Offshore A-Z is a digital repository of companies operating across major tax havens. Offshore A-Z exploits the inscrutability of such companies to speculate on their possible nature and intent. Each company listed on here is real, but the information surrounding these consist of both actual records, obtained by dmstfctn, and speculative images and mission statements, generated by algorithms.

Tax havens, or secrecy jurisdictions, employ laws and corporate regulations different from those of most jurisdictions, using secrecy as a prime tool. Furthermore, the agents operating offshore on behalf of clients elsewhere have been observed by dmstfctn to willfully introduce mistakes in the records held on the companies they help forming. (Offshore Investigation Vehicle)

When offshore companies are but a bundle of papers held in private storages, these practices contribute to a number of possible configurations of any given offshore company, whose records are at once factually correct and conveniently flawed.

Offshore A-Z plays with the idea that truth is not one nor static, and that it does not need to be upheld equally at all times or in all fora.

Obtaining the data

The data contained within Offshore A-Z comes from a number of sources. Prior to the Offshore Leaks, the snippets of information available on offshore companies were largely confined to the outdated online registrars kept by tax havens, as an empty gesture towards transparency. Employing data scraping techniques, dmstfctn extracted records on hundreds of thousands of companies appearing in a number of such registrars.

Yielding varying amounts of information, and naturally full of gaps - sometimes full company details and descriptions, sometimes little more than a name - the records were cross referenced with data from the ICIJ’s Offshore Leaks as well as Financial Secrecy Index scores from the Tax Justice Network, and compiled into a single searchable database.

Training the algorithms

Algorithms were then trained to fill in the gaps in information. Using keywords from the company’s records as a trigger, the algorithms associate images with each nondescript company and complete missing fields by guessing possible incorporation dates or by generating corporate mission statement via a simple neural network. The coherency and accuracy of the neural network is directly undermined by the opaque source material, or incomplete input records. Finally, companies previously named in the Offshore Leaks ( for example) are hyperlinked to the relevant entry on the ICIJ database, allowing user to investigate further.

Compiling the template

The resulting information is autonomously built into a Web 2.0 page, employing a visual grammar similar to that used by existing registrars of companies. However, under intense scrutiny, the template mealts away revealing warm hues and floating forms.

This cycle of actions is repeated for each unreleased company found in the database and publicly announced by a Twitter bot.

Zooming in

Among the companies listed on the Offshore A-Z, a few appearing to be embedded in complex offshore vehicles were further investigated, resulting in three stories focusing on the funding behind Leave.EU, the corporate tax-avoidance of Barclays and the colonial origins of HSBC.

Offshore A-Z is a project by dmstfctn.

ARUBAON

Company Name ARUBAON
Date of Registration 7th August 2004
Company Objective 2.1 A. AGAINST PAYMENT TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN FIELD OF IT, THIS IS INCLUDED AMONG OTHERS: HOSTING, SALES, RENTAL SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE OF COMPUTERS, NETWORK AND EDGE EQUIPMENT AND SIMILAR AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT;
B. THE PROVISION OF SERVICES IN THE FIELD OF AND ADVISE ON COMPUTERS, COMPUTER NETWORKS COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES AND PROGRAMMES, INSTALLATION, CONFIGURATION AND REPAIR OF COMPUTERS AND PROGRAMS, PROGRAMMING COMPUTERS AND PROVIDE SERVICES IN THE FIELD OF E-COMMERCE, INTERNET SERVICES, TELEPHONY AND COMMUNICATION AND SALE OF THE SAID ARTICLES; AD. TRADE, INCLUDING THE IMPORT AND EXPORT, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL IN KATOOR AUTOMATION PRODUCTS, RESOURCES AND PERIPHERALS;
D. LEASE, RENT AND SALE OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT BY TELEPHONE AND COMPONENTS;
E. OFFERING INTERNET AND FACILITIES AD;
F. IT ON COMMERCIAL BASIS (DO) PROMOTING AND (DO) TO PROVIDE, CARE AND PROVIDING INFORMATION EXCHANGE THROUGH COMPUTER NETWORKS, DATA COMMUNICATION AND TELECOMMUNICATION OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER AND SCOPE. (HAND SIZE, EQUIPMENT, TABLE EQUIPMENT, HOUSEHOLD EQUIPMENT AND PUBLIC VISUAL DISPLAYS VIA CABLE, SATELLITE AND / OR WIRELESS) FOR EXAMPLE VIA BUT not limited to THE SO-CALLED "THE INTERNET", ONE AND MORE PARTICULARLY ON THE ISLANDS IN THE CARIBBEAN AND WEST INDIES IN PARTICULAR, BOTH AT THE SERVICE OF THE LOCAL MARKET AND TO THE INTERNATIONAL DATA USERS;
G gROOMING THE MARKETING INCLUDING ADVERTISING AND propagandize IN SALES PROMOTION OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WHICH ARE PRESENTED, THIS LIGHT OF ALL. RELEVANT LAWS, THE CARE AND SETTING UP A TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE AND THEY ADVISE AND CARE OF EDUCATION IN IT;
H THE CONDUCT, INSTALL, LEASE, RENT, MAINTAINING AND UPGRADING OF MANAGING AND eXPLOIT OF COMPUTERS AND OR COMPUTER. ACCESSORIES, both hardware and software, ELECTRONICS AND DIGITAL PRODUCTS ALSO THE PURCHASE, SALE, INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF ANY TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT WHATSOEVER AND RELATED ACCESSORIES;
I. THE ADVISE OF COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS ON SPONSORSHIP, INCLUDING THE TOTAL CARE AND HANDLING OF THE SPONSORING ACTIVITIES AND HETGEVEN OF SPONSORSHIP IN THIS WHOLE, INCLUDING THE MIND OF COMMUNICATION CONCEPTS, PROPOSITIONS AND THE LIKE, AND PERFORMING AND OUT OF THIS disciplines, THE FOREGOING TO THE FULLEST MEANING OF THE WORD;
J. Starting up DESIGNS AND GRAPHICS AND COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS FOR INTERNET AND THE IMPLEMENTATION AND EFFECT THEREOF, INCLUDING MULTI MEDIA AND ELECTRONIC PROCESSING TO THE FULLEST MEANING OF THE WORD;
K. OFFERING GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES AND ESPECIALLY IN THE FIELD OF INTERNET ELECTRONIC COMMERCE, automation, data, voice and video AND TELEVISION AND THE COUNSELING AND PROVISION OF SERVICES IN MENTIONED AREA;
L. BUYING, SELLING, RENT, MANAGE AND EXPLOIT OF ALL EQUIPMENT THAT PROVIDES ACCESS TO PROCESS INFORMATION, SEND AND RECEIVE VIA THE INTERNET, AND WHICH THE INTERNET IS FORMED TO THE FULLEST SENSE;
M. PARTICIPATING IN OTHER COMPANIES AND COMPANIES WITH SIMILAR OR ASSOCIATED OBJECTIVE;
N. THE PROVISION OF ALL MATTERS WITH THE ABOVE INDE FULLEST SENSE Verbandt.
2.2 UNDER THE COMPANY'S AIM IS ALSO INCLUDED THE FOUNDING AND ACQUISITION OF THE PARTICIPATING IN THE WORK WITH AND USE OF DIRECTORS ON OTHER ONDERNEMINGE IN PARTICULAR THOSE WHICH THE COMPANY IS CONNECTED TO A GROUP; AND THE (DO) FINANCE EVEN THROUGH THE PROVISION OF SECURITIES, INCLUDING THE POLL IS LIABLE FOR ITS GELIEEERDE, AND / OR OTHER COMPANIES IN WHICH THE COMPANY IS CONNECTED TO A GROUP.
2.3 WITHIN ITS OBJECTIVE MAY THE COMPANY all that PROVIDE WHAT CONNECTION WITH THIS OBJECTIVE TO THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE FOR BOTH THEIR OWN ACCOUNT AND ON BEHALF OF THIRD PARTIES.
Country
aruba
Financial Secrecy Index [more info] 68
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