Research & Reports

Our recent work

  • A structure with a red star, a portrait of a Chinese leader, and a Chinese flag on a hill, with a steel tower and rocky background.

    China’s App-Packing Industry and U.S. App Security

    Aug 31, 2026

    An analysis of how app packing grew into a sophisticated commercial industry dominated by Chinese vendors. We examine how hardened Android apps could affect software auditability and U.S. app security.

    Read on substack
  • The United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C., with a clear blue sky and several trees in the foreground.

    Kunlun and the Effects of the CFIUS Ruling in Grindr

    Jul 12, 2026

    We explore how Grindr’s code and third-party dependencies changed before, during, and after the U.S. government forced its Chinese owner to divest the company. We examine which Chinese-operated services disappeared, what remained, and how new dependencies later re-entered.

    Read on substack
  • Close-up of a smartphone screen showing various app icons, including WhatsApp with two notifications, Facebook, Dropbox, and Telegram.

    Telegram and the Politics of Digital Dependence

    May 31, 2026

    Through Russia’s long and contradictory relationship with Telegram, we explore how digital dependence hardens into infrastructure and why sovereign control becomes difficult once a platform is woven into state and social life.

    Read on substack
  • A white smartphone with a black screen displaying various app icons, lying on a wooden surface.

    How Digital Sovereignty Works: Journey to the center of the Stack

    May 22, 2026

    By descending through the layers of the technology stack, we analyze how digital power is built through dependencies that are often invisible until they become politically consequential.

    read on substack
  • Digital world map with interconnected lines and icons representing global communication and technology.

    Appthropology: Apps as a Lens for the Global Political Economy

    Oct 2, 2025

    We introduce why apps should be studied as high-frequency signals of political economy, revealing how sanctions, regulation, ownership shifts, and technical dependencies leave measurable traces in software.

    Read on substack

Investigate using Mercury

Mercury is our free tool for examining Android apps. Use your own APKs to explore embedded components and compare releases to follow changes over time.

Visit the Mercury page to learn more and start your own investigations.

Explore Mercury
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Language Learning

Recognizing an alphabet or a technical term can help you find sources, read code comments, and understand unfamiliar material. A language can become useful to your research long before you become fluent.

Alongside our research, we develop language-learning games and books available on mobile and PC. Our games explore vocabulary, sentence building, and word recognition in Russian and Chinese. Our books gradually introduce words and phrases within English text, across a range of languages and genres.

Explore language learning