It was so good to finally host this talk. Gillian broke down the basics and touched upon the intricacies of flight tracking within an hour masterclass. The lesson: Open source tools hold power to account.

Bellingcat@bellingcat.com · 3mo ago

Aircraft tracking has become a powerful tool for journalism. In our Stage Talks podcast, @gillianbrockell.com demonstrates how flight data and open tools can be used to trace government flights, identify ICE aircraft, and verify aviation activity. Listen: rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2829188

AI-generated content has entered the political sphere. Bellingcat speaks with @tbij.bsky.social reporter @efwebb.bsky.social on a possible first-of-its-kind case—and what it means for tracking AI misuse in politics. Listen by searching 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat': rss.com/podcasts/bel...

"Synthetic Propaganda - Tracing an AI-Driven Political Operation" with Effie Webb | Podcast Episode on RSS.com

This week we spoke with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism's AI reporter, Effie Webb about the use of AI in the political sphere and what researchers/journalists can effectively report on AI misus...

rss.com

Just sobbed hardest I have since my mom died in 2020. She missed these trials by a few months. One of most ruthless cancers. Hard to fathom that maybe she'd still be here. I feel such a hole inside. In case you're wondering if we should fund mRNA research instead of another stupid war ... yes.

Ignacio Gallup-Diaz@igallupd.bsky.social · 4mo ago

"Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial: Scientists caution that more research is needed, but nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine are still alive six years later."

Palantir put out a 22-point summary of their CEO's book The Technological Republic. It's pitched as a defence of the West, but if you read it through the VDA framework, verification, deliberation, accountability, what it's actually doing looks rather different. twitter-thread.com/t/2045574398...

And that's a wrap on #ijf26! It's never enough sleep or espresso but always so much fun. Thank you to my fellow panelists on peak verification @bendobrown.bsky.social & George Sargent and to @evidentmedia.org @zachtoombs.bsky.social @kevinclancy.bsky.social for screening our Emmy nominated films

India has exported more than 320 million unapproved synthetic opioid pills to West Africa in just three years. Trade data shows over 1,400 shipments of tapentadol — a potent painkiller — were sent to a region already facing an opioid crisis. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...

Painkiller Pipeline: 300 Million Tapentadol Pills Sent from India to West Africa - bellingcat

Indian companies have sent more than 320 million synthetic opioid pills to West Africa – where they have not been approved by regulators – in three years.

bellingcat.com

You can watch a video on all of our work investigating the crime trio here www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj0G...

Why these Irish cartel bosses are still free

YouTube video by Search Party

youtube.com

Breaking: Kinahan cartel leader Daniel Kinahan has been arrested in Dubai. It follows a Bellingcat investigation last month that traced him to an MMA event in Dubai - providing the first proof that the cartel's leadership was still in hiding in the UAE. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

New Footage Shows Wanted Kinahan Cartel Kingpins Post-Sanctions - bellingcat

Daniel and Christy Kinahan have been photographed in Dubai, marking the most recent sighting of the wanted crime bosses since the US levied sanctions against the cartel.

bellingcat.com

Grok users prompted the AI chatbot to identify victims from redacted Epstein Files images. Of 31 requests reviewed, Grok generated images for 27, spanning 18 images and one video. X did not respond to requests for comment on Grok's behaviour by time of publication. www.youtube.com/shorts/dhD8O...

Grok Users Are Attempting To Identify Epstein Victims

YouTube video by Bellingcat

youtube.com

New from 404 Media: here is the user guide for ELITE, the tool Palantir made for ICE. A map shows people on a map; ICE clicks them, brings up their dossier. ICE uses to find which neighborhoods to target. We obtained it, you can now read the document for yourself: www.404media.co/here-is-the-...

Here is the User Guide for ELITE, the Tool Palantir Made for ICE

404 Media is publishing a version of the user guide for ELITE, which lets ICE bring up dossiers on individual people and provides a “confidence score” of their address.

404media.co

For anyone interested in digging through the new Epstein Files release our Discord community are going through the files at the moment Thread - discord.com/channels/709... Invite link for newbies - discord.com/invite/belli...

Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games

Discord is great for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community. Customize your own space to talk, play, and hang out.

discord.com

Satellite imagery helps you understand what’s happening on the ground, from above. There are loads of free tools out there. Here are 6 I actually use (and what each is best for). Thread 👇🛰️

Bellingcat has further analysed videos of the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents. The footage shows an agent wearing a black beanie step behind Pretti. His right arm then appears to recoil at the same time the first shot is heard.

the work @bellingcat.com is doing in Minneapolis is essential. I spoke with @eoghanmacguire.bsky.social about the site's U.S. strategy www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/in-m...

In Minneapolis and other U.S. cities, Bellingcat supplements local news by “zooming in with a forensic lens”

Partnerships with local news outlets help "bring our stories to the audiences who need to see them most."

niemanlab.org

Pepperball guns, tasers and tear gas are among the weapons recently deployed against protesters in the US. In a new guide, @easybakeovensz.bsky.social details some of the “less-lethal” equipment federal agents have carried during the current immigration raids. www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

Guide: The ‘Less-Lethal’ Weapons Used by the DHS

Tear gas and PepperBall guns are among the weapons ICE and Border Patrol agents have been seen with at nationwide raids and protests related to immigration.

bellingcat.com

NEW, from @easybakeovensz.bsky.social here at @bellingcat.com: A guide to the "less lethal" weapons used by DHS agents against protesters, observers, and bystanders in the US www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

Guide: The ‘Less-Lethal’ Weapons Used by the DHS

Tear gas and PepperBall guns are among the weapons ICE and Border Patrol agents have been seen with at nationwide raids and protests related to immigration.

bellingcat.com

I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com

I grew up with Alex Pretti

The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.

theverge.com

This time last year, incarcerated firefighters were battling a series of destructive wildfires in Southern California. Frank writes about the reality of serving time at fire camps — which allow for more freedom and benefits — but also blend two prison populations, which can be dangerous.

Prison Yard Politics at California’s Fire Camps

When these two groups get together, explosions can ensue.

prisonjournalismproject.org

One of the Bellingcat Discord members has made Wordle, but for identifying warships keel-fawn.vercel.app

We’ve annotated this satellite imagery from January 20th to show the proximity of where the journalists using a drone were killed to the displacement camps and the nearest IDF outposts in Gaza. The Yellow Line is where Israeli troops withdrew to following the US-brokered deal with Hamas.

Chris Osieck@chrisosieck.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Israeli airstrike on a vehicle, which killed Palestinian journalists Anas Ghunaim, Abdul Ra’ouf and Shaath Mohammad Qeshta, geolocated in Al-Mughraqa, 31.473447, 34.417956.

we're getting all the downsides of cyberpunk (social alienation, ruthless hyper capitalism, digital mass surveillance state) but none of the promised upsides (cheap street food, cool jackets, super drugs that make you really fast and strong before they kill you)

New footage from the ICE agent's phone who shot at Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis has emerged, posted by AlphaNews on X. We've placed that footage in a synced timeline with the other currently available footage.

Streets have been renamed, Ukrainian monuments removed, and murals painted over. Bellingcat investigates how apartment blocks in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol have been demolished to make way for a new Russian suburban utopia… www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...

Building on Ruins: The Russification of Mariupol, One Apartment Block at a Time - bellingcat

Bellingcat has identified 23 multi-storey housing complexes being built in occupied Mariupol and advertised for sale to Russian citizens.

bellingcat.com

New satellite images show the scale of demolition that has occurred on the East Wing of the White House in less than a month.

NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war

Can LLMs identify where a photo was taken? And how accurate are they? We put some AI models to the test... www.youtube.com/shorts/tUBm4...

Can ChatGPT Find Out Where Your Photo Was Taken?

YouTube video by Bellingcat

youtube.com

We're happy to see that this important project covering the plight of journalists in Gaza has been recognised with an award. You can read Bellingcat's contribution here, which includes explorable 3D models of Jabalia Refugee Camp and Al-Shati Refugee Camp. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/03...

Shot From Above: The Dangerous Work of Drone Journalists in Gaza - bellingcat

Examining the high price those documenting devastation in Gaza pay.

bellingcat.com

Forbidden Stories@forbidden-stories.bsky.social · 10mo ago

We’re honored to share that the #GazaProject investigation — led by Forbidden Stories in collaboration with over a dozen media partners — has received the 2025 #IJ4EU Impact Award, organised by the ECPMF and announced tonight at the UNCOVERED Conference, hosted by iMEdD_org. 1/5

Universities may hold the key to fighting misinformation... On Thursday we speak to @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social about their Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab discussing how the lab is building critical thinking skills and leading to headline stories. discord.gg/bellingcat?e...

Had both the great privilege and some great fun developing some maritime OSINT challenges for the fine folks at @bellingcat.com ! Huge appreciation for their work and other investigative outlets telling the important stories happening on our oceans.

Bellingcat@bellingcat.com · 10mo ago

Smuggling routes, illegal fishing operations, and shadow fleets. There’s loads going on at sea. Try to track some ships yourself, this month in the Bellingcat Open Source Challenge. Find the exercises, created by our volunteer @tomi-mcc.bsky.social, here: challenge.bellingcat.com

1. Led by Elon Musk, the far-right has exploded in a campaign to get Netflix to remove shows with queer and trans characters. If Netflix capitulates to their demands, an already strained market for LGBTQ+ animators might become even more dire. Subscribe to support our journalism.

Elon Musk Leads Campaign To Force Netflix To Remove Shows With Trans Characters

Musk's posts have been seen by tens of millions of users, and many conservatives are now attempting to force Netflix into a removal of LGBTQ+ content.

erininthemorning.com