[ddj] New Zealand List Followers
Dan
daniel at ohuiginn.net
Wed May 9 11:22:18 UTC 2012
Nate,
I'm aware of one _very_ good resource for this, aimed at journalists in
precisely your position:
http://www.investigativedashboard.org
It's run by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a
network of investigative journalists. They have a bunch of links to
databases on the site. More importantly, they operate a free 'research
desk' -- i.e. you can send them a description of what you're looking
for, and they'll do what they can to help you. This includes funding for
paid databases, and asking lawyers/journalists on the ground to help
out.
For purely company-related information, do try OpenCorporates. I
understand they are particularly keen to have journalists using the
site, to demonstrate the public value of their work. i.e. it's very
worth emailing them, either for advice or with thanks.
And should your networks ever get as far as Panama, my own baby is a
company-record search there: http://ohuiginn.net/panama.
best,
Dan
On Wed, 2012-05-09 at 06:59 -0400, nate thayer wrote:
> Thanks for the comments all re: NZ data research comments. Actually, I
> could use advice on a broader front.
>
> I have spent 25 years as an investigative journalist covering wars
> organized transnational crime, organized criminal syndicates, arms
> drugs and other illict trafficking, human rights, asymmetrical warfare
> and money laundering. Much of it was spent in jungles of southeast
> Asia--a lot in Cambodia in the jungles trying to access Pol Pot and
> his Khmer Rouge. It was the antithises of today's research methods. It
> wasn't unusual for me to walk for weeks to access information. And
> paper documents were the norm. The point being this is a whole new
> world for me. I have spent much of the last year educating myself on
> the amazing ability to collect and extract data online. But either I
> am an idiot or I have a lot more work to do to learn the ropes.
>
> I have spent a year collecting hundreds of names, registered
> companies, front companies, financial systems and banks, shipping
> records etc. This all is related to a very sophisticated web of North
> Korean trafficking in nuclear and missile components and technology,
> counterfeit money, heroin,methamphetamine and then organizing the
> return of the proceeds through the international financial systems to
> North Korea.
>
> The problem is not so much that they are constantly setting up and
> dissolving companies and paper banks and reconstituting them with new
> names etc. The problem is accessing the list of registered directors
> and managers of these companies. I am convinced if I can access the
> more detailed corporate and banking records (most public records or
> accessible with the right search knowledge and tools) required by
> national laws to be filed, I can expose a very large international
> criminal syndicate run by a core of top North Korean government
> leaders and their patronage networks of managers.
>
> They involve many countries, from the middle east to Asia, to Europe
> to Africa, Russia etc. Hong Kong , Singapore, United Arab Emirates,
> Lichtenstein, China, Lebanon Ethiopia, Austria Malaysia are examples.
>
> One main problem I am sure many can relate to is I am not currently
> affiliated with an institution--I am freelance. And many of the data
> bases that list the names of directors of companies and banks and
> shipping cargo records are very expensive.
>
> I have date of birth and even passport numbers for many of these
> managers of the network.
>
> Any advice on what data search tools that are free (or someone who has
> access to such data bases) would be immensily appreciated. I am all
> ears. Thanks in advance for any thoughts, suggestions, and assistance.
> I should be honest and admit one of my problems is I appear to be a
> computer idiot :)
>
> Best regards to all involved in what seems to be a really brilliant
> collaborative effort,
>
> Cheers,
>
> Nate Thayer
>
> On Wed, May 9, 2012 at 5:34 AM, Innes <innes at quantumdata.co.nz> wrote:
> Thanks Tim,
>
> Will check out the Open Government ninjas website and register
> to get involved.
>
> Will be up in Auckland later this month. Would be interested
> to have a coffee and talk about what is happening in NZ.
>
> Cheers, Innes
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On 9/05/2012, at 8:58 PM, Tim McNamara
> <paperless at timmcnamara.co.nz> wrote:
>
> > Innes -
> >
> > Most Kiwis in this space are part of the Open Government
> ninjas list:
> > http://groups.open.org.nz/groups/ninja-talk. There are many
> of the NZ
> > DDJ leaders there: Juha Saarinen, Keith Ng, etc.
> >
> > I'm based in Auckland (Symonds St) and am always up for a
> coffee.
> >
> > On 9 May 2012 20:51, Innes Fisher <innes at quantumdata.co.nz>
> wrote:
> >> Hi Nate,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Well if I can help and do something in my spare time, let
> me know. Sometimes
> >> having someone on the ground makes things a bit easier. I
> won’t have a lot
> >> of time immediately but could possibly squeeze some time
> out of my busy
> >> schedule.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Personal banking records in NZ will be covered by the
> Privacy Act 1993 so it
> >> would be difficult to acquire anything without breaking the
> law unless they
> >> were released either officially or by the individual(s)
> concerned.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I believe The NZ Companies Office has an API to allow you
> to search the
> >> company registrations and associated information (like
> Directors and
> >> Shareholders). You probably already know that. It might be
> possible to do an
> >> extract to create a more useful dataset though.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >>
> >> Innes
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> From: data-driven-journalism-bounces at lists.okfn.org
> >> [mailto:data-driven-journalism-bounces at lists.okfn.org] On
> Behalf Of nate
> >> thayer
> >> Sent: Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:41 a.m.
> >> To: List about Data Driven Journalism and Open Data in
> Journalism.
> >> Subject: Re: [ddj] New Zealand List Followers
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Hi Innes:
> >>
> >> I am from the US (although lived in Asia for 25 years) but
> I am working on a
> >> story that involves New Zealand. It is exactly what good
> data journalism
> >> works for: The use of NZ based paper front companies to
> hide real ownership
> >> for the international transport of corrupt money arms drugs
> etc. Their are
> >> hundreds of fake companies registered to a single Aukland
> address to ship
> >> products rent airplanes, set up fake companies registered
> in other countries
> >> for bank transfers etc. SP Trading is its name and it
> briefly hit the news
> >> in December 2010 when an arms shipment was intercepted from
> North Korea to
> >> Iran in Bangkok. I am trying to track real ownership. If
> you or anyone else
> >> knows how to best mine company and bank records to trace
> the very
> >> complicated web I would love to know.
> >>
> >> Best
> >>
> >> Nate Thayer
> >>
> >> On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 4:26 PM, Innes Fisher
> <innes at quantumdata.co.nz>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Anyone from New Zealand following this list?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Would be interested in finding out what is going on in NZ
> in Data Journalism
> >> at present.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Cheers, Innes
> >>
> >>
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