A front-page Wall Street Journal feature I worked on won a Gerald Loeb award and resulted in the US military banning Hikvision security cameras from its bases.
Scale AI overhauled its cybersecurity practices after I reported that it uses public Google Docs to keep confidential client and contractor information.
I have published major scoops about Verkada, a Sequoia-backed surveillance unicorn in Silicon Valley:
- Verkada fired 3 employees and reformed its sexual harassment policies after I investigated its ‘Frat Boy culture’. This was covered by Vice and The Verge.
- Verkada also had serious cybersecurity issues, I exclusively reported based on a top-level source. Picked up by Bloomberg and The Washington Post.
- The FTC fined Verkada ~$3m over marketing tactics I first exposed.
I have revealed unethical practices at large social media firms including TikTok and Telegram:
- Telegram is rife with channels promoting child pornography hacked off residential security cameras, I revealed. Telegram deleted numerous channels and the camera manufacturer overhauled its security in response.
- TikTok’s sister company strictly censors LGBTQ content, deleting an image of two men kissing for promoting “non-mainstream views on marriage and love”, I revealed in an article cited by US Congress‘ top China commission.
I have also investigated the ties of Big Tech firms like Amazon, NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Airbnb to human rights abuses:
- Airbnb quietly allowed its China hosts to ban Uyghur guests for years, I revealed for WIRED. Airbnb later banned this.
- NVIDIA chips are being used for discriminatory police surveillance, I exclusively reported. NVIDIA said it would review its compliance.
- Two US Senators sent a letter to Amazon after I found a supplier selling ‘Uyghur warnings’ to Chinese police. Co-reported with The LA Times.
- A top Microsoft researcher traveled to Xinjiang to give a keynote speech about facial recognition amid a massive crackdown there, I reported.
Finally, my reporting at IPVM resulted in US sanctions against five of the world’s largest surveillance camera manufacturers: SenseTime, Hikvision, Dahua, Tiandy, and Uniview.
