Resources: Erasing David

2010 David Bond

David Bond has nothing to hide...but does he really have nothing to fear?

David Bond lives in one of the most intrusive surveillance states in the world. He decides to find out how much private companies and the government know about him by putting himself under surveillance and attempting to disappear - a decision that changes his life forever.

Leaving his pregnant wife and young child behind, he is tracked across the database state on a chilling journey that forces him to contemplate the meaning of privacy, and the loss of it.

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Once the bastion of freedom and civil liberties, the UK is now one of the most advanced surveillance societies in the world - ranked third after Russia and China. The average UK adult is now registered on over 700 databases and is caught daily on one of the 4 million CCTV cameras located on nearly every street corner in the country. Increasingly monitored, citizens are being turned into suspects. But if you've got nothing to hide, surely there's nothing to fear?

When David Bond receives a letter informing him that his daughter Ivy is among 25 million residents whose details have been lost by the government's Child Benefit Office, he begins a journey that will see him hounded across Europe. David soon discovers some alarming truths about what the government and private companies already know about ordinary citizens. He meets people who have been caught in the crossfire of the database state and have had their lives shattered.

As his concern grows, he makes a life-changing decision. He will leave his pregnant wife and child behind and put himself under surveillance for thirty days. The UK's top Private Investigators are hired to discover everything they can about him and his family, and track David down as he attempts to vanish.

Is it still possible to live a private, anonymous life in the UK? Or do the state and private companies already know too much about ordinary people? Forced to contemplate the meaning of privacy, and the loss of it, David's disturbing journey leaves him with no doubt that although he has nothing to hide, he certainly has something to fear!

Lesson plans

Video Clips

Clip: 1. David Plans to Disappear
How will disappearing impact on David's family?
Clip: 2. Ways to Hide
The hard truths: David can even be tracked on his baby monitor
Clip: 3. Internet Privacy
How much can David be tracked online?
Clip: 4. The Private Investigators
The hunt is on