# Data Sources # Data Sources ## Official Registers (UK) ### Electoral Commission - **URL**: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/elections-and-referendums/past-elections-and-referendums - **Donation register**: https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations - **What**: All donations >£7,500 to registered political parties, loans, permissibility checks - **Format**: Searchable database + bulk CSV downloads - **Frequency**: Updated weekly - **Notes**: Can filter by party, date range, donor name, donor type (individual/company/trust) ### Companies House - **URL**: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house - **Free API**: https://api.company-information.service.gov.uk/ - **What**: Company registrations, directorships, PSC (Persons with Significant Control), annual accounts, filing history - **Use for**: Tracking donor companies, shell companies, shared directors across far-right entities - **Key searches**: Officer appointments, disqualified directors, company status ### Charity Commission (England & Wales) - **URL**: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission - **Register**: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/ - **What**: Registered charities, trustees, annual returns, governing documents - **Use for**: Identifying political activity disguised as charitable work, trustee connections - **Watch for**: Charities with vague "educational" or "community" purposes ### Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) - **URL**: https://www.oscr.org.uk/ - **What**: Scottish charity register - **Notes**: Separate jurisdiction, different rules — some groups register in Scotland for easier requirements ### Land Registry (HM Land Registry) - **URL**: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry - **What**: Property ownership in England and Wales - **Use for**: Tracking property holdings of key figures and organisations - **Cost**: £3 per title register, £3 per title plan ### Insolvency Service - **URL**: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/insolvency-service - **What**: Bankruptcies, director disqualifications, company liquidations - **Use for**: Financial history of key figures, patterns of business failure --- ## Official Registers (International) ### US IRS — Tax Exempt Organisation Search - **URL**: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search - **What**: 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organisations, Form 990 filings - **Use for**: American donors funding UK far-right activity - **Key orgs to check**: Heritage Foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom, Family Research Council, Acton Institute - **Form 990**: Shows grants, director compensation, foreign activities ### US FEC (Federal Election Commission) - **URL**: https://www.fec.gov/ - **What**: Campaign donations in US elections - **Use for**: Cross-referencing UK donors with US political giving ### OpenCorporates - **URL**: https://opencorporates.com/ - **What**: Global company registry aggregator - **Use for**: International company connections, offshore entities - **Free tier**: Limited searches. Paid API available. ### ICIJ Offshore Leaks - **URL**: https://offshoreleaks.icij.org/ - **What**: Panama Papers, Pandora Papers, Paradise Papers, Offshore Leaks - **Use for**: Offshore holdings of key figures and donors ### OpenSanctions - **URL**: https://www.opensanctions.org/ - **What**: Sanctions lists, PEPs (Politically Exposed Persons), wanted persons - **Use for**: Checking if targets are sanctioned or politically exposed ### EU Transparency Register - **URL**: https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/homePage.do - **What**: Lobbying activity in EU institutions - **Use for**: UK groups lobbying EU, EU populist party funding disclosures --- ## Crowdfunding & Subscription Platforms ### GoFundMe - **URL**: https://www.gofundme.com/ - **Search**: Name, keyword, location - **Notes**: Campaigns can be deleted — archive immediately. Show total raised + number of donors (not individual names usually) ### GiveSendGo - **URL**: https://www.givesendgo.com/ - **What**: "Christian crowdfunding" — far-right friendly platform - **Notes**: Used by Patriot Front, Proud Boys, Tommy Robinson. Less moderation than GoFundMe. Often shows donor names. - **Key**: Was hacked in 2022, donor data leaked (Unicorn Riot published) ### Patreon - **URL**: https://www.patreon.com/ - **What**: Subscription funding for creators - **Notes**: Many far-right media personalities use Patreon. Shows patron count and tier structure, not individual patrons. - **Archive**: Save creator page + any visible patron info ### SubscribeStar - **URL**: https://www.subscribestar.com/ - **What**: Patreon alternative, popular with deplatformed creators - **Notes**: Less transparent than Patreon ### Ko-fi / Buy Me a Coffee - **URLs**: https://ko-fi.com/ / https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ - **What**: Tip jar platforms - **Notes**: Often linked from YouTube/X/Telegram bios --- ## Social Media & Content Platforms ### Telegram - **What**: Primary communication platform for UK far-right - **Monetisation**: Paid channels, donation bots (@donate), crypto wallet addresses posted in pinned messages - **Tools**: Telegram search (tgstat.com, telemetr.io), channel analytics - **Archive**: Export channel data regularly ### YouTube - **What**: Video monetisation (AdSense, SuperChat, channel memberships) - **Tools**: Social Blade for subscriber/revenue estimates, Wayback for deleted videos - **Notes**: Many far-right creators deplatformed — check Rumble, Bitchute as alternatives ### X (Twitter) - **What**: X Premium subscriptions, ad revenue sharing - **Notes**: Since Musk acquisition, far-right accounts reinstated and monetised ### Rumble - **URL**: https://rumble.com/ - **What**: Video platform, far-right friendly - **Notes**: Revenue sharing model, less transparent than YouTube ### Gab / Parler / Truth Social - **What**: Alt-tech social platforms - **Notes**: Check for donation appeals, fundraising drives --- ## Court Records ### National Archives — Court Judgments - **URL**: https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ - **What**: Published court judgments (England & Wales) - **Use for**: Civil cases involving far-right figures, defamation, injunctions ### Courts and Tribunals Judiciary - **URL**: https://www.judiciary.uk/ - **What**: Sentencing remarks, court listings ### BAILII - **URL**: https://www.bailii.org/ - **What**: British and Irish Legal Information Institute — case law database ### Companies House — Disqualified Directors - **URL**: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disqualified-directors - **What**: List of disqualified company directors with reasons --- ## Investigative Journalism & NGOs ### Key Outlets - **Bellingcat**: Financial OSINT methodology - **openDemocracy**: Dark money investigations - **Byline Times**: UK political corruption - **Private Eye**: Follow the money investigations - **The Guardian**: Far-right reporting (check Paul Mason, Jason Burke) - **Hope not Hate**: UK far-right monitoring (annual reports) - **Searchlight**: Anti-fascist magazine (archives) - **Unicorn Riot**: US-based, leaked far-right data - **Bellingcat**: Financial OSINT ### Key Reports (to find and archive) - Hope not Hate annual "State of Hate" reports - openDemocracy dark money series - Centre for Media Monitoring reports - Institute for Strategic Dialogue publications --- ## FOI (Freedom of Information) ### Useful FOI Targets - Electoral Commission: refused donations, enforcement actions - Home Office: proscribed organisations, Prevent referrals - Police forces: arrests, charges related to far-right activity - Local authorities: venue hire, event permits - Universities: speaker events, society affiliations ### FOI Resources - WhatDoTheyKnow: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/ (public FOI requests) - ICO guidance: https://ico.org.uk/ --- ## Academic Sources ### Key Journals - *Patterns of Prejudice* (Taylor & Francis) - *Journal of Political Ideologies* - *Ethnic and Racial Studies* - *Social Movement Studies* ### Key Researchers - Matthew Feldman (Centre for Fascist, Anti-Fascist and Post-Fascist Studies, Teesside) - Nigel Copsey (Teesside) - Hilary Pilkington (Manchester) - Joel Busher (Coventry) - Graham Macklin (Center for Research on Extremism, University of Oslo) ### Databases - C-REX (Center for Research on Extremism, Oslo): far-right party database - TIMS (Terrorism and Insurgency in Movement Societies)