Nottingham University accused of paying security firm to ‘spy’ on pro-Palestine students
12 British universities paid over £440k to monitor students’ social media posts
The University of Nottingham has been accused of paying a security firm to “spy” on pro-Palestine student activists.
An investigation by media organisation Al Jazeera, revealed the University of Nottingham, alongside 11 other universities, paid a firm, to monitor the social media posts of student protesters and academics.
The findings emerged after Al Jazeera English and Liberty Investigates submitted Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to more than 150 universities.
According to the research, between 2022 and 2025, Horus, which describes itself as a “leading intelligence” firm, was paid over £440,000 by the universities.
The company offers a service called “Insight,” which provides clients with open-source intelligence reports compiled using a tool it had developed to “harvest a vast range of sources on the internet.” According to its website, it has been integrating AI into its operations since 2022.
Gina Romero, the UN special rapporteur for freedom and peaceful assembly and of association, said: “The use of AI to harvest and analyse student data under the guise of open source intelligence raises profound legal concerns.”
Joe Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), told Al Jazeera it was “shameful” that institutions had “wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds spying on their own students.”
via Unsplash
A University of Nottingham spokesperson denied that the use of Horus for horizon scanning constitutes as “spying.”
They said: “We have used Horus for horizon scanning specifically in the areas of domestic activism and animal rights. It is not focused on any specific group or political issue and the university does not monitor or share any information related to individuals with this company.
“The university strongly refutes the accusation that the use of this service for monitoring purposes constitutes ‘spying’ or covert surveillance of our staff and students. The information which is lawfully gathered is freely shared in the public domain across a range of platforms including mainstream media reports, social media channels, online forums etc.
“The university supports freedom of speech and lawful protest but this activity helps us to identify potential security risks and to keep our campuses safe for our staff and student communities.”
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Featured image via Unsplash
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