Department of Agricultural Economics,
Agricultural and Food Policy Group
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin
(Visitors’ Address: Hannoversche Str. 27, Haus 12)

Researcher & Journalist in Residence – Eco Crime in Mexico and the Role of High-Tech

Research Interests

Organised Crime, Violence, Security, Eco and Climate Crimes, Forestry, New Technologies, AI, Criminal Innovation, OSINT

Work Experience and Education

Investigative Journalist with a Focus on Organised Crime, (Digital) Violence, Security and Technology, covering international Trends such as the global “War on Drugs”, Predictive Policing, Digital Violence in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence and Femicides, the Digital Transformation of Cartels in Mexico or the Arms Trade; Reporter for SWR Vollbild, Die Zeit, Der Spiegel or AlgorithmWatch

Founder of BuzzingCities Lab, a Think Tank focusing on Violence, Crime and the Impact of Technology; Founder of the OpenCrime initiative and The School of Conflict & Peace

Mediator – Multitrack Peace Mediation

Lecturer at the Hamburg Media School (HMS), Master Journalism – New Digital Investigations; Hochschule der Polizei des Landes Brandenburg (HPol), Bachelor & Master Criminology – Cybercrime

Active Member of the Global Diplomacy Lab, a Network for an innovative and more inclusive Diplomacy

Former Editor Technology Desk Der Spiegel, Editor Foreign Desk Der Spiegel; Foreign Correspondent Der Spiegel, based in Tijuana, Mexico; Senior Editor, WIRED Germany Magazine

Former Algorithmic Accountability Fellow/AlgorithmWatch – Automatization/AI in Policing and Prisons; Kellen Fellow/American Council on Germany – Predictive Policing in the U. S. and Germany; Digital Journalism Fellow – Hamburg Media School; Media Ambassador`s China – Germany/Robert Bosch Stiftung; Fellow/Otto-Brenner-Stiftung & Netzwerk Recherche – Black Market 2.0: The Digital Drug Trade; Research Fellow/German Academic Exchange Service DAAD – Argentina; Foreign Journalism Programme of the German National Academic Foundation/Besser Foundation; Journalismfund Europe – The Global Bombs Supermarket; Vocational Training Programme for the Highly Talented/Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)

Master of Arts (M.A.) Media and Communications Science, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich; Master Thesis: Leaking secrets, leaking blood: Narcoblogs as a Counter-Public Sphere in Mexico

Selected Publications

Monographs, Books and Studies

Abdul Rahman, Eirliani; D’Silva, Elsa Marie; Peteranderl, Sonja; Eds. (2021). The Demographic Dividend and the Power of Youth. Anthem Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv22d4trd

Selected Book Chapters 

Peteranderl, Sonja; Jaroschewski, Julia (2023). Organisierte Kriminalität auf TikTok. In: Rüdiger, TG., Bayerl, P.S. (eds). Handbuch Cyberkriminologie 2. Cyberkriminologie – Theorien, Methoden, Erscheinungsformen. Springer VS. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-35442-8_39

Peteranderl, Sonja (2021). From Incarceration to Transformation: Ex-Gang Members as Actors of Change in Los Angeles. In: Abdul Rahman, Eirliani; D’Silva, Elsa Marie; Peteranderl, Sonja (eds). The Demographic Dividend and the Power of Youth. Anthem Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv22d4trd

Jaroschewski, Julia; Peteranderl, Sonja (2020). Wired Drug War. Wie lateinamerikanische Gangs und Kartelle die Digitalisierung nutzen. In: Rüdiger, TG., Bayerl, P. (eds) Cyberkriminologie. Springer VS. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-28507-4_16

Peteranderl, Sonja (2020). Die Software als Rassist: Wie Journalismus Algorithmus-Missstände aufdecken kann. In: Weichert, Stephan; Daniel, Matthias (eds). Wie wir den Journalismus besser machen: 30 Essays für eine werteorientierte Digitalisierung. Vistas.

Other Publications

 Peteranderl, Sonja (2024). Wenn der Tod vom Himmel kommt. Die Zeit. https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2024-03/drogenkrieg-mexiko-kartelle-gangs-drohnen

Peteranderl, Sonja (2023). The Automated Hunt for Cybergroomers. AlgorithmWatch. https://algorithmwatch.org/en/the-automated-hunt-for-cybergroomers/

Peteranderl, Sonja (2021). Umweltverbrechen. Wie Banden und Kartelle Mexikos Wälder plündern. Der Spiegel.https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/oekoverbrechen-in-mexiko-wie-banden-und-kartelle-die-waelder-pluendern-a-6f8d1a95-c331-4ccf-a533-6e06d3121a48

Peteranderl, Sonja (2021). Redistributing Mafia Assets The Palaces and Ruins of the Drug Bosses. Der Spiegel. https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/redistributing-mafia-assets-the-palaces-and-ruins-of-the-drug-bosses-a-7cc23a80-659a-44ca-96ea-6d222c1a88e1

Abé, Nicola; Peteranderl, Sonja; Stöhr, Maria (2021). “Firmen beauftragen Mörder, um Umweltschützer töten zu lassen”. Der Spiegel. https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/gewalt-gegen-umweltschuetzer-weltweit-firmen-beauftragen-moerder-um-umweltschuetzer-toeten-zu-lassen-a-5571dd65-322f-4b57-b54f-4c4d710514fd

Peteranderl, Sonja (2020). Wie Gangs und Kartelle der Krise trotzen. Der Spiegel. https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/lateinamerika-wie-drogenkartelle-der-krise-trotzen-a-98120904-0378-4604-9eda-26afb2845630

Peteranderl, Sonja (2020). Lauschangriff auf Ökoverbrecher. Der Spiegel. https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/amazonas-lauschangriff-auf-oeko-verbrecher-a-4a0e76d6-c1d0-4064-934a-72c465dde6ec

Peteranderl, Sonja (2020). Polizeigewalt in Lateinamerika. Tödliche Corona-Kontrollen. https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/polizeigewalt-in-lateinamerika-toedliche-corona-kontrollen-a-4114f9b9-b1c3-4ab9-80cc-744603fce760

Peteranderl, Sonja (2019). Digitale Polizeiarbeit in Los Angeles. Die Verbrecherjagd der Zukunft ist schon gescheitert. Der Spiegel. https://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/predictive-policing-in-los-angeles-die-verbrecherjagd-der-zukunft-ist-schon-gescheitert-a-1281943.html