• by Ray Schultz , January 5, 2022

John Edwards, who famously called Facebook “morally bankrupt pathological liars who enable genocide” after the terror attack on a mosque in his native New Zealand, has started his five-year term as UK Information Commissioner. 

He replaces Elizabeth Denham, whose term recently ended. 

The new commissioner will be dealing with a reform of the Data Protection Act and the new Online Safety Bill. He will also have to navigate the reported desire  of some in the UK to move away from GDPR. 

Edwards served as New Zealand Privacy Commissioner from 2014 to 2021. Prior to that, he was a solicitor and barrister. 

He made his comments about Facebook in a series of tweets in 2019 following the attack that killed 51 people in Christchurch, but has since deleted them and observers say he and the government will attempt to “make post-Brexit Britain tech hub,” according to TechMonitor. 

That suggests a possible loosening of GDPR rules, but is not clear how far the UK can — or wants to — go in that direction. Although he deleted his anti-Facebook tweets, Edwards takes over as governments worldwide are questioning the U.S.-based tech giants. 

“Privacy is a right not a privilege,” Edwards states. “In a world where our personal data can drive everything from the healthcare we receive to the job opportunities we see, we all deserve to have our data treated with respect.” 

Edwards adds, “My role is to work with those to whom we entrust our data so they are able to respect our privacy with ease whilst reaping the benefits of data-driven innovation.”