Duncan Campbell

A University of Sussex honorary graduate for 2017.

Duncan Campbell is an investigative journalist, consultant, producer and forensic expert who has specialised in civil liberties, technology and secrecy issues over 40 years of reporting.

He was born and grew up in Scotland. After gaining a first in Physics at Oxford in 1973, he studied Operations Research at Sussex.

In 1976, he was the first journalist to reveal the role of the British communications intelligence agency GCHQ. He was subsequently accused of breaking Britain’s Official Secrecy laws, although the prosecutions failed and the laws concerned were withdrawn.

In 1998, he was asked by the European Parliament to report on the development of surveillance technology, especially in relation to a secret global intelligence system known as Echelon he had uncovered in 1988.

30 years later, his reports were confirmed when former US intelligence employee Edward Snowden released documents concerning the project.

From 1978 to 1994 Duncan worked for the New Statesman magazine as a reporter, editor, and finally as chairperson. He founded an independent TV documentary company, IPTV, in 1991. He has contributed to Channel 4, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, the BBC and others on subjects including computers, surveillance and privacy, corruption in sport, housing scandals, and medical fraud and malpractice.

From 1999 on, he participated in award-winning international investigations of smuggling and tax evasion by multinational tobacco companies, worldwide mercenary activities, and the exploitation of offshore banking tax havens.