Some of Britain's top universities hired a private intelligence contractor to monitor student protestors and academics using open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques, social media analysis, and large-scale data collection.

A joint investigation by Al Jazeera Media Network and Liberty Investigates found that 12 UK universities paid Horus Security Consultancy Limited at least £440,000 since 2022 for intelligence and monitoring services.

Activities focused on campus protests, visiting speakers, and perceived security risks.

Universities reported to have used its services include Oxford, Sheffield, Leicester, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, University College London (UCL), King’s College London, Manchester Metropolitan, Imperial College London, London School of Economics and Cardiff Metropolitan.

Who is behind Horus?

Founded by former Lieutenant-Colonel, Jonathan Whiteley, Horus markets itself as an intelligence and risk consultancy.

On its website the firm describe a proprietary system called HART (Horus Analysis and Research Toolkit), which it says can “harvest a vast range of sources on the internet,” generate alerts, and support intelligence reports.

Its “Insight” service offers OSINT briefings compiled from publicly available online information, including websites, forums, and social media feeds.

The conversation on this topic is live. Join in the discussion.

Elsewhere, the company has also publicly discussed investment in machine learning, natural language processing, and automated recommendation systems. In 2024, the company also advertised for a mid-level AI engineer with a focus on generative AI.

While there is no confirmed evidence that AI was used in any university monitoring contracts, the company’s tech investments suggests that the firm has been building AI-assisted intelligence capabilities.

Thousands of students' posts compiled

According to the investigation, Horus sold universities daily reports during the 2024 campus Gaza protests, for around £900 per month.

Among those said to have been monitored included a pro-Gaza PHD student at LSE and a Palestinian-American academic invited to give a guest lecture at Manchester Metropolitan University.

While none of these alleged activities are illegal, Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union told Al Jazeera the universities were “shameful” and “spying on students”.

Sheffield, Imperial, MMU and Bristol said that they used external security checks based on publicly available information to assess potential risks, not to monitor individuals or discourage activism.

Oxford, UCL, King’s College, Leicester, the LSE and Nottingham declined to comment to Al Jazeera. The University of Manchester and Cardiff Metropolitan were contacted for comment.

Unlock more exclusive Cybernews content on YouTube.