Police officers monitor protesters holding a banner during a rally in support of the pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel group Palestine Action, at Trafalgar Square in central London, on June 23, 2025. (Credit: Henry Nicholls/AFP)
Twelve British universities, including some of the country's most prestigious, paid the private security firm Horus (Horus Security Consultancy Limited) to "spy" on pro-Palestinian students, according to an investigation conducted by Al-Jazeera and Liberty Investigates published Monday.
Horus scanned students' social media feeds and conducted secret "counter-terror threat assessments." The company at least 440,000 pounds ($594,000) by universities since 2022, the investigation found.
The University of Oxford, Imperial College London, London School of Economics, University College London, King’s College London, the University of Sheffield, University of Leicester, University of Nottingham, and Cardiff Metropolitan University are among these institutions. The investigation notes there is no indication the activities in question are illegal.
'Exploiting a range of sources on the internet'
The universities reportedly used the company's services mainly to monitor pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campuses, from late 2023 to 2025, which notably called for an end to investments in companies considered complicit in Israel’s war in Gaza, according to Al-Jazeera.
Horus was founded in 2006 as a project within the security team at the University of Oxford by former Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Whiteley, who boasts a "23-year career running security, intelligence and counter-intelligence operations all over the world," according to the company’s website. Its director since 2020, Colonel Tim Collins, has publicly attributed the increase in both the number and size of Gaza solidarity protests in Western countries to a "Russian/Iranian orchestrated media campaign." Collins has also called for the deportation of non-British protestors "who misbehave."
The company offers a service called "Insight," providing its clients with open-source intelligence reports compiled using a tool it developed to "exploit a wide range of sources on the internet." According to its website, it has integrated artificial intelligence into its operations since 2022.
The company compiled thousands of student social media posts, which it sold to universities for 900 pounds (1,215 dollars) per month, according to the findings of the investigation.
A 'safe' environment
Several universities did not respond to requests for comment during the investigation. The University of Sheffield said it used external services for "horizon scan" on issues likely to affect the university, and that it was "incorrect" to suggest this was aimed at discouraging activism. It added it "does not share student data" with Horus nor requests the company to "monitor" individuals, and that its priority is to maintain "a safe environment" while supporting legal protests.
Internal University of Bristol emails sent to Horus reveal that the institution paid at least 8,700 pounds ($11,530) for a "bespoke" alert service covering "anything related to proposed student protest [and] encompassing all protest activity across the city" since May 2024. And in October 2024, the university provided the company a list of student groups it wanted to receive alerts about, including pro-Palestinian and animal right activists.
A University of Bristol spokesperson said the company collects "publicly available information on any protest activity by any group in the city that could potentially affect the safety of our university community." "It helps us to make informed decisions on where our security staff may be needed to provide support and if information needs to be conveyed to students and staff."
Gina Romero, special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, stated, however, that "the use of AI to harvest and analyze student data under the guise of open source intelligence raises profound legal concerns." She told Al Jazeera that it enables companies — operating without public oversight — to gather disproportionate amounts of student data, which may later be used in ways that are not anticipated.
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