'Orwellian' | Universities face legal scrutiny after claims of covert monitoring of pro-Palestine staff

A dozen UK universities have been contacted over reports that they engaged private intelligence firms to monitor the political activity of staff and students, including those expressing pro-Palestine views.

The intervention follows an investigation by Al Jazeera English and Liberty Investigates, which found universities had paid for surveillance services that included profiling and assessing individuals involved in activism.

According to the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), legal letters sent to the institutions outline “immediate and substantive steps that the universities must take to mitigate ongoing legal risks.”

A security consultancy is said to have carried out “systematic collection, analysis, and dissemination of information relating to individuals’ political opinions, associations and lawful activism.”