Has Anyone Seen the President?
The Moneyball and Liar’s Poker author Michael Lewis goes to Washington to ask a question, and ends up watching the State of the Union at Steve Bannon’s house.
Palantir Knows Everything About You
An investigation into Peter Thiel’s data mining company reveals the extent of the surveillance done by government and corporate clients using their technology.
A global guide to state sponsored trolling
A sobering examination of the extraordinary array of online trolling techniques conceived, promoted and deployed by states around the world to silence dissent.
Hot Mess
The story of how Goldman Sachs took on Libya as a client, and subsequently allegedly lost $1.2bn of their money.
When Rio Tinto Met China’s Iron Hand
The story of how the mining giant got badly burnt when they came up against the Chinese government.
What Happens When the Government Uses Facebook as a Weapon?
This piece profiles Maria Ressa, a Filipina journalist taking on President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime by examining its sophisticated use of social media to crack down on dissent. This work has apparently caused the regime’s bots and supporters to turn their attention to her. Her own detailed primer outlining the techniques she asserts are used by the regime is well worth a read too.
This Lawsuit Goes to 11
Entertainment meets accounting in this piece looking at a lawsuit brought by the creators of the cult classic This Is Spinal Tap. They initiated the suit when they were told that despite a healthy percentage share in earnings from their creation, they would be entitled to under $200 in royalties over a period spanning 20 years.
Serial Killers Should Fear This Algorithm
A former data journalist has pooled information about thousands of murders and sought to identify hitherto undiscovered links between them.
The Hijacking of the Brillante Virtuoso
The oil tanker Brillante Virtuoso was attacked off the coast of Somalia and set on fire, apparently by a group of pirates. When the insurance company’s investigator started to look into the incident, he quickly discovered that all was not as it seemed.
World Chess Has a Big Problem
The top tier chess tour is rife with unsavoury sponsors and political intrigue.