Christo Buschek is a Pulitzer Prize-winning independent software developer and investigative journalist. He develops tools and methods for data-driven investigations, focusing on collecting and producing data that enables investigations. His work spans various fields, including human rights, academia, and investigative journalism.
One of Buschek's notable contributions is his open-source software called Sugarcube. This software has played a crucial role in preserving a comprehensive collection of documentation on war crimes in Syria. The data collected through Sugarcube has informed international bodies such as the ICC, the OPCW, and IIIM at the UN. It has also been used to document conflict zones in Yemen, Sudan, and Ukraine and track the spread of conflict resources.
In collaboration with Alison Killing and Megha Rajagopalan, Buschek published an investigation exposing an extensive infrastructure in Xinjiang, China, dedicated to long-term detention and incarceration. Through censorship on Baidu Maps and satellite imagery, the team uncovered a network of hundreds of buildings bearing the hallmarks of prisons and internment camps in Xinjiang. This investigation, titled "Built to Last," has received prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting, Kim-Wall award, and Sigma award.
Buschek is a Knowing Machines fellow at the Engelbert Center for Policy and Law at New York University. He is involved in a research project that examines the histories, practices, and politics of training machine learning systems to interpret the world.
Currently, Buschek continues his investigative work at Der SPIEGEL and Paper Trail Media. He has participated in international investigations such as "Storykillers," which exposes the inner workings of the global world of disinformation mercenaries, and the "Vulkan Files," providing insights into the capabilities and infrastructure of Russian disinformation and cyber warfare machinery.