Oxylabs
Oxylabs

Oxylabs, a web intelligence powerhouse, is pushing its pro bono effort, Project 4β, into high gear by onboarding heavyweights like the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and researchers from the University of Chicago, Princeton, Birmingham, and Warwick.

This growth emphasizes Oxylabs' goal to democratize access to web intelligence technologies, therefore enabling journalists and academics to address urgent social concerns, from corruption to housing affordability.

Project 4β, which was initially designed to support socially significant research, provides its collaborators with state-of-the-art web intelligence technologies, such as residential and mobile proxies, at no cost. As economic injustice, media influence, and digital transparency become increasingly significant issues; the project offers its collaborators ethical, dependable public web data collection methods to uncover insights that drive change.

A Boost for Investigative Journalism

Among the new partners is the ICIJ, a global network of over 290 investigative journalists renowned for exposés like the Panama Papers and Pandora Papers. These are the pros who expose corruption and power abuses with surgical precision. Now, Oxylabs' residential proxies supercharge their ability to untangle global investigations.

Pierre Romera Zhang, ICIJ's Chief Technology Officer, sees the value as clear as day. "Oxylabs' infrastructure is a dependable asset for our work," he notes. "Their proxy network sharpens our lens on how the world operates, sparking tangible change." For a group built on revealing hard truths, this partnership is a serious upgrade.

Academia Gets a Data Boost

On the academic front, Project 4β delivers, too. Grace Shao, a Computational Social Science master's student at the University of Chicago, taps mobile proxies to dissect online information flows, a hot topic as free speech and protest rights heat up. She's targeting the data imbalance between platforms and users.

"These technology companies collect so much data about users but are very selective about what they share," Shao explained. "Project 4β has given me access to tools that allow me—a single person!—to level the playing field a small but meaningful amount. Transparency into how media circulates on platforms is critical, now more than ever."

Across the Atlantic, Nikhil Datta, an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick, is tapping into Oxylabs' ISP proxies to analyze the UK housing market. His research focuses on housing supply challenges and affordability—issues that affect millions. "Oxylabs' ISP proxies are invaluable for our study," Datta said. "They allow us to create a more detailed picture of housing market dynamics, providing insights crucial to shaping a more affordable and functional market."

A Network Built for Real Change

Since its inception, Project 4β has built an impressive roster of partners, including the Pulitzer Center, Bellingcat, Global Witness, and the Environmental Protection Department of Lithuania, as well as researchers from Stanford and Northwestern Universities. Adding ICIJ and top-tier unis turns it into a powerhouse, blending web intelligence with solutions for global headaches. It's a coalition with teeth.

Julius Černiauskas, Oxylabs' CEO, is all in. "Our new partners bring sharp expertise to this social good push," he says. "We designed 4β to arm researchers and groups with insight-digging tools—seeing them drive impact proves its worth." Bold vision, but can it sustain the momentum?

An Open Invitation

Oxylabs is enthusiastic about expanding Project 4β and is inviting universities, academics, NGOs, charities, and other entities to become involved in the initiative. Through this collaboration, participants gain access to Oxylabs' advanced technological resources and expertise in ethical data collection, enabling them to effectively address pressing societal challenges.

Founded in 2015, Oxylabs has evolved into a worldwide leader in web intelligence, serving dozens of Fortune Global 500 corporations and garnering plaudits as Europe's fastest-growing web intelligence acquisition firm on the Financial Times' FT 1000 list for three consecutive years (2022–2024). Project 4β showcases how public web data collection methods can enhance research and benefit the public good.