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David Shanks

David Shanks – Consultant and former Chief Censor

David recently concluded two terms as New Zealand’s Chief Censor and Chief Executive of the Classification Office, the Independent Crown Entity tasked with making decisions at the intersection of freedom of speech and extreme, harmful content.

During his time as Chief Censor David needed to urgently respond to online crises (such as the livestreaming of the 2019 Christchurch terror attack). In response to such events and the increasing concerns about digital harm, David took an evidence-led approach to policy and system change, leading ground-breaking research programmes from the Classification Office. He has addressed audiences across the world on these issues and presented on the TEDx stage.

Now as Executive Director at RDC Group, David continues to engage with the challenge and opportunities presented by rapid technological and social change (such as the AI revolution), working with government agencies, NGO’s, academic institutions and others to develop the strategies and capabilities they need to keep pace.

    27th - We Belong In The Conversation

    You Can't Say That (lessons learned from a life of censorship)