C4ADS

10/21/2026

Twenty-eight passengers on seven Russian cargo ships appear to be travelling on likely fabricated identities. Six of the ships carried military equipment to Africa, while another was apparently involved in the evacuation of Russian troops from Syria.

We’re proud to have supported this joint investigation from Süddeutsche Zeitung, Follow the Money, Delfi, and Danwatch. Our collective analysis of shipping documents spanning 2,000 vessels showed that these passengers’names, birthdates, and passport numbers did not match any Russian databases checked, and all 28 held non-biometric passports.

Read the full investigation from Ben Heubl and Paul Munzinger 👇

Eine internationale Recherche zeigt, dass auf russischen Frachtern Männer nach Afrika reisen, die ihre Identität verschleiern. Sind es Söldner, Agenten, Rüstungsexperten?

10/20/2026

NEW: For more than a decade, C4ADS has worked with partners across Africa to disrupt the networks behind wildlife trafficking, with support from the Wildcat Foundation.

Our role is often behind the scenes, providing the analysis, tools, and training to the partners doing the work on the ground. Together, the results include the arrest of a trafficking kingpin in Uganda who was later sentenced in the United States, the breakup of an ongoing ivory smuggling operation in Zambia, and a growing set of partners able to run these investigations on their own. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Today we're launching a blog series that takes you inside this work: our approach, the patterns we're seeing, and where the opportunities for real impact lie. 2026 has brought the biggest ivory seizures in years, rising rhino horn trafficking, and new routes through Laos and North Korea. Traffickers are shifting to different jurisdictions and regions that need a new level of enforcement.

Our first post, Holding the Line, explains why we treat wildlife trafficking as an organized crime problem, and why reliable funding for existing operations is essential to prevent backsliding.

Read the first post 👇

https://c4ads.org/commentary/holding-the-line/

Only a few years ago, tens of thousands of elephants were being poached across the African continent. Global attention and a quiet coalition of organizations on the ground sprang into action bringing poaching and trafficking down to historical levels. Today, that media attention has faded, and fundi...

10/16/2026

C4ADS partnered with Lloyd’s List to investigate DPRK bulk carrier Tae Phyong, finding that it repeatedly fabricated voyages to Malaysia despite satellite imagery showing movements between North Korea and China.

Using our Arion DPRK analysis platform, our analysts assessed that the vessel probably delivered three cargoes of North Korean coal to Dalian between March and September 2026 — while its manipulated AIS transmissions showed four voyages to Malaysia in that same window.

One of those false voyages was entered into Malaysia’s Maritime Single Window by a locally registered shipping agent. Malaysian authorities were alerted and sent enforcement assets to look for the vessel, which imagery places it in North Korea’s Taedong River at the time.

AIS manipulation isn’t new, but C4ADS Investigative Consultant Cande Torres said Tae Phyong’s activity shows a level of detail and consistency not previously seen in North Korean spoofing.

Read the full investigation👇

A North Korean bulker repeatedly created convincing false voyages to Malaysia while apparently carrying sanctioned coal to China, with one phantom call entering Malaysia’s official maritime reporting system, prompting authorities to search for a ship that was actually back in North Korea

10/07/2026

Last month, C4ADS’ Head of Cybersecurity Anastasia Kolobrodova and Senior Analyst Margaux Garcia led a session at the Global Gathering on how to safely handle dangerous data.

The session covered how to engage with potentially risky data without putting yourself, your sources, or your organization in harm’s way and conduct analysis responsibly as a part of the conference’s Journalism Salon.

Thank you to everyone who joined the conversation, and to Global Gathering for having us!

10/06/2026

In August, we hosted 20 Distinguished Humphrey Fellows at C4ADS HQ. Our team was able to share C4ADS’ mission and some of the data-driven analysis we’ve been working on lately to a small group representing countries from across the globe.

Thank you to the Fellows for stopping by!

09/29/2026

NEW: China's surveillance supply chains run through distribution systems built to keep sanctioned manufacturers hidden.

Public security bureaus across Tibet, the Uyghur region, Inner Mongolia, and Hong Kong are procuring biometric and video surveillance technology at scale. The existing sanctions and export controls haven't kept pace with how these networks have adapted.

In Monitoring the Frontier, we traced these networks across four different regions using an original dataset from government and corporate records, with consistent methodology throughout.

The pattern repeats with variations. Uniview is named in 54 surveillance-related contracts in the Uyghur region — but rarely appears as the direct supplier. In Inner Mongolia, a region that has drawn far less attention than the others, Hikvision equipment made up over half the value of a "Sharp Eyes" camera contract, delivered through an unsanctioned distributor. In Hong Kong, Thales, through its Hong Kong subsidiary, won two direct contracts with the Hong Kong Police Force to build and maintain biometric identification systems.

Read Monitoring the Frontier 👇

The same architecture of surveillance and control underpins China's presence in Tibet, the Uyghur region, Inner Mongolia, and Hong Kong, built on procurement networks designed to stay a step ahead of sanctions and export controls.

09/23/2026

Uyghur Rights Monitor recently published a deep dive into the software architecture behind digital surveillance in the Uyghur region, mapping five platforms — iTap, Xinjiang Public Security Micro-Police, Foundation Work Assistant, Clean Net Guard, and IJOP — that turn household visits, phone checks, and routine government services into a pipeline for predictive policing.

C4ADS supported this analysis through our mentorship program, hands-on OSINT training, and data — helping URM's team learn to trace corporate records, procurement documents, and software registrations back to the opaque ownerships building this system.

Read the full report 👇

Ablet Turdi and Erk Altay EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Chinese government has built an integrated digital surveillance apparatus in East Turkestan (officially called Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) as part of its broader campaign of repression and genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples. Autho...

09/22/2026

Our latest issue of Inside Innovation drops Thursday, 9/30! Join our mailing list to catch up on our latest analysis, where our work made real-world impact, get invites to exclusive events, and more.

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09/21/2026

Earlier this month, C4ADS Senior Director of Analysis Mollie Zapata joined a panel alongside leaders from TRM Labs, FBI, Bitdefender, and Inca Digital at The Global Anti-Scam Summit America to break down industrial-scale fraud linked to Southeast Asia’s scam compounds, and the role of AI and human trafficking in powering scam operations.

Thank you Global Anti-Scam Alliance for having us!

09/17/2026

Join us at C4ADS headquarters for the launch of Hong Kong Watch’s newest report.

Co-written by Thomas Benson and Samuel Bickett, Through the Cracks unveils how Western investors — including some of the US’ largest institutional investors — have funneled billions in equity capital to sanctioned Chinese military-industrial companies.

📅 Wednesday September 23rd, 2026
📍In-person, Washington DC

RSVP 👇

You are warmly invited to join the launch of our latest report, titled Through the cracks: How loopholes in U.S. sanctions let western investors pour billions into China’s military-industrial complex. Date: Wednesday, September 23rd Time: 12.00PM-1.00PM Venue: C4ADS Headquarters, 1201 I Street Nor...