Spying Bristol External Comms
Bristol External Comms were and probably still are a big part of the surveillance of Bristol residents.
At the time of the Spies and Lies, the department was headed by Saskia Konynenburg.
In data released in my SAR in a folder by Bristol External Comms, it was clear that surveillance stretched far beyond anything to do with the parent carer forum. It was a systematic practice that is part of business as usual.
In 2019, Bristol journalist Joanna Booth, also uncovered the systemic surveillance of Twitter users when former Mayor Marvin Rees had huge sums of money paid out by Bristol City Council to monitor is online reputation and who and what was being said about him: https://joannab.substack.com/p/solomons-choice-to-read-more-about
We’re off to a strong start with our first one. The Tweet they linked to for discussion was nothing to do with Covid 19 test centres, it was about wonky pavements in Bristol City Centre. This shows the council simply cannot be trust with handling data.
The actual Tweet they linked to.
‘Jen Smith tweeted this at the weekend…’ But Jen Smith did not tag Bristol City Council into the Tweet.
The Tweet…
Data surveillance by Bristol External Comms. This has been entirely redacted when it should not have been.
While this one does tag the council in, the council have again fully redacted the email. There is no way to tell how information is be collated, stored or shared.
What is even going on here?
This Twitter trail copied and pasted by Bristol External Comms is actually tracking what another Send parent is saying online. They are attributing what the other parent has said to me.
This Tweet does not tag Bristol City Council but has been searched, stored and shared.
The actual Tweet…
More ‘evidence’ uncovered by Bristol External Comms.
More from Bristol External Comms. Of the 12 Tweets they have listed, just one Tweet has the council’s handle tagged in. Despite this one Tweet tagging in the council and the fact I went on to resign as Vice Chair of Bristol Parent Carer Forum, the council clearly did not want to continue coproduction according to the Send Code of Practice. This coincided with Asher Craig’s messy Community of Groups set up.
What is even going on here?
More data harvested and shared about who knows what by who knows?
‘In relation to SEND. This is what has just been tweeted’. The word ‘just’ shows yet again how systematic the spying was.
Another Send parent being monitored.
As I have never had children at Avonmouth Primary, this is another Send parent who is being surveilled.
This was an email I sent to Bristol Schools Forum that for some reason has been sent to Bristol External Comms.
