The current controversy about the activities of the Government Security Communications Bureau (GCSB) is inescapably about privacy. As such I, like my colleague the Inspector-General of Security and Intelligence, want to outline my role.

Kim Dotcom, David Fisher, Justice Winkelmann, the GCSB and the Privacy Commissioner. No, they don’t walk into a bar – although that would be a thing to see - but all are featured in this decision. I won’t be commenting on it, for various obvious reasons, but the decision introduces a novel procedure into civil litigation, and has drawn some comment around the traps already. For example, the lawyer, blogger and journalist, Steven Price, says “the judge got this one flat wrong”. A former Privacy Commissioner, Sir Bruce Slane, has some views. I might not share them and do not endorse them, but I’m happy to provide a platform for our first guest post, from an esteemed and knowledgeable expert in the interests of commentary and debate - Privacy Commissioner John Edwards.