Jake Hurfurt (Big Brother Watch)

Jake Hurfurt is Head of Research and Investigations at Big Brother Watch, leading the campaign group’s groundbreaking investigations. relying on open-source tools, public records and transparency requests. These have covered everything from the role of AI & algorithms in the welfare state, to the abuse of Whitehall and military ‘counter disinformation’ units for political surveillance, the rise of facial recognition and the use of phone tracking to drive advertising.

His investigations have generated headlines across the media, caught ministers lobbying independent regulators, led to calls for parliamentary inquiries and have been referenced at Prime Minister’s Questions. Before joining Big Brother Watch he was a national newspaper journalist, with major scoops including exposing Theresa May’s dinner with the wife of a Russian oligarch and how millions of pounds of PPE contracts were given to questionable figures during the pandemic. “