Claims that the British Army’s information warfare unit, the 77th brigade, monitored lockdown critics on social media platforms are being investigated, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said.

On Monday, in light of a new report from the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch the UK government admitted that it monitored lockdown critics on social media platforms via its disinformation units during COVID but denied that it targeted individuals.

For its “Ministry of Truth” report (pdf), Big Brother Watch submitted numerous freedom of information requests and cooperated with people in public life who submitted requests to demand copies of their data held by government disinformation units.

The report found that the monitoring and reporting of critics were done under the government’s Counter Disinformation Unit in the Culture Department (DCMS).

Big Brother Watch also disclosed a whistleblower testimony which they claim confirmed the 77th Brigade collected posts on Twitter from UK citizens posting about COVID-19 and passed them to the government. The Epoch Times has not been able to verify these claims or his identity.

Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Conservative former cabinet minister David Davis, who, according to Big Brother Watch was monitored, called for the issue to be reviewed, with Wallace issuing an assurance that he had already instructed for it to be looked into.

“I know him well enough that when he tells us that he gave clear instructions and guidelines to the Brigade to only operate foreign powers and extremists, he was telling the exact truth,” said Davis.

“Will he however review the issue and ensure that his guidelines have been followed in all cases?” he added.

Wallace replied that the brigade is “not to be involved in regulating, policing, or even reporting opinion that it may or may not agree with.”

“Colleagues may have read reports this weekend about activity conducted by the Army’s counter-disinformation unit in 77th Brigade,” he said.

“Online disinformation from foreign state actors is a serious threat to the United Kingdom, which is why during the pandemic we brought together expertise from … across Government to monitor disinformation about COVID.

“77th Brigade is a hybrid unit of regular and reserve personnel that was established in 2015. It delivers information activities as part of broader military effects against hostile state actors and violent extremist organisations based outside the UK.

“It uses publicly available data, including material shared on social media platforms, to assess UK disinformation trends,” he added.

Big Brother Watch claimed that the British Army’s 77th, which has conducted operations against both the Taliban and al-Qaeda, collated posts on Twitter from British citizens about COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic, passing them to the Cabinet Office, though it is understood that this ended by late 2021.

During COVID-19, the government used different units including the Rapid Response Unit (RRU), the Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU), and the Government Information Cell (GIC). Each had roles in “tackling harmful narratives online,” monitoring and flagging “disinformation” content to social media companies, and pushing official lines, said the report.

The report found that the monitoring and reporting of critics was done under the government’s Counter Disinformation Unit in the Culture Department (DCMS).

In the report, figures who warranted attention from the CDU included Lockdown Sceptics founder Toby Young, talkRADIO’s Julia Hartley-Brewer, and Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens.

The report noted that author Laura Dodsworth found herself in a “Cross Whitehall Weekly Counter Disinformation Report” from June 2021 mentioning the launch of her book “A State of Fear: How the UK Government Weaponized Fear During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

Dodsworth told The Epoch Times by email that she believed that the report “vindicated some of the anonymous sources and findings published in her book.”

“Something is rotten in a state when the surveillance apparatus is turned upon the innocent civilian,” she said.

“In a free and democratic country, propaganda and surveillance might be turned on enemy states and terrorists, but not on the population. The justification might be the ‘war footing’ the government placed us on for a virus,” she said.

A government spokesman said that: “They did not target individuals or take any action that could impact anyone’s ability to discuss and debate issues freely.”

PA media contributed to this report.