Inside the secret world of the corporate spies who infiltrate protests

Major firms hiring people from corporate security firms to monitor and infiltrate political groups that object to their commercial activities

• Surveillance firms spied on campaign groups for big companies, leak shows

It was perhaps not the most glamorous assignment for a spy. Toby Kendall's mission was to dress up as a pirate, complete with eye-patch, bandana and cutlass, and infiltrate a group of protesters.

The campaigners had organised a walking tour of London to protest outside the premises of multinational firms, objecting to what they believed was the corporate plunder of Iraq.