Arjen Kamphuis

Early Life and Education

Arjen Kamphuis was born on January 26, 1972, in Groningen, the Netherlands. He studied Natural Sciences at Utrecht University, laying the academic groundwork for a career that would span IT architecture, information security, and technology policy.

Career

Kamphuis began his professional life working for IBM and Twynstra Gudde as an IT architect, trainer, and IT strategy advisor. He became a certified EDP auditor and information security specialist, and from 2006 onward he focused on securing information systems for corporations, national governments, and NGOs. His work encompassed privacy compliance, security awareness, and countering espionage targeting companies, journalists, and government institutions.

He was co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Gendo, a role that placed him at the intersection of technology strategy and public policy. To remain technically current, Kamphuis maintained involvement with the global hacker community and kept professional contact with former employees of intelligence agencies and specialists in critical infrastructure protection.

In 2016, Kamphuis joined Brunel in Amsterdam as Lead Advisor Information Security. It was during this period that he began working closely with NSA whistleblowers William (Bill) Binney and Kirk Wiebe. On August 11, 2017, he appeared alongside Binney at a press conference in Austria, together with privacy advocates Max Schrems and Thomas Lohninger, to address the issue of mass surveillance in Austria. In late 2017, he became Technical Director of Pretty Good Knowledge, a Brunel subsidiary, with Binney and Wiebe serving as co-founders and Directors of Analytics.

Policy Work and Advocacy

Kamphuis was a prominent voice in European debates over open standards and open source software in the public sector. He advised senior managers, public administrators, and members of parliament across several European countries, as well as the Dutch Cabinet, on the opportunities presented by open standards for the European knowledge economy. He also served in the expert team of Plasterk, advising on the use — and risks — of e-voting in elections.

Following Edward Snowden's 2013 disclosures about the National Security Agency, Kamphuis became especially committed to protecting investigative journalists from surveillance. He co-authored the book Information Security for Investigative Journalists with Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch.

Writing and Public Speaking

Kamphuis was a widely sought international speaker on technology policy. He contributed articles to the Huffington Post, sharing his perspectives on digital security, privacy, and the societal impact of technology. A posthumous collection of his articles, Infosecurity (Gran knows why), was published in 2020 under the Gendo imprint. Professor Bart Jacobs of Radboud University Nijmegen, a specialist in security, privacy, and data governance, wrote the introduction to a separately compiled volume of his writings, titled Arjen Kamphuis and the Public Cause in the Digital World.

Personal Life

Between 2007 and 2014, Kamphuis was in a relationship with Annie Machon, a former MI5 intelligence officer and whistleblower, and the two lived in Düsseldorf and Berlin during that period. In 2016, he settled in Amsterdam.

Disappearance

Kamphuis was last seen on August 20, 2018, in Bodø, Norway. Norwegian police investigated his disappearance and concluded that he most likely drowned as a result of a kayaking incident on the fjord near Rognan, Norway. His body was never recovered. He has been listed among people who have disappeared without confirmed resolution.