Caspar Bowden
Caspar Bowden | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 August 1961 London, England |
| Died | 9 July 2015 (aged 53) Saint-Gaudens, France |
| Occupation(s) | Privacy advocate, technology entrepreneur, chief privacy advisor |
| Known for | Advocacy for information privacy rights, foreseeing US mass surveillance programs such as PRISM, board member of Tor anonymity network, fellow of the British Computer Society |
Caspar Pemberton Scott Bowden (19 August 1961 – 9 July 2015) was a prominent British advocate for privacy and formerly served as the chief privacy advisor at Microsoft. Recognized as an independent champion for information privacy rights and enhancing public comprehension of privacy research within computer science, he held a position on the board of the Tor anonymity network and was a fellow of the British Computer Society. Bowden gained notable attention for foreseeing US mass surveillance initiatives such as PRISM based on publicly available data, with his predictions receiving renewed validation following the Snowden leaks disclosures.
Biography
Born in London, Bowden attended Westminster Under School from 1970 to 1974 and Westminster School between 1974 and 1979. He pursued studies in Mathematics at Magdalene College, Cambridge, though he left before completion to become an independent technology entrepreneur prior to joining Goldman Sachs.
Bowden was actively involved with Scientists for Labour, sitting on its Executive Committee, and played a role in shaping the Labour Party’s policies regarding privacy. His engagement in privacy advocacy began in 1997 when he participated in the inaugural Scrambling for Safety conference, organized by Simon Davies at the London School of Economics, opposing UK government proposals for key-escrow encryption systems. Following Labour's electoral victory in 1997 and its subsequent endorsement of mandatory cryptographic backdoors, Bowden co-established the Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR) in 1998, serving as its founding director. In 2000, he received the Winston award for his opposition to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
In 2002, Bowden joined Microsoft as Senior Privacy Strategist covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. By 2005, he had advanced to Chief Privacy Advisor within Microsoft's EMEA Technology Office. He was responsible for leading the privacy component of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative across the EMEA region starting in 2007. Bowden openly criticized discriminatory practices under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, particularly its effects on individuals outside the United States. His candid stance on government surveillance ultimately led to his termination in 2011 after he warned that FISA facilitated NSA mass surveillance targeting Microsoft cloud data provided to governments.
Prior to the revelations made by Snowden, Bowden co-wrote a 2012 Note on privacy and Cloud computing, which cautioned that US authorities exploited European dependency on cloud infrastructure for surveillance purposes. After Snowden’s disclosures, Bowden condemned programs like PRISM, acknowledging that he had suspected their existence during his tenure at Microsoft. In 2013, he prepared a briefing for a European Parliament inquiry examining US surveillance legislation and its repercussions on the rights of EU residents.
Bowden publicly expressed his lack of trust in Microsoft products, promoting alternatives such as Tor, Qubes OS, and free software solutions; he removed Microsoft applications from his personal technology setup and discontinued mobile phone use. In 2013, he joined the Advisory Council of the Open Rights Group.
At the 31st Chaos Communication Congress in 2014, Bowden delivered a presentation titled "The Cloud Conspiracy," where he outlined how he inferred PRISM’s breadth through open-source information and highlighted European institutions’ failure to respond adequately.
Residing between London and Toulouse, Bowden passed away from melanoma on 9 July 2015 in Saint-Gaudens, France, aged 53. He is survived by his wife Sandi and brothers Malcolm and Simon. Posthumously, he was honored with both the Liberty Lifetime Achievement Award and the EFF Pioneer Award in 2015. On his deathbed, he emphasized that privacy protections should be applied equally regardless of nationality.
Shortly after his passing, The Caspar Bowden Legacy Fund was established to continue advocacy efforts related to privacy and technology. Founding members included Bart Preneel (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), Claudia Diaz (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), Roger Dingledine (The Tor Project), and George Danezis (University College London).
Works
- Bowden, Caspar: "Closed Circuit Television For Inside Your Head: Blanket Traffic Data Retention and the Emergency Anti-Terrorism Legislation", Computer and Telecommunications Law Review, March 2002.
- N. Robinson, H. Graux, M. Botterman, L. Valeri: Review of the European Data Protection Directive (interviewee)
- Bowden, Caspar: The US surveillance programmes and their impact on EU citizens' fundamental rights, Policy Department C: Citizens' Rights And Constitutional Affairs, European Parliament, 2013.
- Bowden, Caspar: "The Cloud Conspiracy 2008–2014: how the EU was hypnotised that the NSA did not exist", 31st Chaos Communication Congress (31C3), 2014.
- Bowden, Caspar: Chapter Five Part I: Data preservation instead of data retention, chapter from Why the Snoopers’ Charter is the wrong approach: A call for targeted and accountable investigatory powers, report by the Open Rights Group.
Remembrances
"Caspar was both combative and prickly yet consistently kind and generous... a staunch advocate of a Rawlsian vision of justice and human rights, critical of corporate or governmental forces that threatened those ideals." - Ray Corrigan, Open University
"A passionate defender of privacy who believed deeply in technology’s potential to protect it. He anticipated programs like Tempora and Prism and stood as a vocal privacy advocate." - Gus Hosein, Privacy International
"He energized seminars with fervent critiques highlighting the weaknesses in data protection legislation." - Natasha Lomas, TechCrunch
"Relentless and knowledgeable about privacy law; served as Microsoft's primary privacy representative before resuming activism." - Cory Doctorow
"At privacy events, he persistently challenged both technology firms and government representatives with incisive questions about surveillance practices." - Christopher Soghoian
"I was impressed when he ran Qubes OS on his laptop during a privacy conference—demonstrating his dedication to practical privacy measures." - Joanna Rutkowska
"Few matched Caspar's combination of principled rigor and unyielding pragmatism." - Phil Booth, NO2ID campaign
"A guiding figure and mentor in privacy advocacy; his intelligence and commitment remained steadfast even amid controversy." - Alexander Hanff, CEO Think Privacy
"Though occasionally blunt, his integrity and bravery in confronting policymakers were unmistakable." - Robin Wilton, Internet Society
"While others gave up, Caspar meticulously analyzed legislation and technology to develop solutions and communicate them effectively." - Ben Goldacre
"Renowned for his passionate criticism of legal changes and government overreach; brilliant in presentations and unafraid to challenge bureaucracy." - Malavika Jayaram
"Spanning over twenty years including a decade at Microsoft focused on privacy; inspired by early cryptography politics." - Wendy M. Grossman