Research tools
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Every claim in this library is based on verifiable public records. This page shows how to verify them yourself — and how to research any company, official, or institution independently. Credibility is the foundation of effective pressure. These tools are how we build it.
Why Verification Matters
Boycotts based on rumors fade. Correspondence based on unverified claims gets dismissed. Public pressure built on exaggerated or inaccurate information damages credibility and gives targets an easy way out.
Everything in this library is based on public records — FEC filings, SEC disclosures, federal contract databases, and credible investigative reporting. This page shows how to use those same sources to verify claims, research targets, and build the kind of documented case that holds up under scrutiny.
Verify before acting. Verify before sharing. That discipline is what makes this work credible and durable.
Campaign Finance & Political Donations
Follow the money. Corporate political spending is publicly disclosed and searchable. These tools make it accessible to anyone.
OpenSecrets — the most comprehensive database of corporate PAC activity, lobbying expenditures, and campaign contributions. Search by company, candidate, or industry.
FEC.gov — official Federal Election Commission records. Primary source for campaign finance filings.
Follow The Money — state-level campaign finance and corporate influence data. Covers contributions that OpenSecrets may not.
LittleSis — maps relationships between corporations, politicians, lobbyists, and power networks. Useful for understanding who is connected to whom.
Federal Contracts & Government Spending
Who is the government paying, and for what? Federal contracts are public record.
USAspending.gov — official database of all federal contracts, grants, and spending. Search by company, agency, or contract type. Essential for identifying ICE contractors, defense vendors, and surveillance infrastructure providers.
AFSC Investigate — corporate complicity database maintained by the American Friends Service Committee. Tracks companies profiting from militarism, incarceration, and border enforcement.
Corporate Behavior & Ethics
Beyond political donations, these tools track how companies behave — toward workers, the environment, and communities.
Ethical Consumer — ratings on company ethics, labor practices, environmental impact, and political activity. Covers hundreds of companies across dozens of categories.
Goods Unite Us — shows which brands fund which political parties. Fast, accessible, and consumer-friendly.
Buycott — mobile app for scanning product barcodes and checking company values alignment in real time.
Popular Information — investigative reporting focused specifically on corporate political behavior and influence. Well-sourced and regularly updated.
Resist & Unsubscribe — tracks corporate donors and helps apply economic pressure.
Surveillance & Civil Liberties
For research specifically on surveillance technology, ICE contractors, and civil liberties impacts:
The Atlas of Surveillance — maps police surveillance technology use across the United States, including facial recognition, license plate readers, and predictive policing tools.
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) — digital rights research and advocacy. Tracks corporate and government surveillance programs.
ACLU – Privacy & Technology — advocacy and research on government and corporate surveillance.
Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) — challenges police surveillance and facial recognition at the local level.
SEC Filings & Corporate Disclosures
Public companies are required to disclose significant information to the Securities and Exchange Commission. These disclosures include political spending, lobbying activity, risk factors, and executive compensation.
SEC EDGAR — search all public company filings including annual reports, proxy statements, and political spending disclosures.
Look for: proxy statements (DEF 14A) for executive pay and political spending; 10-K annual reports for risk disclosures and business relationships; 8-K filings for major corporate events.
The Corporate Power Cross-Index
The library includes an internal cross-reference document that maps the most significant corporate targets across four categories: ICE involvement, surveillance infrastructure, fossil fuel lobbying, and authoritarian policy alignment.
Companies appearing across multiple categories represent the highest-priority pressure targets. This cross-index is available in the full downloadable toolkit.
How to Use These Tools Together✅
A complete picture of a company's political behavior typically requires more than one source. A practical research workflow:
Start with OpenSecrets — check PAC contributions and lobbying expenditures
Cross-reference with FEC.gov — verify the primary source filings
Check USAspending.gov — identify any federal contracts, especially with enforcement agencies
Search SEC EDGAR — review proxy statements for political spending disclosures
Check Ethical Consumer or Goods Unite Us — get a broader picture of company behavior
Search Popular Information or LittleSis — look for investigative reporting and relationship mapping
Document what you find with links to primary sources. Primary sources are what make a boycott credible, a letter defensible, and a public pressure campaign sustainable.
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