Brandon Laur is the CEO and instructor at The White Hatter, where he specializes in crafting digital literacy workshops tailored for a diverse audience, including students, parents, educators, and business professionals. His primary focus revolves around promoting internet safety and privacy, with a genuine commitment to making the digital world a safer place for everyone. His expertise encompasses Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), supported by a Master’s degree in professional communication, with research centered on hackers, scammers, and more recently, teenage sexting behaviors and associated challenges.

Brandon’s journey with The White Hatter has been marked by significant recognition, including the BC Medal of Good Citizenship, an Emerging Businessperson of the Year award, and the Social Innovations Youth Award. These accolades are a testament to his unwavering dedication and the positive impact of his work. Brandon is also a respected contributor to both Canadian and American media programs, where he shares valuable insights on contemporary internet challenges.

In addition to his role as an educator, Brandon plays a pivotal role as the lead coordinator for The White Hatter’s professional broadcasting studio. This studio is equipped with advanced technology, including seven cameras with ten total video inputs, dedicated to delivering high-quality programs. The strategic expansion to broadcasting in 2017, embracing virtual platforms, has allowed The White Hatter to extend its reach to schools, families, and businesses worldwide.

Drawing from his research background, honed during his Master’s degree, Brandon’s expertise lies in studying hackers and scammers, dissecting their techniques for manipulating consumers into vulnerable situations. Recent research efforts have shifted towards the exploration of teenage sexting behavior, its associated risks, and influential factors. Brandon’s commitment to research rigor ensures that the content provided by The White Hatter is not only informed by their practical experiences and the stories of those they’ve assisted but also grounded in strong research.

Beyond academia, Brandon possesses a practical skill set that extends into the realms of social media marketing and analysis, where he effectively applies OSINT investigative techniques. He also shares his knowledge with professionals, helping them harness these skills for online background checks and investigations to enhance their marketing campaigns. Additionally, Brandon adeptly employs OSINT tactics to monitor and manage business or personal reputations, providing a valuable service in the realm of reputation management.

Becoming a White Hatter was a natural progression in Brandon’s life, driven by his genuine curiosity about digital dynamics and his deep commitment to helping others. His journey aligns seamlessly with his technical skills and unwavering dedication to improving digital safety. Brandon’s interest in research methodology, cultivated during his post-secondary studies, has contributed to The White Hatter’s approach, emphasizing a balanced and adaptable response to digital challenges.

Brandon’s Achievements

British Columbia Medal of Good Citizenship

Co-received along with two other White Hatter team members. This recognition comes, in part, from the life-changing and sometimes lifesaving social media safety presentations or workshops hundreds of thousands of students have attended across North America, but especially in BC. More importantly, this award recognizes the community support by The White Hatter helping students, teachers, parents, and other adults in need, both online and offline, who find themselves in uncertain or dangerous circumstances. Using our combined team expertise, we will always do our best in providing guidance and support well beyond any single presentation you may experience with us.

As an organization, our passion and pride are in the community work we do. Certainly, this accomplishment could not have been achieved alone. The countless students and others who have contacted us online or via phone seeking help for themselves or help for a friend in a dangerous circumstance are all past recipients of this award. Our community, The White Hatter Nation, is an enormous component of the backbone in what it is we do and it’s often a resource we can call upon in a time of need.


Masters Degree

Graduated in 2018 with a master’s degree in professional communication. Brandon’s thesis research focused on phishing, one of the primary methods of scams and manipulation online. Part of his research involved interviews with active information security practitioners and an analysis of the ways phishing is researched and understood in the news media.


BC Social Innovation Youth Award

The BC Government & Radius SFU awarded Brandon, with the 2017 BC Social Innovations Youth Award for his work and advocacy with youth, tweens, teens, and adults in the areas of social media safety and digital literacy.


Derek K Miller Award

Co-received along with two other White Hatter team members for “Most inspiring social media user” for unique advocacy and community support in the area of internet safety and digital literacy both in Canada and the USA.


Open Source Intelligence Investigator

Trained and experienced in the collection and analysis of online available information for the purposes of conducting investigations. Received training from both academically accredited insinuations and industry experts. This works involves deep and dark web information collecting involving both overt and covert methods.


Sociology Degree with a Minor in Technology & Society

Graduated in 2016 from the University of Victoria, Brandon’s other passion is studying interpersonal communication through digital mediums. Academically, Brandon recognized a need to adopt the social sciences in the analysis of security, not just solely relying on computer sciences and engineering. In his experience, cybersecurity is not all about firewalls and antiviruses. A considerable part of security and privacy is the human and social factor, including the communication components of security, both proactive and reactive. From a privacy standpoint, communication is the sole element in that field of study, from policy analysis to the implementation of systems that mediate private communication. Without communication, these issues would not exist. Recent research projects that Brandon has participated in include social norm development in virtual environments, digital biopower, internet addiction, disinhibition, technological vulnerabilities in the medical industry, and social network capital.

Along with his sociology degree, the Technology & Society program at UVIC explores engagement with technological change and its rapid transformation of contemporary society. In a global culture driven forward by dramatic developments in technology, no aspect of politics, culture, and society is left undisturbed. designed to critically engage in the formal exploration, understanding and critical assessment of technological change in a wired and wireless world. Throughout the program, Brandon routinely explored the security and privacy implications of new technology on our society