Truth & Advocacy By Calvin-Lee Hardie – Inverness

There’s a reason most people stay silent when they’re defamed.

It’s not weakness.

It’s exhaustion.

Because the moment your name is dragged through the dirt publicly — you’re no longer just a person. You become a target. A headline. A warning to others about what happens when someone refuses to fold quietly.

When it first happened to me, I wasn’t angry.

I was stunned.

Stunned by how quickly a life can be flattened into a narrative.

How strangers can share posts about you without ever knowing your story.

How platforms will protect content, not people.

How silence becomes a cage, and speaking up becomes another battle.

But once the shock wore off, the silence ended.

And what replaced it was fire.

Controlled. Strategic. Legal.

I wasn’t supposed to know my rights.

I wasn’t supposed to file GDPR Article 17 takedown notices.

I wasn’t supposed to track defamation timelines, preserve evidence, or reference legal precedent.

I wasn’t supposed to know how to document everything — and turn every lie into leverage.

But I did.

Because when you’re not meant to win, you learn to fight differently.

I started small.

A screenshot here. A statement there.

Then I noticed patterns.

The same phrases. The same group chats. The same platforms ignoring reports.

So I built a map. A digital crime scene of misrepresentation, harassment, and violation.

Then came the filings.

ICO complaints.

IPSO submissions.

Simple Procedure claims.

Ordinary Cause writs.

Norwich Pharmacal orders.

Everything they never expected someone like me to understand — I studied it.

They thought I was just angry.

No.

I was informed.

I was arming myself with facts in a space that feeds on perception.

Because perception alone destroys lives.

People don’t realise how deep the damage goes.

It’s not just a post.

It’s what employers see when they Google you.

It’s what neighbours whisper.

It’s how you get followed in shops.

It’s job applications ignored.

It’s doors closed without a sound.

But once I realised I wasn’t powerless — I started pushing back.

I demanded evidence.

I challenged policies.

I wrote rebuttals that forced silence.

I turned every instance of harm into documented truth — and every truth into legal grounds.

This isn’t just about me anymore.

It’s about anyone who’s ever been reduced to a rumour.

Anyone whose name became bait for clicks.

Anyone who watched people believe the worst because it was easier than seeking the truth.

If that’s you — listen to me.

You don’t need a lawyer to start.

You don’t need money to speak up.

You need persistence.

You need clarity.

You need your voice — and a digital paper trail that makes cowards nervous.

Keep screenshots.

Keep links.

Back everything up.

Speak like you’re already preparing to go to court — because one day, you might.

And when that day comes, you won’t just walk in with pain.

You’ll walk in with proof.

They wanted me broken.

Instead, I became dangerous — because I learned the system.

And I won’t stop until every lie is corrected, every stolen image removed, and every person behind the smears is made to answer for it.

This isn’t vengeance.

This is survival with strategy.

And I’m not done.