Luis Assardo

Data-investigative journalist, OSINT researcher, and digital security trainer specializing in digital threats, hostile environments, and the societal impact of technology.

Based in Berlin, he collaborates with the Holistic Protection Collective (HPC), Confirmado, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), and the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) among other human rights organizations. Through these partnerships, he designs protection protocols, conducts risk assessments, and delivers security and resilience training for journalists facing digital and physical threats.

He is the founder of Confirmado, a Guatemalan initiative launched in 2018 to counter disinformation, and has led and built multiple digital newsrooms throughout his career. His investigative and research work has received international recognition and awards for its impact on exposing coordinated manipulation, troll factories, and information warfare.

In parallel with his investigative work, he has served for many years as a university professor at leading Guatemalan institutions, training journalists and communicators in digital investigation, verification, and media ethics. He has been a fellow in Japan, the United States, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Currently, he contributes opinion and analysis to Diario de Centroamérica (DCA) and his newsletter Vector Crítico, focusing on media freedom, information integrity, and the role of the internet in democratic societies.

Before entering journalism, he worked in the fire service, specializing in emergency management, public safety, and arson investigations. Experience that continues to shape his approach to risk, crisis response, and investigative methodology.