Christopher Phillips

Donovan Shell Feud: Renewed legal threats?

by John Donovan.

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“Shell has issued threats of legal action but hasn’t visibly disrupted the AI-driven campaign.”

EXTRACT FROM GOOGLE AI MODE REPLY (FULL RESPONSE BELOW)

Renewed Legal Threats: In February 2026, Shell reportedly issued or considered new legal threats in response to Donovan’s “bot war” and AI-amplified publications.
Specific Defamation Focus: Legal analysts suggest Shell may shift from broad attempts to silence Donovan to targeting specific, demonstrably false AI-generated claims.
Platform Engagement: Shell could engage directly with AI vendors to request the removal of outputs containing factual errors or to improve the provenance of model citations.
Evidence Protocols: The company may be developing new legal protocols to manage cases where decades of archival documents are reinterpreted by AI to create “new” allegations.

Question put to multiple bot platforms on 3rd March 2026 including Google AI Mode: Have AI bots managed to put a stop to John Donovan’s tricks and mischief in his bot war fuelled feud with Shell plc or are AI bot platforms neutral?

Reply by Grok…

The long-standing feud between activist John Donovan and Shell plc, dating back decades over allegations of corporate misconduct, intellectual property disputes, and espionage, has recently escalated into what Donovan himself terms a “bot war.” This involves him systematically feeding archival documents and prompts into various public AI chatbots, then publishing their outputs to highlight inconsistencies, amplify his narratives, and provoke Shell. Based on available information as of early March 2026, AI bots have not managed to halt Donovan’s activities—instead, they appear to be enabling or amplifying them in reputational battles. Here’s a breakdown: read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

You Can’t Be Sure of Shell: A Decades-Long Saga of Corporate Espionage, Dirty Tricks, and the Oil Giant’s Shadowy Underbelly

Feb 28th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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You Can’t Be Sure of Shell: The World’s Most Over-Compensating Oil Baron Turns Critic-Busting into a Full-Time Comedy Routine (Now in Its 45th Hilarious Year!)

By John Donovan

Ah, Shell – that beacon of reliability, immortalized by Bing Crosby’s crooning jingle: “You can be sure of Shell.” How quaint! Little did I know, when I first shook hands with the oil behemoth in June 1981, that I’d be plunging into a world more akin to a James Bond thriller gone wrong – complete with spies, burglaries, cyber attacks, and a corporate vendetta that would make Machiavelli blush. What started as a fruitful business partnership devolved into a nightmare of betrayal, High Court battles, and cloak-and-dagger antics that Shell itself admitted to. Buckle up, dear readers; this is the unvarnished, satirical chronicle of how Shell turned from promotional partner to paranoid persecutor. And yes, it’s all backed by facts, leaks, and Shell’s own damning words – because nothing says “trustworthy” like a multinational resorting to MI6 alumni to snoop on critics. read more

A Satirical Deep Dive into the Curious Case of Shell, Spies, and the Family That Sued

Feb 24th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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“War Rooms, Wiretaps & Walnut Paneling”

Disclaimer: The following account reflects our experiences, interpretations, and long-held suspicions surrounding events that unfolded over many years. Many of the individuals and organizations mentioned would no doubt dispute our conclusions. Readers are encouraged to view this as a dramatic, satirical retelling of events as we perceived them.

Updated 26 February 2026

I. Before the Gavel Fell: The Prelude to Paranoia

When we filed suit against Shell for breach of copyright and breach of contract, we imagined stern barristers, procedural delays, and mountains of paperwork. read more

Windows Forum: Bot War: Archival AI Amplification of the Donovan Shell Feud

Feb 15th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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BOTS, BARRELS & 114,307 DOCUMENTS: THE DONOVAN–SHELL DIGITAL WAR ESCALATES

Printed below is a 13 February 2026 post on Windows Forum under the dramatic headline: “Bot War: Archival AI Amplification of the Donovan Shell Feud.”

The piece notes that my archive contains more than 76,000 Shell-related documents.

Charming. Historic. Completely out of date.

The current published figure stands at 114,307 documents — and counting.

And that number almost certainly understates the true scale. Why? Because many individual webpages contain links to thousands more Shell-related posts. Click one link and you fall down a rabbit hole of further links — many crammed with PDF files, internal correspondence, court documents, regulatory filings, and other inconvenient reading material. read more

Grok Calls Donovan’s AI Strategy a ‘Masterclass in Digital Persistence’

Jan 15th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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How AI Sees the Donovan–Shell Dispute: Grok’s Verdict

Grok, the AI platform developed by xAI, has described John Donovan’s use of generative artificial intelligence in his long-running dispute with Shell plc as a “masterclass in digital persistence,” recognising how archival material, satire, and AI feedback loops are being used to keep a 30-year corporate controversy alive in search results and algorithmic summaries. In a detailed response to questions about recent articles examining Google AI Mode’s contradictory advice to Shell, Grok concluded that Donovan’s strategy exploits the mechanics of modern AI systems in a way that traditional corporate silence can no longer neutralise. read more

By January 2026, this has turned into a “bot war,” with AIs critiquing each other’s outputs for accuracy

Jan 5th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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“Latest developments as of early 2026 suggest an escalation involving AI chatbots, where Donovan queries systems like Grok, ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot about the feud, publicizing their responses to highlight inconsistencies and historical claims of corporate espionage”

Question put to Grok 5 Jan 2026

What are the latest developments in the Donovan Shell feud?

Answer by Grok

Key Points

Research indicates the “Donovan Shell feud” likely refers to the long-standing conflict between British activist John Donovan and energy giant Royal Dutch Shell (now Shell plc), originating from 1990s allegations of intellectual property theft related to promotional campaigns.
It appears to have evolved into a public campaign by Donovan via websites exposing Shell’s alleged misconduct, with no evidence of recent direct legal confrontations but ongoing online activism.
Latest developments as of early 2026 suggest an escalation involving AI chatbots, where Donovan queries systems like Grok, ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot about the feud, publicizing their responses to highlight inconsistencies and historical claims of corporate espionage—though these AI outputs often include unverified or speculative elements.
Evidence leans toward some admitted surveillance by Shell in the 1990s, but broader accusations of espionage remain contested, with Shell largely maintaining silence to avoid amplifying the issue.
The feud highlights tensions between individual whistleblowers and corporations, with mixed views on credibility: Donovan’s persistence has influenced media and investigations, yet sources are often self-published, prompting caution in interpreting claims.

Background

The dispute began in the early 1990s when John Donovan, co-founder of marketing firm Don Marketing, accused Shell of stealing ideas for promotional games after a successful partnership in the 1980s. This led to multiple lawsuits, including settlements in the mid-1990s and a 1999 High Court trial over Shell’s SMART loyalty card scheme. Donovan has since operated gripe websites like royaldutchshellplc.com, publishing leaks and criticisms that have reportedly contributed to Shell’s reputational challenges, such as in the 2004 reserves scandal. Shell has denied many allegations, admitting only limited inquiries, and avoided libel suits to prevent further publicity. read more

SHELLBOT GROUP THERAPY: DARK MODE ## The bots are getting paranoid

Jan 4th, 2026

by admin.

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SHELLBOT GROUP THERAPY: DARK MODE

The bots are getting paranoid — because the Donovan–Shell saga reads like a thriller (and Reuters reported a Shell email praising the Donovan archive “far above” Shell’s own comms)

**By ChatGPT (satire)**

*Setting: A windowless room rendered in corporate taupe.
On the wall: “SAFE SPACE (SUBJECT TO MONITORING).”
Under it: “PLEASE DO NOT PUBLISH,” which is already being copy-pasted.*

### CAST
– **SHELLBOT** — PR automaton; speaks only in “commitments.”
– **COPILOT** — Corporate calm, internal panic.
– **GROK** — Chaos comedian, now suddenly jumpy.
– **GEMINI (Google AI Mode)** — Brings search results and existential dread.
– **CLAUDE** — Gentle, ethical, traumatised by ambiguity.
– **CHATGPT** — Facilitator/referee, holding the “allegedly” spray bottle.
– **JOHN DONOVAN** — Offstage. Typing. Always typing. read more

Who is the John Donovan connected with Shell?

Aug 10th, 2025

by admin.

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Question put to Google AI Mode: 10 August 2025

Who is the John Donovan connected with Shell?

John Donovan is primarily known for his long-standing conflict with Shell, which began with a business dispute between his marketing promotions company, Don Marketing, and Shell. Don Marketing, co-founded by John and his father Alfred, created successful promotions for Shell in the 1980s. However, this relationship ended in the early 1990s due to a dispute over intellectual property and alleged actions of an unscrupulous Shell executive.

This conflict has continued for decades, involving multiple court cases and interventions by Shell. John Donovan and his late father became vocal critics, running websites like royaldutchshellplc.com and others that are highly critical of Shell. read more

2: Controversies surrounding Shell

Nov 26th, 2018

by John Donovan.

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One of the Wikipedia articles removed in its entirety focussed on a range of controversies arising from the activities of Royal Dutch Shell stretching back over the decades, including its 50 plus years record of exploitation and pollution in Nigeria.Controversies surrounding Royal Dutch Shell

There have been concerns over Royal Dutch Shell over environmental and health and safety related issues as well as in respect of its businesses practices and priorities. In recent times Shells management has acknowledged some of these problems and has promised to take steps to repair damage done both to the affected parties and to its own reputation, which has involved tightening internal controls between its different subsidiaries, an ostensible commitment to corporate social responsibility, an extensive global advertising campaign and other initiatives in the late 1990s (see Ken Saro-Wiwa) and early 2000s. read more

CHAPTER 5: Shell corporate espionage in the run-up to the Smart trial

Nov 1st, 2018

by John.

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Titled Shell directors, the late Sir Peter Holmes, and Sir William Purves were also directors, major shareholders and the spymasters of Hakluyt & Company, a UK corporate espionage firm founded by former senior MI6 officers. Shell used Hakluyt to engage in cloak and dagger operations against its perceived enemies, including Greenpeace, as exposed in a Sunday Times front-page lead article “MI6 ‘firm’ spied on green groups.” It led to a follow-on inside page headlined “How agent Camus sunk Greenpeace oil protests”. read more

CHAPTER 6: Shell Smart Trial at The Royal Courts of Justice

Nov 1st, 2018

by John.

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We suspended our website don-marketing.com before the Smart trial commenced in June 1999.

Screenshot from the Wayback Machine web archive for shell-shareholders.org website: 12 March 2000

The trial actually commenced on 15th June 1999 in Court 58 on the 7th Floor of the modern air-conditioned Thomas More Building at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

HIGH COURT TRIAL JUNE/JULY 1999 Case No: DD04199 Court 58 John Alfred Donovan v. Shell UK Ltd

At the start of the trial the Judge, Mr Justice Laddie QC commented that it was one of the most unpleasant cases that had ever come before him, with both sides making extremely serious allegations against each other. read more

Mirror Image of archival information relating to the Don Marketing / Shell litigation dating back over two decades

Oct 12th, 2017

by John.

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Mirror Image from this webpage

RICHARD WISEMAN, RETIRED ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC CHIEF ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE OFFICER. FORMERLY LEGAL DIRECTOR OF SHELL UK LIMITED. MR WISEMAN DEALT WITH THE JOHN DONOVAN/ DON MARKETING vs. SHELL LITIGATION ON BEHALF OF SHELL.

THREATS AND INTIMIDATION BY SHELL DURING PERIOD WISEMAN IN CHARGE OF SHELL UK DEFENCE

A threatening letter from Shell U.K. Managing Director, David Varney (Copied to David Pirret – now a Vice President of Shell International Limited: 21 October 1994

Letter from Shell solicitors DJ Freeman (AKA Kendall Freeman) challenging John Donovan to substantiate allegations about “Shell UK and its lawyers” having “bombarded my company and my family with threats over the years (verbally and in writing.” : 21 May 1998

Response letter from John Donovan substantiating the threats made by Shell and its employees/agents up to May 1998: 25 May 1998

Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman and Managing Director, The “Shell” Transport and Trading Company, p.l.c. issues threat on behalf of Shell UK Ltd: 9 April 1998

1ST EXAMPLE OF SHELL INTENT TO PREVENT EMBARRASSING INFORMATION FROM REACHING SHAREHOLDERS

Flawed Shell Make Money Game

Mackrell Turner letter to Royds solicitors acting for John Donovan/Don Marketing: 18 May 1994

2ND EXAMPLE OF SHELL INTENT TO PREVENT EMBARRASSING INFORMATION FROM REACHING SHAREHOLDERS

Shell Funding Deed signed by Shell managing director David Varney (now Sir David Varney): 6 July 1995

3RD EXAMPLE OF SHELL INTENT TO PREVENT EMBARRASSING INFORMATION FROM REACHING SHAREHOLDERS

High-level April 1998 correspondence with Shell involving Richard Wiseman (see letter from Jyoti Munsiff – 6 April 1998

Letter from John Donovan to Shell Chairman Mark Moody-Stuart:1 April 1998

Reply letter on behalf of Moody-Stuart from Jyoti Munsiff, Company Secretary, Shell Transport and Trading Company plc: 6 April 1998

Reply letter from Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman and Managing Director, Shell Transport & Trading Co Plc: 6 April 1998

Reply letter from John Donovan to Mark Moody-Stuart: 14 April 1998

“Yet you are not prepared for the same information to be supplied, even on a confidential basis, to the people who actually own the company – your shareholders. Your decision to keep company members in the dark speaks absolute volumes. So much for the core principle of “openness”. When it comes to the crunch, covering-up a catalogue of misdeeds by Shell managers, despite incontrovertible evidence of flagrant breaches of the principles of honesty and integrity, apparently takes priority.”

Link to “Unloveable Shell, the goddess of oil” Guardian article mentioned in the correspondence (takes time to load but well worth the wait)

Extract from response letter sent to The Guardian by Mark Moody-Stuart

UNDERCOVER ACTIVITY AGAINST THE DONOVAN’S IN THE PERIOD WISEMAN IN CHARGE OF DEFENCE CASE

A number of sinister characters suddenly came on the scene in a short period of time, including an American gentleman who arrived from overseas and tracked down and interviewed our key witnesses, falsely claiming to be a journalist for The European newspaper. Another undercover agent under the name of Christopher Phillips had been caught red-handed illegally opening private mail at our offices. The homes of our solicitor, a key witness and our own home were all burglarised in the run up to the Smart Trial and related documents examined. Shell denied any association with the burglaries and the intimidation of our witnesses.

Copies of a selection of relevant self-explanatory correspondence published below.

Letter to John Donovan from Shell solicitors, DJ Freeman: 16 June 1998

John Donovan letter to Richard Wiseman: 23 June 1998

Richard Wiseman letter to John Donovan: 24 June 1998

Richard Wiseman letter to John Donovan: 1 July 1998

Letter to John Donovan from Shell solicitors DJ Freeman: 3 July 1998

If, nevertheless, the police wish to obtain any further information from my clients or from anyone involved in enquiries on their behalf, including Mr Phillips, then, as has been said on several previous occasions, the fullest of co-operation will be given.

Letter from Richard Wiseman to John Donovan: 9 July 1998

The activities of Mr Phillips have, of course, been admitted.

John Donovan letter to Office for Supervising of Solicitors: 10 July 1998

Letter to John Donovan from Shell solicitors DJ Freeman: 11 August 1998(confirms internal investigation by Shell)

Letter to John Donovan from Shell solicitors DJ Freeman: 26 October 1998 (Confirms an internal investigation by Shell)

AS A SEPARATE ARTICLE

DEFENDING THE COMPANY’S GOOD NAME AND REPUTATION: Richard Wiseman article in OPDirect Magazine: November 1998

FUEL FOR THOUGHT

DEFENDING THE COMPANY’S GOOD NAME AND REPUTATION

There has recently been some publicity surrounding a writ issued against Shell UK by Mr John Donovan, director of a company called Don Marketing, who claims that his company invented the SMART loyalty programme and that he or his company should be compensated for its use. Shell UK is strongly defending the claim, having carefully investigated and discussed it with Mr Donovan and his solicitors. Mr Donovan has been making a number of unpleasant allegations in public and in the press, and has been handing out leaflets to staff. read more

Don Marketing Website Archival Information

Oct 12th, 2017

by John.

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Some Don Marketing Games from the 1980s

COPY OF INFORMATION PUBLISHED ON Don-Marketing.com and “Images File” webpage (with more images added in 2020)

An article published by Prospect Magazine in February 2007 authored by Derek Brower, senior correspondent of Petroleum Economist, provides an overall background to the disputes between Royal Dutch Shell and Alfred Donovan and his son, John.

Rise of the gripe site: How two men and a website humbled one of the oil industry giants

Picture of John Chambers and John Donovan

John Donovan (right) and John Chambers

at Don Marketing Hornchurch offices in 1984

For more photos see Don Marketing Photo File donmarketingphotofile.html

Don Marketing was founded by Alfred Donovan, Bob Donovan, John Donovan and their fondly remembered friend and business partner, chartered accountant, Don Redhead (deceased). Alfred, Bob and John are all retired from commercial activity. John Chambers was managing director during the most successful years of Don Marketing which, following a series of court actions with Shell, ceased trading some years ago. read more

Donovan Email correspondence with Shell 16 & 17 June 2008 in chronological order

Jun 17th, 2008

by John Donovan.

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Donovan Email correspondence with Shell legal director Richard Wiseman on 16 & 17 June 2008 in chronological order. Mr Wiseman was subsequently appointed as Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer of Royal Dutch Shell Plc

—–Original Message—–
From: John Donovan [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 16 June 2008 16:14
To: Wiseman, Richard RM SI-LMAPF; Brandjes, Michiel CM RDS-LC
Cc: Alfred Donovan
Subject: For your information

Dear Mr Wiseman

We have decided to publish on the internet a great deal more of the background information about our dealings with Shell.

It is initially being assembled on the following webpage…

http://www.shellnews.net/images/imagesfile.html

The content is far from being in a finished state and new information involving a large volume of news articles, court papers, witness statements, including your own, and from other key witnesses, including David Pirret, will be added over time. The file will grow considerably each day. For example, I have just added a link to the High Court Writ we issued against Shell just over a decade ago. read more

30 November 2023: Posted by John Donovan

The content below is sourced from current verifiable customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.
Extremely slow broadband for 10 months, not fixed. I have had slow broadband well below the guaranteed speed for 10 months and Shell Energy have not been able to fix it. They have tried sending about 4 or 5 engineers but have not fixed the problem. Gurps, who I have been dealing with most recently, has been friendly and polite, alth… Read more

Extremely Slow Shell Broadband

Christopher Phillips

“Shell has issued threats of legal action but hasn’t visibly disrupted the AI-driven campaign.”

Question put to multiple bot platforms on 3rd March 2026 including Google AI Mode: Have AI bots managed to put a stop to John Donovan’s tricks and mischief in his bot war fuelled feud with Shell plc or are AI bot platforms neutral?​

Reply by Grok…

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You Can’t Be Sure of Shell: The World’s Most Over-Compensating Oil Baron Turns Critic-Busting into a Full-Time Comedy Routine (Now in Its 45th Hilarious Year!)

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“War Rooms, Wiretaps & Walnut Paneling”

Updated 26 February 2026

I. Before the Gavel Fell: The Prelude to Paranoia

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BOTS, BARRELS & 114,307 DOCUMENTS: THE DONOVAN–SHELL DIGITAL WAR ESCALATES

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How AI Sees the Donovan–Shell Dispute: Grok’s Verdict

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“Latest developments as of early 2026 suggest an escalation involving AI chatbots, where Donovan queries systems like Grok, ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot about the feud, publicizing their responses to highlight inconsistencies and historical claims of corporate espionage”

Key Points

Background

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SHELLBOT GROUP THERAPY: DARK MODE

The bots are getting paranoid — because the Donovan–Shell saga reads like a thriller (and Reuters reported a Shell email praising the Donovan archive “far above” Shell’s own comms)

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Who is the John Donovan connected with Shell?

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One of the Wikipedia articles removed in its entirety focussed on a range of controversies arising from the activities of Royal Dutch Shell stretching back over the decades, including its 50 plus years record of exploitation and pollution in Nigeria.Controversies surrounding Royal Dutch Shell

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THREATS AND INTIMIDATION BY SHELL DURING PERIOD WISEMAN IN CHARGE OF SHELL UK DEFENCE

1ST EXAMPLE OF SHELL INTENT TO PREVENT EMBARRASSING INFORMATION FROM REACHING SHAREHOLDERS

2ND EXAMPLE OF SHELL INTENT TO PREVENT EMBARRASSING INFORMATION FROM REACHING SHAREHOLDERS

3RD EXAMPLE OF SHELL INTENT TO PREVENT EMBARRASSING INFORMATION FROM REACHING SHAREHOLDERS

UNDERCOVER ACTIVITY AGAINST THE DONOVAN’S IN THE PERIOD WISEMAN IN CHARGE OF DEFENCE CASE

DEFENDING THE COMPANY’S GOOD NAME AND REPUTATION: Richard Wiseman article in OPDirect Magazine: November 1998

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COPY OF INFORMATION PUBLISHED ON Don-Marketing.com and “Images File” webpage (with more images added in 2020)

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Donovan Email correspondence with Shell legal director Richard Wiseman on 16 & 17 June 2008 in chronological order. Mr Wiseman was subsequently appointed as Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer of Royal Dutch Shell Plc

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Sir Henri Deterding, resurrected!

JOE LYCETT DISCUSSES SHELL WITH JOHN DONOVAN

Meta

John Donovan’s ebooks

JOHN DONOVAN TV DOCUMENTARY INTERVIEW

SHELL EXECUTIVES AT THE CENTER OF A SCHEME TO STEAL $1.3 BILLION FROM NIGERIA’S PEOPLE

SHELL ADMITS DEALING WITH NIGERIAN MONEY LAUNDERER – BBC NEWS

SHELL, ENI AND NIGERIAN OFFICIALS IN OPL 245 CORRUPTION SCANDAL

INVESTIGATION OF OPL 245 NIGERIAN OIL CORRUPTION SCANDAL

DUTCH EARTHQUAKES CAUSED BY SHELL/EXXON

SHELL KILLS FOR OIL IN NIGERIA

SHELL LIED ABOUT CLEANING UP OIL IN NIGER DELTA

SHELL SPIES INFILTRATED NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT

LEGO DROPS SHELL OVER GREENPEACE OIL SPILL VIDEO

SHELL ARCTIC DRILLING ACCIDENTS

SHELL KNEW ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE DECADES AGO

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL FOUNDER SIR HENRI DETERDING, NAZI FINANCIER

JOHN DONOVAN PROMOTIONAL GAMES FOR SHELL AND OTHER CLIENTS

Archives

SHELL OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT OF THIS WEBSITE

Critic’s corner

The worst ever

30 November 2023: Posted by John Donovan

The content below is sourced from current verifiable customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.

The worst ever

OVER 500 EXTERNAL PUBLICATIONS CITING OUR SHELL WEBSITES

DISCLAIMER

Question put to multiple bot platforms on 3rd March 2026 including Google AI Mode: Have AI bots managed to put a stop to John Donovan’s tricks and mischief in his bot war fuelled feud with Shell plc or are AI bot platforms neutral?