Met Police Agent Provocateurs

[Magda Hassan]

Corporate spy was active in Nottingham

Nottingham Indymedia | 09.02.2011 18:40 | Animal Liberation | Ecology | Repression
The Mark Kennedy case has thrown the world of police and private spying on activists into the spotlight. One of the many revelations about Kennedy is that he can be linked to private spying company Global Open. Kennedy worked as a consultant for them and set up his own company, Tokra, using the address of Global Open director Heather Millgate.
Nottingham Indymedia can reveal that a second spy linked to Global Open, Paul Mercer, was actively involved with environmental and animal rights campaigns in Nottingham, including Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill (NAIL). Mercer was involved in groups in Nottingham in the period 2002-2007.
Mercer was publicly exposed for his role in spying on anti-arms trade campaigners, Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) in 2007. His contract for the operation was finalised through Global Open.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/02/473761.html

[Jan Klimkowski]

More on Global Open.

From their website:
http://www.globalopen-uk.com/about_us/

Global Open (Europe)
Global Open Limited was founded in the United Kingdom and is run by former New Scotland Yard Special Branch officers.

Global Open advises our existing base of more than 90 clients about events in Europe and other continents. Our combined experience totals over 165 years of service and offers our clients an unrivalled pool of talent and experience.

Discretion and confidentiality
Intelligence is gathered responsibly and legally from diverse sources.

We are used to handling sensitive information as a matter of routine. We confidently deal with issues necessitating a measure of discretion and confidentiality between company and client.

Global Open (USA)
Global Open (USA) LLC is our sister company, registered and run in the United States of America for the benefit of North American corporations and individuals.

It shares the core aims and objectives of Global Open in Europe. It uses the services of former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officers and their associates.

--------------------

Risk management
Basic information service
The basic information service is ideal for corporations operating at a low residual level of threat.

We ensure our clients have peace-of-mind by:

Maintaining a discreet watch on groups that may present a risk to a corporation's reputation or safety;
Allowing clients to manage their physical risk effectively;
Providing a low-cost response commensurate with a current threat;
Supplying clients with weekly, industry-specific reports;
Publishing up-to-date future intelligence on our bulletin board.
Intelligence gathering services
Aimed at clients at a more serious level of threat from activism. Global Open provide:

Forward-looking intelligence;
An assessment of future events with the potential for conflict;
A 24-hour warning service indicating, wherever possible, if a company is about to be targeted;
Notification of high-risk dates;
Immediate circulation of new activist tactics;
A daily summary of events as required;
Circulation of the movement of activist groups;
Telephone and email access to our analysts in order to answer your questions.
Graphs and push-pin maps of the current threat in any country or region.
Contact us here

Other intelligence gathering servicesCompanies currently being targeted by activists require fast access to information in order to avoid the effects of economic sabotage and personal harassment.

Where necessary, Global Open will:

Discuss the level of intelligence gathering required by the client and act within those instructions;
Advise whether the requirement is considered to be proportionate to the risk.
Companies engaged in project security who are concerned about the threat from activism should arrange an appointment to discuss their requirements.

Strategic assessment
Until they are targeted, risk managers engaged in business continuity planning often exclude the risk from activism connected with, for example:

Animal rights;
Environmental issues;
Anti-corporatism;
Anti-globalisation.
Activists claim that peaceful protest is ineffective. They know that a company is unlikely to change its core business because of the presence of demonstrators. Consequently, activism now extends to the suppliers and service providers of the main target company.

Global Open can make a strategic assessment so a company may see where it lies in the scale of a particular campaign and make an appropriate response.
Contact us here

This next section from Global Open's website, on "Corporate Social Responsibility", aka spinning it green, is so blatant that I'm amazed that it's online.

Approaching NGOs
Activists monitor CSR with interest in order to identify corporate 'greenwash'. This is a term used by activists to denote the practice of hollow or insincere CSR. It increases the probability of being targeted by activists and political opponents.

The real agenda is clear from this passage:

The support of reputable NGOs will demonstrate a commitment to those affected by the activities of the company and should deter a counter-campaign by activists.

Global Open will identify and assess local NGOs that may be approached and report on whether dialogue could be useful

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)

What is CSR?
The World Business Council on Sustainable development identifies CSR as; 'the commitment of business to contribute to sustainable economic development, working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve their quality of life.'

The Significance of the Internet
Greater bandwidth and the technical developments of Internet 2 have led to a new way of seeking information. The computer is now the preferred tool for both opinion formers and researchers. The diversity of public opinion on any particular subject can be researched on-line at a fast pace. Events that attract instant publicity are now discussed on 'Blogs' and Bulletin boards within minutes of their occurrence.

Corporations need an early warning of a potential threat to their reputation, particularly if the propaganda put out on the Internet is politically motivated or is based upon false data. Often corporations need to respond quickly to a growing threat with their own facts in order to avoid the momentum of reputation damage.

Global Open will monitor the Internet and inform corporations of reputation threats so that they can respond rapidly when necessary.

Non Governmental Organisations
The internet has given an instant voice and influence to Non Government Organisations (NGOs) who rise in protest against companies not considered to be socially responsible.

Corporations seeking to enhance their role in local communities should identify worthy local organisations and maintain a dialogue with potential allies. Companies must be extremely careful in their choice of NGOs. The publicity given to the practice of CSR must stand the test of examination by political groups in opposition to the corporation.

Approaching NGOs
Activists monitor CSR with interest in order to identify corporate 'greenwash'. This is a term used by activists to denote the practice of hollow or insincere CSR. It increases the probability of being targeted by activists and political opponents.

The support of reputable NGOs will demonstrate a commitment to those affected by the activities of the company and should deter a counter-campaign by activists.

Global Open will identify and assess local NGOs that may be approached and report on whether dialogue could be useful.

Global Open can provide staff training to help a company with its response to a threat.

The front line
We can provide staff training for personnel who can be in the front line of extremism, for example:

Receptionists;
Telephonists;
Post room staff;
Personal assistants;
Security staff;
Crisis management teams.
The Global Open course
Our one-day course includes:

An overview of methods used by activists to cause harassment and intimidation;
Activists' objectives;
How to minimise their effect and build contingency plans.
The training will assist the client in relation to Health and Safety and Duty of Care issues owed to members of staff.

Other modules include presentations/sessions on:

Postal devices;
Search and evacuation procedures.

ANTI-SURVEILLANCE TRAINING

Our course
A full one-day course on anti-surveillance techniques is held in Central London for individuals who are concerned that they face a personal threat.

It combines four classroom presentations, each followed by a practical session. Usually, those taking part find the day to be mentally and physically demanding, highly informative and of enormous practical value.

Learning surveillance techniques
Students will learn the techniques of professional covert surveillance on foot. Similarly, covert anti-surveillance techniques will provide evidence that the student is, or is not, under surveillance by another person.

The training provides peace of mind, arising from the knowledge that followers can be identified covertly without arousing their suspicions.

A maximum of four students will be accepted on the one-day course. Each student will have a personal instructor with him/her at all times during the practical sessions.

[David Guyatt]

Global Open looks to me to be a US outfit with a European (and wider) presence - rather than a British outfit with an American presence.


Quite apart from explaining why Mark Kennedy got shunted off to the US when his cover was "blown" - he was simply shifting locations - it also points to the international nature of these undercover types operating in widely flung nations such as Iceland.

What I think we're looking at here, is a US led pro-corporation, multi-jurisdictional spy network that targets any sort of anti-corporate activity groups no matter how harmless they may be (a "low residual level of threat" to use their cloying terminology).

The shocking thing, and the reason this has proven to be so sensitive a subject - that the court case was dropped - is that government personnel (police) are used to man a privately owned international spy agency that spies on citizens around the world.

[Peter Lemkin]

Global Open looks to me to be a US outfit with a European (and wider) presence - rather than a British outfit with an American presence.


Quite apart from explaining why Mark Kennedy got shunted off to the US when his cover was "blown" - he was simply shifting locations - it also points to the international nature of these undercover types operating in widely flung nations such as Iceland.

What I think we're looking at here, is a US led pro-corporation, multi-jurisdictional spy network that targets any sort of anti-corporate activity groups no matter how harmless they may be (a "low residual level of threat" to use their cloying terminology).

The shocking thing, and the reason this has proven to be so sensitive a subject - that the court case was dropped - is that government personnel (police) are used to man a privately owned international spy agency that spies on citizens around the world.

It is not so strange if one looks at and sees 'financial/corporate interests' and not national boundaries and entities....I believe that is the reality....

...your points above are very well taken!!!:mexican: The top-down 'crowd' call it 'globalization'.

[David Guyatt]

There is also something else to consider. The name "Global Open" has another, deeper, more political significance, namely:

The Global Open Society.

Read George Soros' lecture to the European Policy Centre in November 2006 entitled "Europe as a Prototype Global Open Society", in which he highlights the work of Sir Karl Popper and his book "The Open Society".

Popper was one of the founders of the Mount Pelerin Society.

Maybe connected, maybe not. But it is an unusual name isn't it...

PS, Mont Pelerin is founded on principles of classical liberalism which, for example, considers mass starvation a good thing as it reduces population; that "men of higher rank" were governed by ambition, whereas ordinary men were governed by the twin motivators of greed and fear...

[Jan Klimkowski]

Global Open looks to me to be a US outfit with a European (and wider) presence - rather than a British outfit with an American presence.

The Big Daddy may well be American, but note the presence of (former) Scotland Yard Special Branch alongside (former) FBI in the "sister" companies.

Note also that their website suggests Global Open was founded in the UK, rather than the US.

Global Open (Europe)
Global Open Limited was founded in the United Kingdom and is run by former New Scotland Yard Special Branch officers.

Global Open advises our existing base of more than 90 clients about events in Europe and other continents. Our combined experience totals over 165 years of service and offers our clients an unrivalled pool of talent and experience.

Discretion and confidentiality
Intelligence is gathered responsibly and legally from diverse sources.

We are used to handling sensitive information as a matter of routine. We confidently deal with issues necessitating a measure of discretion and confidentiality between company and client.

Global Open (USA)
Global Open (USA) LLC is our sister company, registered and run in the United States of America for the benefit of North American corporations and individuals.

It shares the core aims and objectives of Global Open in Europe. It uses the services of former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officers and their associates.

Quite apart from explaining why Mark Kennedy got shunted off to the US when his cover was "blown" - he was simply shifting locations - it also points to the international nature of these undercover types operating in widely flung nations such as Iceland.

What I think we're looking at here, is a US led pro-corporation, multi-jurisdictional spy network that targets any sort of anti-corporate activity groups no matter how harmless they may be (a "low residual level of threat" to use their cloying terminology).

The shocking thing, and the reason this has proven to be so sensitive a subject - that the court case was dropped - is that government personnel (police) are used to man a privately owned international spy agency that spies on citizens around the world.

I agree but would take it further.

Kennedy/Stone and his agent provocateur mates were serving police officers, allegedly run by ACPO plc and NPOIU. However, there is the strong suggestion that the "undercovers" were also associated with Global Open.

Global Open is a private company, run by former Scotland Yard Special Branch officers, not serving Special Branch. What did undercovers like Kennedy/Stone do for Global Open?

Did they share intelligence? Did they run operations? Did they incite protestors to perform actions which would "discredit" the protestors, and frame the companies being targeted as "victims" in the public mind?

Remember, Stone/Kennedy and his many mates were funded to the extent of at least £250k pa each by British taxpayer.

This strikes me as prima facie illegal if Global Open were not paying for the services of the ACPO plc undercovers.

And if Global Open were paying for the services of the ACPO plc undercovers, then we're seeing the dimly visible interface of a covert public private intelligence network, funded largely by the state and serving big corporate interests.

[David Guyatt]

The Big Daddy may well be American, but note the presence of (former) Scotland Yard Special Branch alongside (former) FBI in the "sister" companies.

Note also that their website suggests Global Open was founded in the UK, rather than the US.

Yes I now agree. The more I look at what might be the central focus (see below) this would be far more transnational in nature, but with a European perspective and then an American one.

And if Global Open were paying for the services of the ACPO plc undercovers, then we're seeing the dimly visible interface of a covert public private intelligence network, funded largely by the state and serving big corporate interests.

And the "Global Open Society" of the Mont Pelerin boys would admirably suit the underlying philosophical focus of such a beast.

[Jan Klimkowski]

For the record, here's the chronology, as can best be made out from online datestamps, of identification of ACPO plc undercovers other than Kennedy/Stone.

It strongly suggests that on January 13, The Guardian withheld the identify of "Lyn Watson" and "Mark/Marco Jacobs" in their initial stories, and printed pixellated photos, at the request of police - presumably ACPO plc and NPOIU.

In the early hours of January 19, UK IndyMedia then identified "Watson" and "Jacobs", and printed unpixellated photos.

Later on January 19, in the evening, now that the identification of "Watson" and "Jacobs" had been made, The Guardian also identified the police infiltrators they had called Officers A and B.

----------------------

January 13, 2011 - Guardian prints pixellated photo, at police request, of undercover woman agent. Presumably agent called "Officer A" by Guardian:

Revealed: Second undercover police officer who posed as activist

Spy spent four years living in Leeds and played a central role in planning a demonstration to shut down the Drax power station

Paul Lewis, Rob Evans and Vikram Dodd The Guardian, Thursday 13 January 2011

The controversy over a police surveillance network embedded in the environmental protest movement has deepened dramatically after the Guardian identified a second undercover officer who spent years living a double life as an activist.

The woman's name has been known to a group of six activists since Mark Kennedy the police infiltrator identified by the Guardian on Monday as having spent seven years inside the movement claimed she was also a police officer when confronted by them about his own identity last October.

Senior police chiefs said they were concerned for the safety of the second spy, and a major operation involving several UK forces is now under way to identify other operatives whose safety may have been compromised by Kennedy.

The second spy spent four years living as an environmental activist in Leeds, gaining the trust of dozens of activists and playing a central role in planning a demonstration to shut down Drax power station in North Yorkshire.

Her deployment ended in 2008, when she told activist friends she was leaving town for personal reasons. The Guardian has established the identity of the officer, who is from a force in the south-east of England, but has decided, after representations from senior police officers, to refer to her only as Officer A, and to use pixellated pictures of her.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/12...NTCMP=SRCH

January 15, 2011 - Guardian prints story of "Officer B", again withholding his identity at police request:

Third undercover police spy unmasked as scale of network emerges

44-year-old infiltrated Cardiff anarchist group
Former girlfriend tells of 'colossal, colossal betrayal'

Paul Lewis, Matthew Taylor and Rajeev Syal The Guardian, Saturday 15 January 2011
The unprecedented scale of undercover operations used by police to monitor Britain's political protest movements was laid bare last night after a third police spy was identified by the Guardian.

News of the existence of the 44-year-old male officer comes as regulators prepare two separate official inquiries into the activities of this hitherto secret police surveillance network.

The latest officer, whose identity has been withheld amid fears for his safety in other criminal operations, worked for four years undercover with an anarchist group in Cardiff.

Last night a former girlfriend and fellow activist said she felt "colossally betrayed" by "Officer B". The 29-year-old, who had a relationship with him for three months in the summer of 2008 while he was working undercover, said: "I was doing nothing wrong, I was not breaking the law at all. So for him to come along and lie to us and get that deep into our lives was a colossal, colossal betrayal."

The woman, who did not want to be named, said "Officer B" arrived in Cardiff in 2005, becoming a key member of the 20-strong Anarchist network in the city and "one of her best friends". They had known each for three years before their relationship and she said she did not suspect his true identity until after he left Cardiff in October 2009, claiming he had been offered a job as a gardener on Corfu.

According to the woman Officer B's flat was very empty, with no pictures of friends or family and he rarely talked about his past. "He always said he could not tell his family or friends about us because of the age difference ... if it had been anyone else I would have thought that was strange, but because [he] had been such a good friend for so long it really did not enter my mind that he was anything but a stand-up honest man."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/14...NTCMP=SRCH

January 19, 2011 00:51 - UK IndyMedia name "Lyn Watson" (Officer A) and "Marco Jacobs" (presumably Officer B), with unpixellated photos.

So, looking at the time stamps, UK IndyMedia identified and printed unpixellated photos of "Lyn Watson" and "Mark/Marco Jacobs" in the early morning (00:51 GMT) of January 19.

The Guardian (see further below) identified and printed different unpixellated photos of "Watson" and "Jacobs" during the evening of January 19 (21:30 GMT).

Three undercover political Police unmasked as infiltrators into UK Anarchist, Anti-Fascist and Climate Justice movements

ABC Anarres / IMC UK Features | 19.01.2011 00:51 | Repression | World

Update: 4th Spy: "Jim Sutton" | 5th Spy: Peter Black | 6th Spy: Mark Cassidy

"Mark Stone", "Lynn Watson" and "Marco Jacobs".

Three police officers all thought to work for The National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU), a political police unit with extensive links to large corporations, have been exposed by activists in the UK.

Two of them are known to have worked outside of UK police jurisdiction. All have actively taken part in illegal activity.

Feature Articles:
Cop Infiltrators: PC Mark Kennedy AKA "Mark (Flash) Stone", "Lyn Watson", "Mark (Marco) Jacobs" and PC Jim Boyling, "Jim Sutton" | Undercover police officer back in the spotlight | Guilty verdict in Ratcliffe trial | Mark Kennedy/Stone exposed as undercover cop

Newswire:
Mark Kenney: A detailed chronology of his activities | Kennedy Mania in the Mainstream Media | Officer 'B' revealed as Cardiff based 'Marco' Jacobs | Mark Kennedy: secret policeman's sideline as corporate spy | Post Flash Fallout, Lessons and Activist security | I can't forgive Mark Kennedy's betrayal of activists | IMPORTANT: A respectful request to all activists regarding Mark "Stone" | Undercover police officer back in the spotlight | Release the Kennedy Files | Ratcliffe: 2nd Court Case of 6 activist Collapses | Ratcliffe trial collapses! | An account of Marco Jacobs' time in Brighton | Cardiff Anarchist Network (CAN)on the infiltration by 'Marco'

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/01/472363.html

January 19, 2011, 21:30 GMT - Guardian name Officer A as Lyn Watson and print unpixellated photo of her.

Undercover police: Officer A named as Lynn Watson

Lynn Watson posed as an environmental activist for five years, claiming to be a care worker living in Bournemouth

Rajeev Syal and Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 19 January 2011 21.30 GMT

The undercover police spy known until now as Officer A, who posed as an environmental activist for five years, can be named as Lynn Watson.

A useful member of an activist team for her driving and medical skills, Watson's real motives were revealed last October by the rogue officer Mark Kennedy when confronted by activists about his own identity.

Watson first surfaced in 2003 at a protest at Aldermaston, Britain's nuclear weapons centre. Watson claimed to be a care worker living in Bournemouth in Dorset. Her parents, she told friends, were from Glasgow but had moved to Slough, Berkshire, when she was young.

Using this story, or "legend" as it is known among police, Watson began to make friends among peace activists.

During 2004 she returned to Aldermaston women's peace camp. The following year, she moved to the student area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, where she became active in environmentalist groups centred around a radical social centre called the Common Place.

Watson also took a role in the UK Action Medics Collective, a group providing first aid at demonstrations. In common with other undercover officers, she could drive, offering another useful skill to a protest movement.

In 2007, Watson was arrested at the Department for Transport building in Whitehall, central London, during a demonstration against expansion of Heathrow. While other women glued themselves to the doors, she gave out leaflets, one activist claimed.

Watson disappeared from Leeds in early 2008, saying that she was leaving because she had met a man she wished to live with. She had a leaving party with close friends, but has not been seen by them since.

A Leeds University lecturer, Paul Chatterton, 37, a close friend, said she had "abused the trust" of activists and that her infiltration had been immoral. He saw Watson about twice a week, and regularly joined her in the pub or went running with her. "I considered her quite a close friend," he said.

Of medium height and with dark hair, Watson is well-remembered at the Common Place, a former pork pie factory in central Leeds which has given space and resources to radical groups for six years.

She was one of the original group who rented the redbrick premises, in Wharf Street. When the community centre was given a licence for drinks her membership card was number three. Volunteers working at the centre say she had "certainly been at the core".

Her credentials were not checked in a structure which was, and remains, open-minded and welcoming, like a smaller version of the base in Poland Street, off Oxford Street in London, which the Rowntree Trust provided in the 1970s for fledgling groups such as Friends of the Earth, the Low Pay Unit and the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom. Apart from hosting activist groups, the centre runs English classes for asylum-seekers, bike maintenance and repair workshops, and social events.

"If she was an undercover officer, I imagine she would have found us useful as a way of getting contacts more than anything else," said one of the volunteers, who all preferred not to be named.

Watson's abrupt disappearance in 2007 caused concern about her welfare rather than suspicion of her role.

"People were worried, though, when they tried to find out where she might have gone, and discovered that addresses and people she had mentioned did not exist," said a volunteer.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/19...NTCMP=SRCH

Undercover police: Officer B identified as Mark Jacobs

Mark Jacobs, not thought to be his real name, infiltrated anarchist groups and had an affair with at least one woman

Rajeev Syal guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 19 January 2011 21.30 GMT

The undercover police spy previously identified as Officer B was known to fellow activists as Mark Jacobs, a campaigner inside anti-globalisation and anarchist groups for four years, who had an affair with at least one woman.

Jacobs, not thought to be his real name, claimed to be a 44-year-old landscape gardener and long-distance lorry driver. Former friends say he adopted a northern club comedian persona, complete with catchphrases and knowing winks. Occasionally, he would joke that he might actually be a policeman.

He was first noticed in activists' gatherings in Brighton in March 2005 and became a regular face at meetings of Dissent!, the network mobilising protesters for the G8 summit at Gleneagles in July. At 6ft and 15 stone, he stood out from the crowd.

One former friend said Jacobs made friends easily and remembered him for his sayings used to deflect questions or ease tensions. "Dear diary ..." he'd say when discussing the day's events or upcoming projects, or "And relax ..." at the end of stressful conversations.

When others smoked cannabis he would refuse, repeating another favourite phrase: "Strong European lager is my drug of choice." Those close to him said he would drink heavily at most social occasions.

In 2006, he moved to Cardiff where he monitored the activities of an anarchist group as well as the Rising Tide Network. Former friends said he travelled with UK activists to protest against the G8 in Heligendam, Germany, in 2007.

Jacobs, like both the other male undercover officers exposed by the Guardian, has been accused of having an affair while infiltrating a group. A 29-year-old former girlfriend told the Guardian last week that she had an affair with Jacobs for three months in the summer of 2008.

"I was doing nothing wrong. I was not breaking the law at all. For him to come along and lie to us and get that deep into our lives was a colossal, colossal betrayal," the woman said. "I am incredibly angry. Obviously to do that to anybody is pretty low, but to do that to somebody who trusted you and cared about you is just unspeakable."

By 2009, friends had become suspicious of Jacobs and he was increasingly being left out of sensitive discussions. He left claiming he had got a job in Corfu as a gardener. His former friends never heard from him again.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/19...ark-jacobs

[Jan Klimkowski]

And if Global Open were paying for the services of the ACPO plc undercovers, then we're seeing the dimly visible interface of a covert public private intelligence network, funded largely by the state and serving big corporate interests.

And the "Global Open Society" of the Mont Pelerin boys would admirably suit the underlying philosophical focus of such a beast.

David - I agree. You're always especially astute on these matters.

I noted your Hyperion > Titan thoughts in the thread about The Empire's hitman in Pakistan...

[Peter Lemkin]

Global Open looks to me to be a US outfit with a European (and wider) presence - rather than a British outfit with an American presence.

The Big Daddy may well be American, but note the presence of (former) Scotland Yard Special Branch alongside (former) FBI in the "sister" companies.

Note also that their website suggests Global Open was founded in the UK, rather than the US.

Global Open (Europe)
Global Open Limited was founded in the United Kingdom and is run by former New Scotland Yard Special Branch officers.

Global Open advises our existing base of more than 90 clients about events in Europe and other continents. Our combined experience totals over 165 years of service and offers our clients an unrivalled pool of talent and experience.

Discretion and confidentiality
Intelligence is gathered responsibly and legally from diverse sources.

We are used to handling sensitive information as a matter of routine. We confidently deal with issues necessitating a measure of discretion and confidentiality between company and client.

Global Open (USA)
Global Open (USA) LLC is our sister company, registered and run in the United States of America for the benefit of North American corporations and individuals.

It shares the core aims and objectives of Global Open in Europe. It uses the services of former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officers and their associates.

Quite apart from explaining why Mark Kennedy got shunted off to the US when his cover was "blown" - he was simply shifting locations - it also points to the international nature of these undercover types operating in widely flung nations such as Iceland.

What I think we're looking at here, is a US led pro-corporation, multi-jurisdictional spy network that targets any sort of anti-corporate activity groups no matter how harmless they may be (a "low residual level of threat" to use their cloying terminology).

The shocking thing, and the reason this has proven to be so sensitive a subject - that the court case was dropped - is that government personnel (police) are used to man a privately owned international spy agency that spies on citizens around the world.

I agree but would take it further.

Kennedy/Stone and his agent provocateur mates were serving police officers, allegedly run by ACPO plc and NPOIU. However, there is the strong suggestion that the "undercovers" were also associated with Global Open.

Global Open is a private company, run by former Scotland Yard Special Branch officers, not serving Special Branch. What did undercovers like Kennedy/Stone do for Global Open?

Did they share intelligence? Did they run operations? Did they incite protestors to perform actions which would "discredit" the protestors, and frame the companies being targeted as "victims" in the public mind?

Remember, Stone/Kennedy and his many mates were funded to the extent of at least £250k pa each by British taxpayer.

This strikes me as prima facie illegal if Global Open were not paying for the services of the ACPO plc undercovers.

And if Global Open were paying for the services of the ACPO plc undercovers, then we're seeing the dimly visible interface of a covert public private intelligence network, funded largely by the state and serving big corporate interests.

The OSS and CIA was started and run [and predated by] Bankers and Big Business Men. I have always thought of all 'Western' Capitalist intelligence agencies as the armies for the Corporations - that IS why the have the nickname 'Company' for the CIA! So 'Public' intelligence were always mostly, IMO, for 'Private' gain.....this is just the latest iteration.