UK universities paid private firm to track student pro-Palestinian groups

A joint investigation by Al Jazeera and Liberty Investigates has found that 12 British universities paid a private security firm at least £440,000 ($594,000) to monitor student protesters and academics, with a focus on pro-Palestinian activism.

The firm, Horus Security Consultancy Limited, led by former military intelligence officials, was contracted to scan social media, conduct background checks and carry out counter-terror threat assessments, according to the investigation. Horus states on its website that it adheres to "the strongest ethics in whatever we do" and is "fully transparent and legally compliant in whatever territory we operate in."

Horus uses a tool called "Insight" to harvest open-source internet data and has integrated artificial intelligence into its operations since 2022 to compile intelligence reports. The company also provides daily "encampment updates" to universities for about £900 per month.

The institutions involved include the University of Oxford, University College London, King's College London, the London School of Economics and Imperial College London.

At the London School of Economics, a PhD student, Lizzie Hobbs, said: "We knew surveillance was happening by the university, but it is shocking to see how systematised it is." Her social media posts about a protest encampment were flagged and forwarded to university security, the report said.

At Manchester Metropolitan University, the institution commissioned a counter-terror "threat assessment" on a 70-year-old Palestinian-American guest scholar before her lecture. The academic, Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi, said: "You're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty … but they actually made an assumption of guilt and started investigating me because of my scholarship." She added: "What am I supposed to study and teach about to avoid this unwarranted, unfair and unjust scrutiny and surveillance?"

The University of Bristol provided Horus with a list of student protest groups, including pro-Palestinian and animal rights activists, to receive tailored alerts on their activities. A spokesperson said the firm gathers "publicly available information on any protest activity by any group in the city that could potentially affect the safety of our university community."

A director at Horus, Tim Collins, has publicly attributed the rise in pro-Gaza demonstrations to a "Russian/Iranian orchestrated media campaign which is being willingly swallowed by the West." He also said protesters who "misbehave" should "face the full consequences of the law … and those people who are not from this country should be deported until they can never come back."

Universities defended their use of the firm. A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said the institution uses external services to "horizon scan" for upcoming protests and that it was "incorrect" to suggest this was intended to discourage activism. A spokesperson for Imperial College London said the firm is used to "help identify potential security risks to its community," adding that "all this information is drawn from the public domain." A spokesman for Manchester Metropolitan University said: "To ensure the safety of our community and external speakers, we routinely undertake background checks and assessments ahead of events to identify any potential risks."

Critics raised concerns about the programme. Gina Romero, the UN special rapporteur for freedom of assembly, said: "The use of AI to harvest and analyse student data under the guise of open source intelligence raises profound legal concerns." She said the surveillance had contributed to a "state of terror" among student activists, adding: "Most students I have reached out to are experiencing psychological trauma, mental exhaustion, and burnout […] many of them are leaving activism altogether."

Jo Grady of the University and College Union described it as "shameful" that institutions had "wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds spying on their own students."

Some universities declined to disclose details of the briefings they received, citing commercial sensitivity or confidentiality. However, internal documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests confirmed Horus's role in monitoring campus activism, the investigation said.