Private espionage and security firms, largely unregulated, are booming in the land of James Bond.
With staff recruited from former British spies and police officers to former journalists and officials of military intelligence services, private intelligence and investigation firms in the UK offer various important services, from basic corporate checks to large-scale surveillance. Some even engage in the illegal acquisition of highly personal information, writes Politico.
Over the past year, government ministers and intelligence agencies have warned that foreign states are using these firms to "do their dirty work" in the UK - sometimes by surveilling and harassing dissidents who have fled to the UK believing they have a safe haven.
Many individuals who have worked within British private espionage companies or have been targeted by them say that, despite the government's tough rhetoric, questionable practices in this sector remain unregulated, and companies, for the most part, are not held accountable.
The industry operates "practically without any oversight, posing serious threats to privacy, human rights, and democracy," said Ilia Siatitsa from Privacy International.
"The industry's ability to provide powerful surveillance and information gathering capabilities to anyone with the means to pay, without serious vetting, is alarming," she added.
How to Stand Out in the Private Espionage Market
London has become the global capital of the private intelligence industry, partly due to the worldwide fascination with fictional British spies from James Bond movies and John le Carré novels.
Former field secret agents represent a minority of those currently working in the private sector, with high-ranking spies serving as founders or board members of some firms.
Among them are former chiefs of the external intelligence service MI6. Others shy away from disclosing their previous careers but boast vague experience in the British Parliament and the UK Foreign Office.
Some believe that these high-profile hirings are just a ploy to attract international clients. "You have the important and good people on the board, a lord here, a lady there, a spy, a former head of this and that - if you're an investor from Ukraine or Indonesia, you're impressed by that," explained a key figure from the private intelligence services under anonymity.
A second figure from the sector confirmed that there is a "marketing element" in these hirings, as corporate clients eager for information find it "very impressive that someone has worked in a secret intelligence service."
Some spies transition to the private sector because, simply put, all they know is gathering information - either for King and country or for the highest bidder. But that doesn't mean all thrive - some struggle in the private sector because they lack direct access to the state contacts and support they previously enjoyed.
The Boring Name Formula for "Big Scores"
London is an epicenter of private intelligence services largely due to its proximity to two major client groups: the legal and financial sectors in the UK. These two powerhouses of the British economy are regularly involved in complex cases worth billions of pounds.
"Much of this work is 'fairly mundane,'" said a member of private intelligence firms. Basic reports involve routine checks, including whether someone is on a sanctions list or has had negative press coverage. These are usually carried out by young graduates, and the work "is not very well paid or interesting."
High-paying work generally falls under the deceptively boring term "litigation support." This can encompass anything from "opposition research" - meaning digging for information to discredit individuals - to gathering evidence that can be used in court, such as documents, witnesses, and data from hard drives.
Such work has frequently made headlines. In 2017, the Israeli firm Black Cube had to apologize after accusations emerged in The New Yorker that its employees had spied on journalists and adopted false identities to obtain information about the sexual abuse accusers of film magnate Harvey Weinstein. The company stated at the time that it "fully respects the law of any jurisdiction in which it operates."
Black Cube was also involved in a scandal in Romania, accused of spying on former DNA chief Laura Codruța Kovesi.
Black Cube is still active and operates in London. Its advisory board members and investment fund for investigations come from the upper echelons of intelligence and law enforcement. These include Efraim Halevy, the ninth chief of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad; Robert Amaee, a former senior official at the UK Serious Fraud Office; and Adrian Leppard, the former Commissioner of the City of London Police.
Everything We Know from Spy Books and Movies Is Allowed
Not everything a private intelligence firm finds will be used in court. Some materials will not be accepted by the legal teams they work for, and judges ultimately decide which information is admissible.
However, in larger cases - sometimes involving global speculative funds or foreign governments - the stakes are high, and ethical boundaries can blur, say those working in the industry.
The first private intelligence figure stated that "all the usual techniques you can imagine from a Tom Clancy novel" are at hand. Surveillance, theft, hacking, and forgery are widely used tools in the private intelligence gathering sector, even if not publicly promoted.
Many things rely on a shaky moral compass and the appetite for risk of the firms asked to do the job, the publication writes.
People Are Terrified
Despite the wide coverage of private intelligence firms in the UK, they are largely left to operate on their own. One source cited by Politico said the main problem of the industry is simply that it is "unregulated." And often, those with the power to obtain information by any means knowingly cross the line.
Private intelligence firms claim that illegally obtained information is commonly submitted to UK courts, and a source confirmed that there are "ridiculous cover stories presented to judges" where people try to "launder stolen information through legal proceedings."
"I think judges could do a better job and be a little more attentive to what's going on," they added, citing a case where information from a stolen tablet was presented in court - the legal team claiming it was simply handed to them in the dead of night by an informant. "Everyone knows which firms do this," the same person said.
For those targeted by the activities of private intelligence firms - including journalists, integrity whistleblowers, and dissidents - this experience can change their lives. Two targets of such operations said that surveillance, cyber-attacks, and intimidation by such organizations have affected their financial situation, well-being, and personal safety.
In one case, contractors working for a private intelligence company falsely presented themselves to the victim's bank to obtain confidential information. Furthermore, they filmed him in his home and then paid someone to access his phone.
However, many of the targets surveilled simply don't have enough money to oppose intelligence firms. "That's what they rely on... People I've spoken to are absolutely terrified," said the first target.
A second person who was surveilled said that, after using "standard mechanisms" of defamation lawsuit threats, companies have "tools they can use that are more sinister and can be quite scary."
"(The company) appointed investigation agents to surveil me, initially covertly, then visibly, with vehicles and cameras placed in front of my house. Both my family and I were being followed," the subject said.
Both targets stated that the firms that surveilled them are still active in the UK.
From Russia, with Love
There's no place where espionage flourishes, and Russia's "moles" don't "scuttle." And London is no exception, but here Russian interests also make use of British resources.
London intelligence firms are often funded by countries and oligarchs from abroad who have money to spend - demand being high from former Soviet states.