The University of Sheffield has been named in an investigation as one of twelve British universities found to have hired an intelligence firm to “spy” on student activists and academics, notably those that stood in solidarity with Palestine.
The investigation, led by Al Jazeera and Liberty Investigates, discovered that private intelligence firm Horus Security Consultancy Limited scanned student social media accounts for information and conducted secret counter-terror threat assessments for the universities.
Other universities named in the investigation include University College London, the University of Nottingham, the University of Oxford and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Horus is a self-described leading intelligence firm run by former military intelligence officials. The firm has reportedly been paid £440,000 by universities since 2022.
One incident saw a PhD student at the London School of Economics having her social media posts flagged by Horus to the university. The post was one of thousands flagged for protest updates that were sold to universities for £900 a month.
When approached for comment, the University of Sheffield told Forge Press:
“Our priority is always to maintain a safe environment for students, staff, and visitors while actively supporting freedom of speech and lawful protest.
“As part of this, like many universities, we use external services to ‘horizon scan’ and share briefings on external issues that may affect the HE sector, such as cyber security, national and international terrorism and major UK events. They also look at issues that may affect Sheffield specifically, such as large-scale, upcoming protests.
“Any briefings are compiled strictly from publicly available information from news sites, websites and social media platforms. We do not share student data with these providers and they are not briefed to monitor individuals or actively monitor student social media accounts.
It is incorrect to suggest routine horizon scanning is intended to discourage activism. These services help us plan effectively to ensure such activities can take place safely.”
There is no evidence to suggest that this is illegal activity. However, these reports raise concerns about privacy and protester rights.
Campus has recently seen regular demonstrations about industrial action and funding cuts, as well as the ongoing Gaza genocide.
In May 2025, Forge reported that six students were under investigation after protesting at a BAE virtual recruitment event against the company’s arming of the Israeli military. The investigation resulted in the students having to pay a £75 fee for the right to protest.
The University provides guidance for students wanting to protest on campus on their website.
