About this season
Data Sources goes beyond the official version in search of the truth: human rights violations, institutional failures, affairs of state, abuses of power and the criminal exploitation of the planet... ARTE’s digital investigative magazine takes you beyond the headlines.
Episodes (9)
1. Anabolic Steroids: The Muscle Market
Aired 10 September 2025 • 17 min
Anabolic steroids are freely available online. Influencers encourage their followers to use steroid on Instagram and TikTok and they are easy to order on Telegram. How can a dangerous substance be so easy to get hold of?
2. Facial Recognition: Tech Firms and Surveillance
Aired 18 October 2025 • 24 min
High-resolution cameras, facial recognition software, state-of-the-art video surveillance centres: Data Sources reveals how Western companies are helping the authoritarian regime in Kazakhstan to create a mass surveillance system.
3. North Korea: Hunting Down Fugitives
Aired 12 November 2025 • 18 min
Citizens of North Korea trying to flee the country risk their lives. The route through neighbouring China has become a trap as Beijing tracks and deports North Koreans back home with the help of the latest technology.
4. From Plumber to Oligarch: Hungary's Richest Man
Aired 10 December 2025 • 14 min
How does a small circle close to the government dominate Hungary’s economy? Data Sources investigates the richest man in the country, a childhood friend of Viktor Orban, and how European funds are being used for dubious projects.
5. In the jungle of neobanks: Scams, illegal trading and deceived customers
Aired 13 January 2026 • 21 min
Lack of transparency, lax controls, money laundering: Are neobanks encouraging financial fraud and identity abuse? A look at the downside of the banking revolution. Over the last decade, the banking sector has experienced a digital revolution. Apps have replaced branches, chatbots have replaced advisors, and hundreds of new players have flooded the market. But the miraculous transformation of the banking sector also harbors dangers. Data Sources investigated the downside of the banking revolution.
6. A French Company Helps the Russian Army
Aired 11 February 2026 • 19 min
This is a French group that, in theory, has nothing to do with the defense sector: it specializes in commodities trading and sugar production. In Russia, it has about fifteen facilities and employs 4,000 people.
7. Telegram: the kingdom of cybercriminals
Aired 11 March 2026 • 20 min
Stolen and resold in a flash. Identity cards, personal data, banking information... You can find everything on Telegram. An investigation into a booming scam marketplace.
8. The Dark Side of Shen Yun Shows
Aired 8 April 2026 • 21 min
Every year, Shen Yun tours the world. But what do we really know about the dance troupe, and who benefits from their sold-out shows? With Open Data, we look behind the scenes and reveal the dark side of Shen Yun.
9. Deepfakes: sexual abuse by AI
Aired 13 April 2026 • 20 min
Pornographic deepfakes are among the most repellent aspects of AI: photos and videos of real women are manipulated, stripped and fabricated without their consent and then spread across social networks. "Data Sources" investigates this illegal market and the people who profit from abusing women's images online.