Revealed: 90 universities snooping on ex-students

Prime Minister backs probe into spying after Mail investigation

AT LEAST 90 universities have hired investigators to snoop on alumni, it can be revealed.

They have sent more than ten million records to wealth screening firms to find out about ex-students’ finances and target the richest for donations.

The scale of snooping emerged as Theresa May said yesterday’s findings by the Daily Mail were ‘very concerning’.

The Mail revealed the 24 top Russell Group universities hired firms – including one named Prospecting for Gold – to trawl for information about alumni wealth. Graduates have secretly been ranked according to how rich they are and whether they are likely to leave money to the universities.

The Information Commissioner’s Office launched a probe, backed by the Department for Education and the Prime Minister.

Universities are very likely to have broken the law if they sent alumni data to wealth screening firms without their consent, or without them reasonably expecting that this would happen. Some admit they did not get permission, but say they explain how they share data in statements published on the internet.

Charities that used the same fundraising methods were fined earlier this year for breaking the law.

Three quarters of British universities have used wealth screening firms over the past two decades. Of 119 that responded to freedom of information requests, 90 admitted passing on alumni data to the companies. More than ten million records have been since 1997.

Kingston University has sent 796,500 records to wealth screening firms since 2006. Fundraising staff were then told about exstudents’ home values and charity donations, and the richest were rated according to their wealth.

The university said this data related to 172,000 alumni, many of whom were repeatedly screened. From 2010 to 2013, Southampton University passed on 497,916 records and received ratings for alumni based on wealth, house value and details of shareholdings and assets. It said it no longer uses such firms.

At the Open University, fundraisers have passed on 353,300 records, and the London School of Economics has used wealth screening firms on 150,000 alumni records since 2003, in return for details on properties and spouses. LSE stopped using the firms in 2016. The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: ‘ The reports are obviously very concerning … fundraising must be conducted in line with the law and in a way that protects … privacy and personal information.’

The universities said they follow ‘best practice’ requirements set by watchdogs. They are reviewing their fundraising methods.

A spokesman for umbrella group Universities UK said alumni were told about wealth screening in privacy notices, adding: ‘Universities take data protection responsibilities seriously and follow the law.’

Prospecting for Gold denied snooping and said the research it does is legal.

Have you been hounded by university fundraisers? Email investigations@dailymail.co.uk