Sir David Eady will give the opening address to a privacy conference at the University of Kent next month. Arguably the most influential High court judge in matters involving the media, Eady has presided over numerous key privacy hearings, including those of Sir Max Moseley, singer Loreena McKennitt and, most recently, Tiger Woods. Such is his prominence that the Daily Mail has accused him of having a "virtual monopoly over all cases against the media, enabling him to bring in a privacy law by the back door".

Mail editor Paul Dacre has said of Eady: "The freedom of the press is far too important to be left to the somewhat desiccated values of a single judge who clearly has an animus against the popular press and the right of people to freedom of expression."

Next month's conference, entitled Privacy and the Individual,  takes place at Medway Campus on Saturday 13 February. It will also include contributions from Steve Mitchell, deputy head of news at the BBC, and members of the Kent Law School.

The conference is free for University of Kent students. The cost for academics and other visitors is £25.