User:Finbee/sandbox

Import Genius is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based company that specializes in big data and trade data founded by David Peterson, Ryan Peterson, and Michael Kanko.

Import Genius organizes and maintains a database of hundreds of millions of shipping manifests and customs records from government agencies and private companies around the world.

Business
In 2008, Import Genius, used electronic customs clearance data, published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, to detect the arrival of the iPhone 3G prior to Apple's announcement.

In 2020, Import Genius alongside Evan Gershkovich at The Moscow Times discovered a shipment of a $27.5 million dollar Stradivarius violin to Sergei Roldugin, an oligarch described as Vladimir Putin's best friend.

On May 25th, 2023, Michael Kanko, CEO & Co-founder of Import Genius testified before a United States House Committee on Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Hearing. Kanko's testimony emphasized the importance of transparency and public access to trade data, citing Bloomberg News use of Import Genius's data to track and trace tainted medicine shipments in January of that same year.