A news report part of RTÉ's Clarity initiative used maritime data from a company founded by two ex-Israel Defense Forces (IDF) naval intelligence officers, financed by an ex-CIA director and ex-IDF chief of staff – and that works with international law enforcement and intelligence services.
The national broadcaster failed to inform audiences of these connections in online, radio and television coverage of the story.
Windward Ltd, which also works with Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, provided data used in RTÉ's July report on Russian so-called shadow fleet vessels passing through international waters off the coast of Ireland.
RTÉ continues to qualify its reporting on civilian casualties from the Gaza health ministry with the term “Hamas-run”.
An RTÉ spokesperson said, “We have no comment to make.”
Undisclosed intelligence connections
Ami Daniel and Matan Peled, both ex-Israeli navy intelligence officers, founded maritime intelligence company Windward in 2009. Former CIA director David Petraeus invested an undisclosed sum in the company in 2015 while ex-Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, also an investor, served as a consultant.
Senior staff at the company also have military and intelligence backgrounds. VP of research and development Benny Keinan served in the Israeli Air Force from 1992 to 1999 and VP of product Amir Israel is an ex-Israeli navy lieutenant commander who previously worked for Elbit Systems.
General counsel for the company Shany Shalev worked for Shabak, Israel's internal security agency, from 2003 to 2007.
Windward's chairman is Lord John Browne, a former BP chief executive who conducted secret negotiations with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi alongside MI6 agents over oil contracts. Browne was forced to resign from the company in 2007 after admitting he lied in court during an unsuccessful attempt to prevent media coverage of his business activities.
In 2018 the Electronic Intifada reported that Windward had secured a nearly $1 million contract with Frontex, the controversial EU agency responsible for border control operations including the interception of migrants attempting to reach Europe by sea.
Windward has worked with Elbit Systems, the Israeli defence contractor that manufactures military equipment including surveillance technology and weaponry used by Israeli forces on the civilian population of Gaza.
Last year the company announced it would provide intelligence gathering services for Interpol, tracking “criminal activities such as illicit trafficking, human smuggling, and illegal fishing, creating a more secure maritime environment”.
Windward went public on the London Stock Exchange in December 2021 before being acquired by US private equity firm FTV Capital in March 2025 for $270 million. The company describes itself as helping "organisations, including marine insurers, governments and law enforcement, understand maritime risk" and openly markets to intelligence agencies worldwide.
RTÉ launched “Clarity” in April 2025, promising to "counter the deliberate manipulation of facts”, "debunk deliberate attempts to distort reality” and promote transparency in sourcing. The broadcaster pledged that audiences should be "confident in our newsgathering and our sourcing of stories" with "no agenda behind our storytelling”.
It failed to disclose to its audience that it used data sourced from a company linked to multiple foreign intelligence services, militaries and law enforcement agencies.
The national broadcaster’s report on the Russian ships featured extensive quotes from Ami Daniel, advocating Irish government enforcement actions against the vessels, presenting him as the "CEO and co-founder" of a "maritime intelligence company".
