Flight volumes have also corresponded with events on the ground, from a junta leader's Moscow visit to major violent clashes (conflict data via ACLED). With this methodology, we can track aircraft and military logistics as an indicator of political and conflict shifts. 5/6

Data reviewed also indicates that while state aircraft typically transit Russian bases in Syria and Libya, private carriers — including unsanctioned entities like Sapsan Airlines and Liz Aviation — favor commercial hubs in Türkiye, Algeria, and the UAE. 4/6

We decided to do something about it. In Routes and Ramifications, we mapped 19 months of ADS-B flight data: 75 flights across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. 2/6

Last Thursday we celebrated one year of Horizons, our investigative platform, with the staff and partners who helped build it. From its corporate records collection to sanctions tracking, it's become a key element used in our work. buff.ly/bEnX9v4

C4ADS Executive Director Varun Vira recently presented at the ACI Trade Compliance Tech conference, sharing case studies from our maritime investigations and detailing the illicit networks behind them.

Today is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, spotlighting people forced into running online scams under threat of violence. We’ve investigated these scam centers to expose the systems that trap and exploit victims. Learn more about our work👇 buff.ly/h2aOoeH #EndHumanTrafficking

From July 2025 to January 2026, Chinese universities spent at least $1.7M on 56 restricted NVIDIA chips explicitly banned for export to China. Now, C4ADS can tell you how — chips buried inside large orders and transactions routed through regional distributors. More coming soon. buff.ly/0X5fCrQ

Last week, we partnered with @thewirechina.bsky.social and Wirescreen for an exclusive in-person discussion on the illicit networks, transshipment routes, and state-linked procurement efforts enabling China’s access to advanced AI computing power. A few key takeaways from the event:

Last month we hosted our first C4ADS happy hour of the year — It was great to see so many familiar faces, meet new ones, and kick off the start of summer with amazing conversations! If you would like to be notified about future happy hours, sign up for our mailing list. buff.ly/2C7el7a

🚨 INTERNSHIP ALERT 🚨 This fall, we’re offering opportunities with six different teams, from analysis to comms. Apply now to join us in the fight to defeat the illicit networks that threaten global peace and security! Apply 👇 buff.ly/GYQAlhn

Our findings illustrate how these systems support the processing of biometric data, communications records, and behavioral monitoring, while also highlighting broader implications for export controls, technology supply chains, and regulatory oversight. 3/3 Read the report 👇 buff.ly/KpX5IBE

We’re celebrating International Leopard Day on Sunday, May 3rd to highlight the need for the conservation and protection of this critical species — we’ve monitored seizures since 2013 to support partner organizations working to curb poaching and trafficking. Learn more 👇 c4ads.org/wildlife-tra...

ICYMI: C4ADS Senior Analyst Allen Maggard spoke at the Polish Embassy in Washington, DC, to launch our new joint report with the International Partnership for Human Rights and the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Litigation Project. Watch the recording 👇 buff.ly/XXG1gTw

ICYMI: C4ADS Analyst Will Cooke spoke at the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO) Commission Meeting about the ways that strengthening beneficial ownership transparency for fishing vessels can improve accountability and cooperation. More 👇 buff.ly/7DJz0tP

Iran sold more than drones to Russia. It also transferred the blueprints, source codes, and know-how to build them domestically — through a web of intermediaries designed to conceal the transaction. This is how we mapped the network 👇 c4ads.org/reports/airb...

You can download the full report from the link below. Thank you for your continued support — we couldn’t have done it without you! 7/7 More 👇 buff.ly/EOgY5h0

We traveled to 29 countries. We spent 540 days in the field working alongside partners, building coalitions, and investigating critical issues. And our work made noise globally — cited 1,720 times throughout the year. 4/7

We followed the evidence wherever it led — revealing how AI is enabling scam operations in Southeast Asia, mapping Iranian drone-production networks, exposing chemical weapons use in Sudan, and much more. 2/7

The Shahed-136 requires no runway, costs a fraction of conventional munitions, and has a 2,000km range. C4ADS spent months tracing how Iran built and exported the production capability behind it. More incoming next week. Get the full report now 👇 c4ads.org/reports/airb...

C4ADS is partnering on the Global OSINT Conference — a practitioner-driven forum for people doing impactful investigations. 📅 5 October 2026 | 📍 London | 🎟️ Tickets: £35 Co-organized by @osint-community.bsky.social and the @PoliceDigital, with BISI. More information and tickets 👇 buff.ly/f48ei94

Two days ago, the US military announced that it seized two tankers linked to Venezuela on opposite sides of the Atlantic, the supertankers MARINERA (IMO 9230880, formerly the BELLA 1) and the M SOPHIA (IMO 9289477). 🧵 1/5

ICYMI: C4ADS Analyst Michael Di Girolamo spoke at the Global Anti-Scam Summit, leading an interactive session to demonstrate how publicly available information can be used to investigate the networks enabling the scam industry.

ICYMI: We just rolled out a design refresh for Horizons, improving visual consistency and accessibility with updated navigation, layout, and modals to help you search and work on a more cohesive interface. Check it out 👇 buff.ly/AOKyWsD

C4ADS analyst Michael Di Girolamo joined Johns Hopkins SAIS’ Southeast Asia League of Students (SEALS) for a roundtable discussion on the scam industry in Myanmar — introducing the students to our investigative methods using PAI.

ICYMI: Program Director Krista Rasmussen spoke at the ICCF Group’s Inter-Parliamentary Policy Forum, diving deep into distant water squid fishing trends mapped in our recent Pier Pressure commentary. Read more 👇 buff.ly/dKGCkdk

🚨 C4ADS is hiring! 🚨We currently have three open positions to help us advance global security through data-driven analysis and lead our analytical teams. Learn more and apply 👇 buff.ly/THaESQI

The best digital tools are the ones you forget you’re using. Introducing a design refresh for Horizons: maximum power, minimum friction. Coming soon. buff.ly/vgVjpMs

Our camera trap database app helps users classify large volumes of wildlife images captured by camera traps across jurisdictions, recording essential details like date, time, location, and animal behavior to make analyzing this data a breeze. 2/4

As we close out the month, we want to take a moment to spotlight our incredibly powerful camera trap database app — yet another powerful tech tool that our Wildlife Crimes team has created for our partners in the counter-wildlife trafficking movement. 🧵 1/4

Your data + our platform = unlimited investigative potential. Soon, you’ll be able to seamlessly integrate your own proprietary data with Horizons in a carefully protected and structured way. Stay tuned to be the first to know when this new feature drops! More 👇 buff.ly/6LdgiH7