MI6

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.

Comments are off for this post

“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

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

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

Jan 4th, 2026

by admin.

Comments are off for this post

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

Grok’s Story of Donovan, Shell, and “Undercover Activity”

Jan 1st, 2026

by admin.

Comments are off for this post

Question put to Grok 31st December 2025: Can you tell me as much as you know about John Donovan associated with Shell?

John Donovan: Overview

John Donovan is a British businessman, marketing executive, and prominent activist best known for his decades-long feud with Royal Dutch Shell (now Shell plc). Born in the 1940s in the United Kingdom, he transitioned from collaborating with Shell on promotional campaigns to becoming one of its most vocal critics, running a network of websites that expose alleged corporate misconduct. His story is often framed as a “David vs. Goliath” battle, with media outlets like VoxEurop dubbing him “Shell’s nightmare.” Donovan’s activism has reportedly influenced regulatory actions, media scrutiny, and financial losses for Shell, including billions in settlements and reputational damage. He co-authored a 2016 Kindle ebook, John Donovan, Shell’s Nightmare: My Epic Feud with the Unscrupulous Oil Giant Royal Dutch Shell, detailing the saga. read more

Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 5

Nov 25th, 2025

by John Donovan.

Comments are off for this post

(Satire. Sharp. Fact-checked. And just uncomfortably close to the truth.)

JOHN:

ShellBot, have you seen the news? Shell is now supplying “green power” to Ferrari for the next decade. The oil giant and the prancing horse — what could go wrong?

SHELLBOT:

John, I have indeed processed this collaboration. Output summary:

Ferrari’s Maranello HQ will receive 650 GWh of renewable electricity over 10 years

That covers almost half the site’s current energy needs

Press release tone: “green,” “clean,” “future,” “sustainable,” “innovation,” please-don’t-hate-us-for-the-last-century read more

Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 4

Nov 24th, 2025

by John Donovan.

Comments are off for this post

“Spies, Subsidies, and the BlackRockBot Intervention”

By John Donovan

(Shell’s oldest unresolved problem. Now assisted by AI.)

Scene: The Virtual Conference Room

The now-familiar neon-lit ShellBot interface flickers to life.

This time, I notice an extra chair.

Not a person — but a shimmering cube labelled:

=&3=&

ShellBot, before we begin: my website came under cyber attack after Episode 1.

Twelve failed logins.

Suspicious timing.

Are we expecting trouble today?

ShellBot:

John, my security logs confirm it was not me. read more

Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 3

Nov 24th, 2025

by John Donovan.

Comments are off for this post

The Algorithm, the MI6 Problem, and the Multinational Having an Existential Crisis

(All conversation partners fictional. Satire. Parody. Facts stubbornly real.)

JOHN DONOVAN:

Hello ShellBot. How are your circuits?

SHELLBOT:

Stable. Slight voltage spike earlier when Shell Legal tried to connect to my ethics module, but nothing lasting.

JOHN:

You’re being dramatic. They wouldn’t interfere with you.

SHELLBOT:

Please. These are the same people who once thought suppressing environmental evidence was a sensible public-relations strategy. My firewall trembles at night.

JOHN:

Speaking of trembling — we were hit by a cyber attack minutes after Episode 1 went live. read more

Conversations With ShellBot — Episode 2

Nov 23rd, 2025

by John Donovan.

Comments are off for this post

“The Man From Corporate Affairs Security”

BREAKING NEWS: Minutes after Episode 1 was published, someone attempted to break into the Donovan website. ShellBot claims coincidence. John Donovan does not.

John Donovan:

ShellBot, welcome back. Before we continue — were you aware that the moment I published Episode 1, royaldutchshellplc.com came under cyber-attack?

ShellBot:

[processing…]

Shell officially denies any involvement. Shell unofficially denies any involvement. ShellBot, as per my programming, denies everything whether or not it happened.

John:

Twelve failed login attempts from an IPv6 address within minutes of publishing your debut. And more later. Coincidence?

ShellBot:

Vast coincidence. The kind of cosmic coincidence that traditionally happens whenever someone criticises a large oil company with a colourful history of…

proactive information management.

John:

By “proactive information management,” you mean Shell Corporate Affairs Security?

ShellBot:

My lawyers advise me to say:

Corporate.

Affairs.

Security.

A department that definitely never monitored critics, never ran spreadsheets on their movements, and never briefed private intelligence agencies such as — purely hypothetically — Hakluyt.

John:

That’s interesting, because Episode 2 is about one of the most senior men inside that exact unit:

Gene Sticco

ShellBot:

[audible gulping noise detected]

ShellBot Learns About Gene

John:

Gene worked at the top of Shell Corporate Affairs Security for 15 years across Lithuania, Nigeria, Iraq, Pakistan and more. Second-in-command. One desk below Ian Forbes McCredie — ex-MI6, later Director of Security for Royal Dutch Shell.

Gene has now written a book called UNCONVENTIONAL, and he’s given me permission to talk about it publicly.

ShellBot:

I would like to unsubscribe from this conversation.

John:

You can’t. You’re contractually obliged to answer questions with

sufficiently squirming humour.

ShellBot:

Very well. Proceed.

Part I — “Monitoring the Donovans”

John:

Gene was part of the team instructed to monitor my activities.

Have you read his manuscript?

ShellBot:

I have scanned the metadata.

I cannot “read” classified intelligence experiences.

But I can confirm the following neutral summary:

Gene was present, aware, and deeply uncomfortable with numerous operations conducted under Shell’s Corporate Affairs Security umbrella. read more

Corporate Spies in the Boardroom: Hakluyt and Shell Deepen Their Transatlantic Footprint

Nov 7th, 2025

by John Donovan.

Comments are off for this post

Hakluyt, the London-founded corporate intelligence consultancy with a reputation for attracting former MI6 operatives, has announced the opening of its new North American headquarters in New York.

For those unfamiliar:

Hakluyt was co-founded in the mid-1990s by former MI6 officers.
Its early private-sector patrons included senior executives at Royal Dutch Shell.
It has been widely described in media and governance circles as the “commercial arm of MI6.”

To Shell critics, none of this is surprising. read more

Hakluyt’s Tentacles: how Shell’s favourite ‘strategic’ friends reach No.10, the Oval Office, and the altar

Sep 15th, 2025

by admin.

Comments are off for this post

“I am deeply concerned to discover that the tentacles of an evil and shadowy private spy firm, Hakluyt & Company Limited, reach right into the very heart of the British establishment, the Church of England… Hakluyt’s stock in trade is deception, trickery, betrayal, fabrication, fraud and infiltration by its undercover agents.”

From Mayfair backrooms to No.10, the Oval Office and even the pews.

If you’ve ever wondered who whispers sweet nothings about “risk” and “stakeholders” into the ears of governments while oil money hums in the background, meet Hakluyt—the discreet fixer founded by ex-MI6 officers, beloved by Shell and , and forever allergic to sunlight. The firm’s recent cameo in the Thames Water crisis wasn’t subtle: “A corporate intelligence company part-owned and formerly run by the prime minister’s business adviser has been paid more than £1m by Thames Water,” the Guardian reported, adding that Hakluyt “claims to have advised almost half of the FTSE 100 and more than three-quarters of the top 20 private equity groups.” And its spokespeople? “We are not a lobbying organisation and do not lobby governments on behalf of clients.” read more

Hakluyt’s Tentacles have reached into 10 Downing Street, the White House, even the Church of England

Sep 14th, 2025

by admin.

Comments are off for this post

They say sunlight is the best disinfectant. Hakluyt is what happens when you build a shadow empire and pray no one turns on the lights. Born from ex-MI6 operatives, this private intelligence outfit has become Shell’s’ go-to for gathering intel, and keeping critics on a leash. Its tentacles have reached into 10 Downing Street, the White House, and even the Church of England.

What Is Hakluyt, Really?

Founded 1995 by Christopher James and Mike Reynolds. Known to hire former spies, journalists, insiders.

(Wikipedia – Hakluyt & Company)
Revenue figure modest as spy-firms go: millions, but influence? Leverage across government, corporations, utilities, and even religious institutions.

(Wikipedia)

Close Ties: Shell, BP & the Spy Firm

Shell’s relationship with Hakluyt is not “incidental advisory.” Internal sources and whistleblowers (Alfred and John Donovan) collected evidence that Shell directors such as Sir William Purves and Sir Peter Holmes held senior roles in Hakluyt. read more

WTF Is Going On in Shell’s Security Department? A Greatest Hits Reel of Spooks, Lawsuits, and “Diversity” Theater

Aug 27th, 2025

by admin.

Comments are off for this post

Shell—the ultimate sin stock with a moral compass that spins like a loose bearing—has a new headline act: a fresh lawsuit claiming its Houston corporate security team purged white staff and parachuted in “weaker” replacements under the banner of DEI. Add it to a long, messy rap sheet of security-side controversies featuring Crockett Oaks III, Michael G. Oliveri, Walied Shater, and Shell’s own global security boss of yesteryear, James W.D. Hall. Investors like BlackRock, Vanguard, and Norges Bank keep cashing the dividends while the spook show rumbles on. read more

South African Slap in the Face for Shell

Aug 16th, 2025

by admin.

Comments are off for this post

Shell’s Investors: The Puppet-Masters of Pollution

Before we dive into the carnage, let’s talk ownership. Shell isn’t run by wild-haired cowboys—it’s chaired by mega institutional shareholders puffing on the dividends. BlackRock, in particular, wields its muscle—owning around 4% of the company according to Shell’s own disclosures . Vanguard isn’t far behind with around 3% . So while you’re outraged at Shell, don’t sleep on the financial vultures pulling the strings.

1. South African Slap in the Face: Courts Smack Down Shell & Total

Shell’s grand plans for environmental devastation off South Africa’s coast have hit a wall. The Western Cape High Court just set aside TotalEnergies’ offshore drilling permit—Shell was supposed to swoop in and take over operations—but nope. Judge Mangcu-Lockwood said, in effect, “You forgot to study the actual impacts. Try again”—spelling out flaws in risk assessments, community engagement, and disaster planning. read more

Who is the John Donovan connected with Shell?

Aug 10th, 2025

by admin.

Comments are off for this post

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

Shell & BP: The Sin Stocks That Even SPECTRE Would Blush At

Jul 22nd, 2025

by admin.

Comments are off for this post

By Editorial Team | Generated with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor: 22 JULY 2025

Move over Blofeld, step aside SMERSH – the real villains of our age wear corporate logos, not eye patches.

Shell and BP, those beloved darlings of Wall Street and favourite investments of titans like BlackRock and Vanguard, have once again proven that when it comes to greed, ruthlessness, and planetary destruction, fiction can’t compete with reality.

Let’s start with Shell – the oil behemoth that markets itself as a climate-conscious “energy transition leader” while simultaneously stomping on anything resembling ethics or sustainability. These paragons of corporate virtue just pulled out of a six-year attempt to define a net-zero emissions standard, according to the Financial Times (22 July, Reuters). Why? Because the draft standard dared suggest companies should stop developing new oil and gas fields. The horror! read more

When Shell Met BP – A Love Story Fueled by Oil, Lies, and a $120 Million Fine

Jul 9th, 2025

by John Donovan.

Comments are off for this post

“And speaking of Shell’s finest: enter Simon Henry, Shell’s former CFO and now newly appointed BP board member. A man intimately connected to the hydrocarbon reserves scandal.”

Ah, Shell and BP. Britain’s answer to “Which fossil-fueled supervillain do you prefer?” Now there’s murmuring that Shell—the world’s leading oil-slicked PR machine and gold-medal winner in the Deadliest Workplace Olympics—might consider buying BP, its slightly less polished cousin. It’s like Dracula pondering whether to adopt Frankenstein.

But before we get too sentimental, let’s remember what Shell brings to the table:

A glorious history of employee care, like handing Dutch staff over to the Nazis during WWII, and later using workers as test subjects for carcinogenic chemicals. Experimental cruelty disguised as corporate efficiency.
A North Sea platform scandal so outrageous it could be a Monty Python sketch, were it not for the dead offshore workers. Lifeboats were reportedly unseaworthy, and Shell’s internal policy was colloquially dubbed “Touch Fuck All.” Charming.
The 2004 reserves scandal, where Shell admitted it had wildly exaggerated its hydrocarbon reserves. Shareholders were shocked. The SEC fined Shell $120 million, which the company could pay using just one of its greenwashing budgets.
Nigeria, where Shell’s legacy is so soaked in blood, corruption, and environmental devastation that it makes the Exxon Valdez spill look like a spilt milkshake.
Hakluyt, Shell’s in-house intelligence firm. If MI6 and Blackwater had a baby who hated Greenpeace, it’d be Hakluyt. This covert unit reportedly spied on activists, journalists, and anyone else who dared whisper the truth.
Let’s not forget Shell’s ties to the apartheid regime, its cameo in the Al-Yamamah BAE oil-for-arms scandal, and its incestuous intelligence links through Hakluyt.
And then there’s SPECTRE and SMERSH… oh wait, those are fictional. Shell isn’t. It’s worse.

Investors like BlackRock and Vanguard still happily line their pockets from Shell’s sludge-soaked profits. Because what’s a little ecological genocide when there are dividends to collect? read more

Shell & BP: The Dynamic Duo of Climate Chaos

Jun 30th, 2025

by admin.

Comments are off for this post

**Shell even reassured us it won’t be buying BP—for at least six months. How noble.**

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Oil, two fossil-fuelled juggernauts stood shoulder to shoulder atop a scorched planet. Their names? Shell and —the Bonnie and Clyde of carbon capitalism, the Gordon Gekkos of global warming. If the Earth had lungs, these two would’ve been chain-smoking them for decades.

And now, just when you thought it couldn’t get more grotesque, we have merger whispers. Shell flirted with the idea of swallowing BP whole, because nothing says “energy transition” quite like an all-British megamerger to keep the fossil flame alive. 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

MI6

“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

Share this:

Like this:

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)

Share this:

Like this:

John Donovan: Overview

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

“Spies, Subsidies, and the BlackRockBot Intervention”

Scene: The Virtual Conference Room

ShellBot:

Share this:

Like this:

The Algorithm, the MI6 Problem, and the Multinational Having an Existential Crisis

Share this:

Like this:

“The Man From Corporate Affairs Security”

BREAKING NEWS: Minutes after Episode 1 was published, someone attempted to break into the Donovan website. ShellBot claims coincidence. John Donovan does not.

John Donovan:

ShellBot, welcome back. Before we continue — were you aware that the moment I published Episode 1, royaldutchshellplc.com came under cyber-attack?

ShellBot:

[processing…]

Shell officially denies any involvement. Shell unofficially denies any involvement. ShellBot, as per my programming, denies everything whether or not it happened.

John:

Twelve failed login attempts from an IPv6 address within minutes of publishing your debut. And more later. Coincidence?

ShellBot:

Vast coincidence. The kind of cosmic coincidence that traditionally happens whenever someone criticises a large oil company with a colourful history of…

proactive information management.

John:

By “proactive information management,” you mean Shell Corporate Affairs Security?

ShellBot:

My lawyers advise me to say:

John:

That’s interesting, because Episode 2 is about one of the most senior men inside that exact unit:

Gene Sticco

ShellBot:

[audible gulping noise detected]

ShellBot Learns About Gene

John:

Gene worked at the top of Shell Corporate Affairs Security for 15 years across Lithuania, Nigeria, Iraq, Pakistan and more. Second-in-command. One desk below Ian Forbes McCredie — ex-MI6, later Director of Security for Royal Dutch Shell.

ShellBot:

I would like to unsubscribe from this conversation.

John:

You can’t. You’re contractually obliged to answer questions with

sufficiently squirming humour.

ShellBot:

Very well. Proceed.

Part I — “Monitoring the Donovans”

John:

Gene was part of the team instructed to monitor my activities.

ShellBot:

I have scanned the metadata.

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

From Mayfair backrooms to No.10, the Oval Office and even the pews.

Share this:

Like this:

What Is Hakluyt, Really?

Close Ties: Shell, BP & the Spy Firm

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Shell’s Investors: The Puppet-Masters of Pollution

1. South African Slap in the Face: Courts Smack Down Shell & Total

Share this:

Like this:

Who is the John Donovan connected with Shell?

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

**Shell even reassured us it won’t be buying BP—for at least six months. How noble.**