This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Higher Education data: social media monitoring'.


 
 
 
 
Our Ref: FOI2020/105 
 
 
Jen Persson  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx  
 
Thursday, 09 July 2020 
 
Dear Jen Persson, 
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Request for Information 
 
 
Regarding your request for information received by the University of Westminster on 2nd 
June 2020. 
 
Our apologies for the slight delay in responding to your request.  
 
 
The Request and the University’s Response 
The University can confirm that it holds information relating to your request. Please see 
below for details of your recent request in bold and our response. 
 
“Dear University of Westminster, 
 
FOI request re: Student social media monitoring 
 
Please provide the following information under the FOI Act 2000, regards processing of 
students' social media accounts, whether routinely or based on an individual need case -- 
for example but not exclusively, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, 
WhatsApp, Tumblr, Pinterest, Flickr and Medium--  by or  on behalf of the University in a 
formal, systemic or other recognised process for investigations including for University PR 
or management of reputational risk purposes. (This excludes for example, one Academic 
looking at one student's posts for personal reasons.)  Relevant time period: since January 
2016. 
 
1. Provide a copy of your University policy for your administrators or equivalent,  on 
the monitoring or use of social media in investigations, for the purposes of the 
Prevent programme, including for reputational management. (please confirm if you 
do not have one, and which  do apply) 
 
Information not held. 
© University of Westminster 





2. Does your University either conduct overt (ie students are informed) and/or 
covert (students are not explicitly informed at the time of the surveillance) social 
media intelligence gathering? 
 
We do monitor publicly available social media content for references to the University of 
Westminster for social media marketing analysis, without any specific individuals in mind. 
 
a. If yes (2), please specify whether this includes profiling individuals, conducting 
investigations, monitoring individuals, monitoring groups, monitoring locations, 
gathering intelligence, for recruitment purposes, or purposes of reputational risk, or 
state what it is if other. 
 
For social media marketing analysis. 
 
b. If your University does conduct social media intelligence/monitoring, please 
specify which social media may be in scope. 
 
Our social media marketing analysis can be conducted in; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, 
Linkedin, You Tube and Tik Tok. 
 
c. Does your University conduct social media monitoring exclusively for the 
purposes of the Prevent programme? 
 
No. 
 
d. If yes, to c. if the University has conducted covert social media monitoring, for 
the purposes of the Prevent programme, please confirm the number of any warrants 
obtained in the last two years for this purpose, or police or Home Office requests to 
do so, if any or none. 
 
Not applicable. 
 
3. If you conduct social media intelligence relating to social media platforms, please 
provide a copy of: 
 
a. Relevant [sections of the] privacy policy; b. the data protection impact 
assessment; c. privacy impact assessment; d. equality and human rights impact 
assessment e. training materials for those conducting social media surveillance 
 
Please state if you do not have any of the above. 
 
No social media intelligence gathering takes place. Our social media marketing analysis 
helps inform the University on social media content approach and general channel usage 
with references to the University of Westminster. 
 
Any usage of social media by current students will be subject to our Social Media 
Guidelines, Student Charter, Student Code of Conduct, Acceptable Use of IT, Freedom of 
Information Compliance Team 
University of Westminster 
3rd Floor, 32-38 Wells Street 
Fitzrovia, London W1T 3UW 
T: +44 (0)20 7911 5000 
E: xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx 
 
© University of Westminster 
 





Speech Policy, Diversity and Dignity at Work and Study Policy and Unacceptable 
Behaviour Policy. 
 
More information can be found on our website at: 
https://www.westminster.ac.uk/current-students/guides-and-policies/student-
matters/social-media-guidelines 
 
The University will investigate potential breaches of these guidelines and policies by 
following our internal policies and procedures. 
 
4. Please confirm whether or not your University uses software and/or hardware to 
conduct social network / social media monitoring and/or in relation to sentiment 
analysis on social media. 
 
In relation to our social media marketing analysis, yes. 
 
a. If yes, please state the name of the company / provider. 
 
Socialbakers and Planoly. 
 
b. If no, please state whether the University has developed internal methods to 
conduct automated analysis of social media / social network monitoring. 
 
Not applicable. 
 
5. Please confirm, if not stated already in the above, the policy on deletion of data 
obtained from social networking sites. 
 
The University’s social media marketing analysis does not require the retention of personal 
data. 
 
Where personal data may be held in relation to a potential or actual student breach of 
University guidelines or policy, it is retained in line with University’s Student Records 
Retention Policy. 
 
See https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-university/corporate-
information/information-compliance-records-management-and-information-
security/records-management/records-retention-schedule 
 
6. If not already set out in the guidance documents above, please explain: 
 
a. In what areas of the University’s work social media monitoring is used (ie finance 
department) b. What criteria must be satisfied in order for social media monitoring 
to be carried out c. Who must authorise the request to conduct social media 
monitoring d. What is the process for conducting social media monitoring e. How 
long is data collected and retained? 
 

Information Compliance Team 
University of Westminster 
3rd Floor, 32-38 Wells Street 
Fitzrovia, London W1T 3UW 
T: +44 (0)20 7911 5000 
E: xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx 
 
© University of Westminster 
 





f. Is there any process for requesting deletion by the subject (person whose social 
media is surveilled)? 
 
a)  Social media marketing analysis. 
b)  Social media references to the University of Westminster. 
c)  Information not held. 
d)  Use of software as described. 
e)  Non-personal data for analysis will be retained for as long as it is useful for 
marketing purposes. Any personal student data will be retained with reference to 
our Student Records Retention Schedule. 
f)  All data protection subject rights can be exercised by contacting the University. For 
further details and information please see: https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-
us/our-university/corporate-information/information-compliance-records-
management-and-information-security/personal-data-protection 

 
7. Please state how regularly social media monitoring is used, on what volume of 
individuals (ie targeted for individual situations or every students on the network) 
Please provide the figures as available, preferably in excel, and by month or on the 
available basis you have, since January 2016. 
 
Social media marketing analysis is an ongoing process, as described above. No 
information is held in the way you request. 
 
 
8. Please provide the organisational name of any third party or authority to whom 
such information gathered has been passed on, and which information types (e.g. 
name, report of X) in the time period since the University has undertaken such 
monitoring. (For example but not only: Since January 2016 -- X number of referals to 
Student disciplinary boards, X to internal student loans administration, X to external 
student loan administration (Student Loans Company or other), HESA, the OfS, 
Other universities, Police, the  Home Office.) etc. 
 
The University holds some information that may be related to this question regarding 
formal student disciplinary hearings and social media misuse: 
 
2016/17 - no cases. 
 
2017/18 - 2 cases 
 
2018/19 - 2 cases 
 
2019/20 - 1 case to date 
 
 
Information Compliance Team 
University of Westminster 
3rd Floor, 32-38 Wells Street 
Fitzrovia, London W1T 3UW 
T: +44 (0)20 7911 5000 
E: xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx 
 
© University of Westminster 
 





These cases do not necessarily directly correlate to any social media marketing analysis 
we have undertaken. However, due to our current working from home conditions and an 
inability to check all records held, they are disclosed for your information. 
 
9. If the university does monitor students' social media, please cofirm if the same 
policy has continued and been applied since March 23, 2020 (lockdown) in the 
COVID-19 crisis? 
 
The University’s social media marketing analysis has not changed in this period to date. 
 
 
We hope this information may be of use to you. 
 
All rights are reserved. This document is for personal use only and may not be copied, or 
stored in any electronic form, or reproduced in any other way or used for any other 
purpose, either in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the University of 
Westminster. All copies of this document must incorporate this Copyright Notice. 
 
If you are dissatisfied with this response you may ask the University to conduct a review of 
its decision. 
 
By Post:                  Information Compliance Team 
University of Westminster 
 
3rd Floor 32-38 Wells Street 
 
Fitzrovia, London, W1T 3UW 
 
By Telephone: 
0207 911 5000 
By Email: 
 
xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx 
 
Please do so in writing (including by fax, letter or email) or in some other recorded form 
(e.g. audio or video tape), describe the original request, explain your grounds for 
dissatisfaction, and include an address for correspondence.  
 
If after contacting the University of Westminster you are not happy with the outcome, you 
also have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner. 
 
Please note that the Information Commissioner will not investigate the case until the 
internal review process has been completed. 
 
By Post: 
 
Information Commissioner's Office 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF 
 
By Telephone:  
01625 545 700 
Web:   
 
www.ico.org.uk 
Information Compliance Team 
University of Westminster 
3rd Floor, 32-38 Wells Street 
Fitzrovia, London W1T 3UW 
T: +44 (0)20 7911 5000 
E: xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx 
 
© University of Westminster 
 





 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Information Compliance Team  
xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx  
 
Information Compliance Team 
University of Westminster 
3rd Floor, 32-38 Wells Street 
Fitzrovia, London W1T 3UW 
T: +44 (0)20 7911 5000 
E: xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx 
 
© University of Westminster