A joint investigation carried out by Al Jazeera and Liberty Investigates reveals that twelve British universities have paid a private intelligence firm led by former military officials, to monitor and spy on students who have engaged in pro-Palestine activism. The firm reportedly scans social media profiles, conducts background checks, and ultimately produces ‘threat assessments’ on politically outspoken individuals.

Considering the treatment of the government and the police towards anti-genocide protesters and activists, this is a step toward neutralising the movement before it even begins. This is not an isolated case, it is an example on how surveillance is embedded and reinforces the contemporary capitalist system.

Universities today, especially in Britain, have become a pillar of capitalism. They are no longer just educational institutions, but a part of the market. Dependent on tuition fees, donors, and above all, corporate sponsorships. Whilst teaching students about genocide and apartheid, they directly fund it through their military and corporate trades.

Protests which target geopolitical issues, especially Palestine have become a threat, especially when it comes to institutional investments. In a report done by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign it was revealed that British universities collectively invest hundreds of millions in companies directly linked to the genocidal state of Israel, such as BAE systems. If you want to peacefully demonstrate against your university investing money in military equipment, you are a threat.

Although universities may justify actions such as hyper surveillance as necessary for security, the use of private intelligence is a way to maintain situational awareness around protest activity. Surveillance, in this context, functions as a tool to manage reputational and financial risk.

Surveillance keeps order, it keeps certainty. It allows institutions to actively participate, monitor, and potentially neutralise disruptions before they escalate.

Market opportunity

The outsourcing of surveillance to private firms highlights another key feature of capitalism, the commodification of security. Intelligence gathering becomes something you can purchase, morphing political dissent into a market opportunity. The private firm used to spy on students reportedly gained at least £400.000, and the involvement of former military intelligence personnel blurs the boundary between national security practices and institutional governance. Techniques developed for counterterrorism are repurposed within civilian, yet market driven institutions.

This fusion reinforces a system where dissent is directly framed as risk, and the risk must be neutralised before it develops.

Surveillance is not a defensive measure, it is a market industry which benefits materially and disciplinarily from the existence of political dissent.  Suspecting you are being monitored leads to self-regulation of your behaviour, which ultimately, over time, results in the loss of freedom of expression, especially around political topics.

Your university spying on you is not merely about your safety. It’s about controlling you, it’s about maintaining a smooth image, and upholding capitalist practices which  limit your personal freedom of expression.

Remember, there are no universities left in Gaza, and your university is spending hundreds of millions to make that happen. The British education system is covered in Palestinian blood. Surveillance is a logical extension of a system that prioritizes profit and control over democratic participation, empathy, and critical inquiry.

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