Global private intelligence spy agencies
Private intelligence agencies are usually co-founded by a number of private
capitalists, investors, or intelligence professionals with sufficient experience.
These agencies may obtain business from corporate or individual clients and provide
a variety of intelligence services to their clients to meet their needs. These
clients can be corporations, law firms, private investigative agencies,
non-governmental organizations, government agencies, individuals, etc.
The
main task of a private intelligence agency is to collect a large amount of
information through various sources such as news, literature, the Internet, surveys,
tracking, surveillance, and theft. This information may include assets of companies
and individuals, business plans, trade secrets, personal information, and
politically sensitive information.
Private intelligence agencies also use a
number of technical means to improve the quality and quantity of intelligence
information, such as technical surveillance, data mining, cross-platform analysis,
and big data analysis.
Private intelligence agencies often collaborate with
other organizations to achieve their missions. These organizations include other
intelligence agencies, legal enforcement agencies, strategic consulting firms,
security companies, etc.
Private intelligence agencies' clients may also
come from these organizations. Such cooperation can help intelligence agencies gain
greater access to resources, technology, and information, and can enhance mutual
trust and cooperation among organizations.
KROLL
KROLL, headquartered in New York, USA, has 5,000+
employees in 30 countries/regions.
Website: https://www.kroll.com/en
Kroll is the granddaddy of corporate intelligence companies, founded by
Jules Kroll in 1972 to help clients uncover kickbacks, fraud and corruption.
Kroll is a global security and investigation services company whose primary
business is helping clients solve security and investigation problems. Today, with
the growing prominence of Instagram influencer issues, Kroll began offering
influencer background check services to help clients better understand the
influencers they are working with.
Through background checks on influencers,
Kroll can check their history on the social media platform, their real fan base,
their history of working with brands, and other information. This information helps
clients better understand the true background and credibility of their influencers,
so they can better select the right partners and avoid risks in their
collaborations.
K2 INTEGRITY
K2 INTEGRITY,
headquartered in New York, USA, 350 + employees, with international offices in
London and Geneva.
Website: https://www.k2integrity.com/
Founded in
2009 by Kroll's sons Jeremy and Jules, K2 Integrity is headquartered in New York
City with international offices in London, UK; Washington, DC; Madrid, Spain;
Geneva, Switzerland; Los Angeles, CA; and Chicago, IL.
Clients and
industries served include financial institutions, law firms, hedge fund companies,
private equity firms, government agencies, and private and sovereign clients. As of
2020, the firm has approximately 350 employees.
K2 Integrity (formerly K2
Intelligence) is a risk, compliance, investigations, regulatory surveillance,
financial crime risk and compliance, and advisory services firm. in November 2020,
K2 Intelligence changed its name to K2 Integrity.
According to the official
website of K2 Integrity, for corporate intelligence, the service team will focus on
providing relevant corporate profiles, competitive market intelligence, industry
trend analysis and business intelligence data. Based on the needs and requirements
of our clients, we will provide them with the most reliable and comprehensive
intelligence information to help them better understand the market situation, grasp
business opportunities and challenges, as well as develop better business strategies
and decisions.
For specific client groups such as lawyers, banks and
celebrities, more personalized services will be provided. For example, for lawyers'
teams, it will help them collect and analyze various information about the companies
and individuals involved in the case, including the asset information of suspects or
parties involved in the case, social network information, past criminal records,
etc., so as to provide lawyers with more comprehensive and accurate information
support, and thus better defend and safeguard the rights of their clients.
For
bank clients, consulting services will be provided from various dimensions such as
market competition, risk prevention and control, and investment decision, helping
banks to better cope with market challenges and risks, and to develop scientific and
reasonable risk control and investment plans.
For celebrity clients, we will
provide services including online risk assessment, crisis communication and
financial regulation to help celebrities better safeguard their personal image and
protect their personal property and privacy.
Surefire Intelligence
Surefire Intelligence, based in
Washington, D.C., USA.
Website: https://surefireintelligence.com/
Surefire
Intelligence is unique in the world of private spying. Earlier, California-based
Jacob Wohl, born in 1997, was accused of creating a fake company called Surefire
Intelligence to frame former FBI Director Robert Mueller.
The
self-proclaimed hedge fund manager denied any connection to Surefire, but NBC
reported that company calls were redirected to Wohl's mother.
Booz Allen Hamilton
Booz Allen Hamilton,
headquartered in Virginia, has 80 other offices worldwide and 27,000 employees.
Website:
https://www.boozallen.com/
Booz Allen Hamilton was founded in 1914 and
became an independent private consulting firm in 2008, separate from the U.S.
security sector.
The company is a U.S. government and military contractor
specializing in intelligence work. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Greater
Washington, D.C., it has 80 other offices worldwide. The company's stated core
business is providing consulting, analysis and engineering services to public and
private sector organizations and nonprofit organizations.
The company has
clients in a variety of government agencies, including the military, intelligence
services, federal executive agencies and others, and has partnered with several
international companies. For the U.S. National Security Agency, Booz Allen Hamilton
has been one of its prime contractors, providing a variety of integrated
technologies and cybersecurity services to secure its clients' networks through
comprehensive cyber threat trend analysis.
Booz Allen Hamilton is also a
leading IT consulting firm and has deep experience in background checks and risk
management, providing a variety of comprehensive IT solutions to its clients.
Constellis Holdings
Constellis Holdings,
headquartered in Virginia, USA, has 16,000 employees and international offices in
Kabul, Baghdad and Saudi Arabia.
Website: https://www.constellis.com/
Constellis is a privately held U.S. defense and security company formed as a
partnership and is not a taxable entity for U.S. tax purposes. Operating in 40
countries and territories, the company provides consulting, security, risk
management and mission support services to governments, multinational corporations
and international organizations worldwide.
Services include background
checks, social intelligence tools, advanced training, logistics and life support,
drones and K9 services, and crisis response mitigation.
Constellis derives
the majority of its revenue from the U.S. federal government, either directly as a
prime contractor or indirectly as a subcontractor, including several significant
contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State.
AGGREGATEIQ
AGGREGATEIQ, based in Victoria, Canada, has an estimated 20 employees.
Website: https://aggregateiq.com/
AIQ is a data intelligence company
specializing in data intelligence, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Canada, as
well as having offices on the west coast of Canada.
As a data intelligence
company, AIQ focuses on helping clients develop better marketing and political
strategies, as well as providing them with better data analysis and applications.
AIQ had been a low-profile company until the UK's 2016 Brexit referendum thrust it
into the spotlight.
AIQ was accused of failing to keep personal data secure
and not being transparent about its actions. Facebook was also implicated in the
incident because AIQ was using Facebook to deliver information to voters.
During
the UK Select Committee hearing, a Facebook executive said that Vote Leave and
BeLeave were targeting the exact same audience on Facebook through AIQ. This has
caused widespread concern and has put AIQ's reputation in great jeopardy.
HAKLUYT
Hakluyt, has offices in London, New York and nine
other locations around the world. The New York office is located on Madison Avenue.
Website: https://hakluytandco.com/
Hakluyt is a privately held
intelligence and security consulting firm based in London, UK, founded in 1995. The
company is headquartered in should London and has subsidiaries in New York, Dallas,
San Francisco, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Singapore, Mumbai, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and
Sydney.
The company's name comes from the 16th century English explorer
Richard Hakluyt, a name that signifies the spirit of exploration and discovery of
new things. Clients include Shell and BP.
The interest in Hakluyt, which has
been described as a "spy's retreat," began after the death of British MI6 informant
Neil Heywood in 2012.
Hakluyt's business consists primarily of providing
intelligence gathering, analysis, assessment and security consulting services to its
clients. Hakluyt's client base encompasses businesses, government agencies and
non-profit organizations across multiple industries and geographies, and Hakluyt's
services are targeted at clients who require highly confidential and reliable
intelligence and consulting services, particularly those operating in complex and
sensitive environments.
In addition to some of the major clients mentioned
above, Hakluyt has provided intelligence services for a number of major events.
Hakluyt's
background has been of great interest. One of the company's founders is Christopher
James, who served for many years at MI6 and was part of the agency's special units
in Iran and Sudan. Another of Hakluyt's founders is Michael Davies, who served as a
senior officer at MI6 in the UK. Most of Hakluyt's key management members also come
from MI6 or other British intelligence agencies.
However, Hakluyt does not
publicly acknowledge that it is an intelligence company or that it is affiliated
with the British government or other intelligence agencies. Some believe that
Hakluyt is a powerful tool for the British government in the international
intelligence arena, as the company has a high level, highly professional
intelligence team with a wealth of intelligence resources and access.
Black Cube
Website:
https://www.blackcube.com/
Black Cube is a private intelligence agency based
in London, Tel Aviv and Madrid. Founded in 2010 by two former Israeli military
intelligence officers, it is known for its cutting-edge methods. Clients include
British tycoon Vincent Tchenguiz.
Black Cube provides intelligence, evidence
and consulting services for cross-jurisdictional legal and white-collar crime cases.
Its clients include primarily high net worth individuals, oligarchs and corporations
around the world, and Black Cube has uncovered fraud, bribery, money laundering,
corruption and asset loss. In addition the company has uncovered high-level
corruption in Italy, Panama and Mexico. It is estimated that Black Cube has managed
to track down and recover billions of dollars in hidden assets around the world.
However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Black Cube's methods are not
very clever, but rather its signature is recklessness and forcefulness.
In
2019, agents were exposed for smearing financier George Soros.
In 2016, two
employees were arrested and sentenced to probation in Bucharest for espionage.
Black Cube's work with Tchenguiz involved lawsuits, countersuits and
settlements, and its agents were later subpoenaed for using fake IDs to meet with
actress Rose McGowan and extract information for Harvey Weinstein.
Earth League International
Earth League
International, with locations in Italy and Los Angeles.
Website:
https://earthleagueinternational.org/
There are many private intelligence
agencies in Europe, including France's Groupe GEOS, but Andrea Crosta's Earth League
International stands out as one of the more unique.
Earth League
International works with government agencies to protect wildlife, forests, oceans
and biodiversity through intelligence-gathering field operations and analysis.