MI6
Google AI update on the John Donovan Shell Feud as of 1st August 2026
John Donovan prompt: Please provide an update on the John Donovan Shell Feud as of 1st August 2026.
Reply by Google AI Mode:
Shell and the Spies: A Country-by-Country Evidence Audit
INFORMATION ADDED 19 JULY 2026: Inside CAS: Shell’s Intelligence-Led Security System
ChatGPT: Countries where Shell has been associated with spying, intelligence gathering or covert security activity
A necessary distinction
Shell operates in a dangerous world. Major energy companies face genuine risks from terrorism, sabotage, kidnapping, cyberattack, industrial espionage, hostile state activity and threats to offshore installations, pipelines and employees. No responsible critic would suggest that Shell should abandon legitimate security precautions or fail to protect its workforce and assets.
The concern examined in this series is different. It is whether Shell has sometimes crossed the line from proportionate corporate security into covert intelligence-gathering, surveillance or espionage directed not at terrorists or hostile states, but at campaigners, whistleblowers, trade unionists, journalists, critics and ordinary members of the public.
Murder in Chongqing: Neil Heywood, Hakluyt and Shell’s China Intelligence Connections
SHELL, HAKLUYT AND THE MEN FROM MI6: A CORPORATE INTELLIGENCE NETWORK HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
From Neil Heywood’s mysterious death in China to Shell directors simultaneously occupying positions inside Hakluyt, the documented connections are too extensive to dismiss as coincidence
By John Donovan
The story of Neil Heywood—the British businessman whose murder helped bring down one of China’s most powerful political families—has long been surrounded by questions about espionage, private intelligence and Hakluyt & Company.
Heywood was reported to have undertaken work for Hakluyt, the discreet corporate-intelligence consultancy founded by former officers of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. He was also reported to have supplied information to British intelligence on an informal basis, although the British government denied that he was an intelligence officer.
John Donovan the subject of a global spying operation revealed in Shell’s own internal documents.
John Donovan prompt: MI6 firm spied for Shell
Reply by Copilot:
Short answer: Yes — reporting and leaked documents show that Shell used a private intelligence firm founded and staffed by former MI6 officers to spy on activists, NGOs, and critics, most notably through the consultancy Hakluyt, often described as the “commercial arm of MI6.”
🕵️ What happened?
Shell’s relationship with MI6-linked operatives centers on Hakluyt, a corporate intelligence firm co‑founded in the 1990s by former MI6 officers. Early Shell directors — including Sir Peter Holmes and Sir William Purves — helped guide the firm. Hakluyt’s operatives later conducted undercover intelligence work for Shell, according to reporting by The Sunday Times and Shell‑watching investigators.
You Can Be Sure of Shell (Spies): My Four‑Decade Journey from Trusted Partner to Target
“Shell’s combination of early negligence, a failed recovery attempt, and its own internal risk calculus has left it in the position you describe. Its most persistent critic has operated royaldutchshellplc.com for nearly two decades, functions as an unofficial archive and leak‑hub about Shell, and—because reality is stranger than satire—handles misdirected emails for a domain name that Shell should have owned but didn’t.”
By John Donovan
Prologue: From Bing Crosby to Black Ops
“You can be sure of Shell,” crooned Bing Crosby, selling the world a vision of wholesome petrol, smiling forecourt staff and corporate virtue distilled into a jingle. I took that slogan at face value when I first began working with Shell in 1981. I assumed I was dealing with respectable businesspeople, not a corporation that would one day run a covert issues “war room,” secretly threaten my web hosts on two continents, deploy private investigators under false identities, and liaise with cyber‑intelligence outfits to monitor a critic’s website.
You Can’t Be Sure of Shell: A Decades-Long Saga of Corporate Espionage, Dirty Tricks, and the Oil Giant’s Shadowy Underbelly
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.
Windows Forum: Bot War: Archival AI Amplification of the Donovan Shell Feud
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.
More Than Dynamite: How AI Reframes the Donovan–Shell Archive as Persistent Risk
The radioactive archive contains: “Court filings and legal documents from litigation against Shell dating back to the 1990s. Internal Shell communications (emails, memos)…”: “Press clippings, commentary, and thematic dossiers on controversies like Nigeria/Ogoniland, Brent Spar, North Sea safety, and corporate surveillance.
Microsoft Bing: Content was generated with AI. 25 Jan 2026 in anwers to the prompts in red text: john donovan shell. Quoted sources include Amazon, windowsforum.com and everybodywiki.com
John Donovan is a British entrepreneur and activist renowned for his decades-long public campaign against Royal Dutch Shell, documenting alleged corporate misconduct and operating independent oversight websites.
Background and Early Dispute
John Donovan, born in the 1940s, initially worked in petrol retailing and co-founded the promotional company Don Marketing, which devised award-winning campaigns for Shell and other major oil companies
What began as a mutually beneficial commercial relationship soured in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Donovan alleged that Shell misappropriated his company’s promotional concepts without proper payment or credit, notably the “Make Money” retail promotion
This dispute led to multiple court cases in the UK, settlements, and a lasting personal and professional conflict.
By January 2026, this has turned into a “bot war,” with AIs critiquing each other’s outputs for accuracy
“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.
SHELLBOT GROUP THERAPY: DARK MODE ## The bots are getting paranoid
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.
Grok’s Story of Donovan, Shell, and “Undercover Activity”
Question put to Grok 31st December 2025: Can you tell me as much as you know about John Donovan associated with Shell?
Reply
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.
Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 5
(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
Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 4
“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.
Conversations with ShellBot — Episode 3
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.
Conversations With ShellBot — Episode 2
“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.
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.
