Why I Do This
I spent 22 years in the Royal Air Force Police. The last 8 of those were in cyber, specifically digital forensics and incident response. In plain language, that means I spent nearly a decade analysing evidence from devices seized as part of criminal investigations, including investigations into child sexual exploitation.
In that time, I analysed over a million images. A conservative estimate puts at least a quarter of them as criminal, spread across severity levels that I am not going to describe here, because that is not something I would ever use as a weapon against someone reading this.
What I will tell you is what that did to me.
There was no counselling. No debrief. No recognition that the people doing that work were accumulating something invisible and corrosive. You just carried on, because that was the culture, because you did not show weakness, and because the alternative was leaving children without someone willing to do the job.
I was medically discharged in 2019 with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Who I Am Now
After leaving the RAF I joined Deloitte as a senior manager. It was the first time in my career I felt free to actually talk about what I had been through, and what surprised me was how many people quietly came back to say it had helped them to do the same. I learned something important in that period: openness is not weakness. It is the most effective thing I know how to do.
I now work for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, one of the world’s leading cybersecurity consultancies. My professional credentials are listed because they are relevant context, not because I am trying to impress you. The point is: I know what I am talking about, and I know it from the inside.
Why Cyber Safety Guy Exists
I did not start this blog because I wanted to be an influencer. I started it because I know what the dark side of the internet looks like, and I know that most of the people who need that knowledge do not have access to it in a way that is honest, clear, and free of corporate agenda.
The mainstream conversation about online child safety gets it wrong in a consistent way. It either frightens people into paralysis or it reassures them into complacency. Neither is useful. What is useful is the same thing I would say to you if we were sitting across a table from each other: here is what is actually happening, here is why it matters, and here is what you can do about it today.
I am not here to tell you the internet is a monster. I am here to tell you it is a space where real monsters operate, that they are very good at it, and that your best protection, and your child’s best protection, is an open and honest relationship where they know they can come to you without fear of judgment.
That is the thing I keep coming back to. Not app blockers. Not parental controls. Not banning devices. Conversation.
“I spent 8 years inside the evidence. Now I spend my time making sure children never become part of it.”
A Note on Mental Health
I write about online child safety and I write about mental health, and I do not think that is a coincidence. They are the two things that have shaped who I am most directly.
If you are struggling, whether as a parent, as a professional, or as someone who has carried something heavy for too long, please know that I have been in that place. I am not a qualified therapist, but I have had enough therapy to know how to listen, and I am always happy to do that.
I also want to acknowledge that we recently lost Leffe, our French Bulldog, just before Christmas. He had a sixth sense for when things were difficult, and losing him has been significant. I mention it because this newsletter has always been a human thing, not a brand thing, and that feels like a human thing worth saying.
Where the Money Goes
Every penny from paid subscriptions goes directly to Childline, run by the NSPCC. I donate the full amount collected every six months.
I do not do this for financial gain. I do it because Childline does things I cannot do, and because if someone reading this becomes a paid subscriber, I want that to mean something beyond access to a newsletter.
If you cannot afford to pay, please read anyway. The information is what matters.
Get in Touch
I am always happy to hear from parents, educators, or anyone working in this space. Reach me at cybersafetyguy(@)gmail.com or find me on BlueSky.
If you have a question you want me to address in a post, send it. The best posts I have written came from real questions from real parents who did not know where else to ask.
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