Brandon Laur is the CEO and digital literacy instructor behind The White Hatter, where he develops and delivers engaging workshops tailored for diverse audiences, such as students, parents, educators, and business professionals. His focus is on internet safety, digital wellness, and privacy, with a mission to empower communities and make the online world safer for all.

With a Master’s degree in Professional Communication and experience in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), Brandon’s work has examined hackers, scammers, and, more recently, the complex challenges surrounding teen sexting behaviours. His contributions through education and free volunteer resources, has earned him recognition including the BC Medal of Good Citizenship, Emerging Businessperson of the Year, and the Social Innovations Youth Award. He is also a contributor to Canadian and American media, offering insights into the evolving intersections of technology, safety, and human behaviour online. His research-informed approach ensures that The White Hatter’s programming blends evidence-based insight with real-world stories and experiences.

Since 2015, In addition to his role as an educator, Brandon leads The White Hatter’s broadcasting studio, which features seven cameras and ten video inputs with so much more technology to offer engaging workshops reaching schools, families, and businesses across North America.

Beyond academia, Brandon applies his OSINT expertise in the fields of social media marketing, online investigations, and reputation management. He teaches professionals how to use investigative techniques for background checks, brand monitoring, and campaign analysis, providing tools that strengthen both organizational security and public trust.

Becoming The White Hatter was a natural evolution of Brandon’s lifelong curiosity about digital culture and his passion for helping others. His blend of research, technical skills, and dedication to community well-being defines both his personal journey and the enduring mission of The White Hatter: to respond to digital challenges with balance, adaptability, and impact.



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