there is some other database that government agencies have free access to that has no basis in any law passed by Parliament.

    Every leader, politician, journalist, campaigner, is now subject to surveillance by an authority that they are supposed to regulate. And now that body has its own propaganda and psychops unit:

    http://off-guardian.org/2015/07/05/controversial-gchq-unit-engaged-in-domestic-law-enforcement-online-propaganda-psychology-research/comment-page-1/

    UK privacy right is a disgrace, and you can't elect a leader to tackle these Stasi because every potential leader is monitored by them and can/is smeared by them.

    1. Re:Sadly he failed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's worse than that: no potential leader would ever tackle the issue because it suits them. All of them. Potential leaders want to command, not to serve. Nobody spends money and time to become a servant. It's very sad that Mr Bowden died, knowing that he failed, that all his efforts were for naught and that the loved ones he left behind are now doomed to a life of fear because, out of the limelight, The Powers That Be will take their revenge on his family.

  4. Tor project Board of Directors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Caspar Bowden

    Director

    An independent advocate for information self-determination rights, and public understanding of privacy research in computer science. He is a specialist in data protection policy, EU and US surveillance law, PET research, identity management, and information ethics and philosophy. "

    Tor project Board of Directors @
    https://www.torproject.org/abo...

  5. Re:I love the irony. by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

    You wouldn't know irony if it came up from behind you and bit you on the keyster. Please don't use words you don't understand.

    --
    Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  6. Caspar Bowden did not waste his life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mr. Bowden may have gotten his life cut short by cancer, nevertheless he has lived a full and illustrious life

    His lifelong endeavor to fight for privacy is something to be admired

    Unlike Obama and Cold Fjord, Mr. Bowden did not waste his life. He fought against the encroaching Big Brother's attempt to take away the basic human rights of privacy for the common folks

    RIP, Mr. Bowden. Those of us who treasure our privacy owe you our sincerest thanks for what you have done for us

    1. Re:Caspar Bowden did not waste his life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He fought against the encroaching Big Brother's attempt to take away the basic human rights of privacy for the common folks

      He fought and he lost. In one generation he will be remembered as an "extremist", in two as a "terrorist" and in three forgotten.

    2. Re:Caspar Bowden did not waste his life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck cancer and fuck cold fjord even more.