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...

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-...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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.

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...

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...

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...

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.

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.

Our researcher @koltai.bsky.social has been investigating sites advertising non-consensual AI porn for some time. She recently spoke to @newamerica.org about her work for their recent report on the use of this imagery as a threat against women in politics.

Read our full analysis here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/09...

What struck the Gaza Aid Flotilla? After we published the story, the Tunisian Ministry of Interior issued a statement describing the incident “that took place yesterday” as a “premeditated attack” stating that an investigation had been launched.”

It appears the Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism is now claiming Hamas is behind the Global Sumud Flotilla efforts. www.gov.il/en/pages/glo...

Reports of an attack, allegedly by a drone, on a vessel in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), while anchored outside the port of Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia. The below video shows the moment of the incident. Keep it in mind when you read the next post. www.instagram.com/reel/DOXaR_M...

UPDATE Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists say one of their boats was hit by a suspected drone off the coast of Tunisia, but authorities there say none were detected u.afp.com/SdES

It's very easy to get enraged by a video, but sharing older videos as if they were new can muddy the waters for journalists and citizens. Even though the footage may depict a real thing, we need accurate context! So first things first, we need to determine: Where this happened When this happened

As Operation Midway Blitz kicks off in Chicago, it's so important to stay on top of both when and where videos are happening. This video below that features bystanders yelling 'Where you taking them?" and masked agents putting someone into a vehicle is NOT from this weekend.

BREAKING Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists say that one of its boats was hit by a suspected drone but that no one was hurt

Was watching journalist Yusuf Omar's livestream as the main vessel in the flotilla was hit just offshore Tunis. Luckily some accounts recorded it: www.instagram.com/yusufomar?ig...

The Global Sumud Flotilla says its main ship has been struck by a suspected drone in Tunisia, luckily all passengers and crew are safe

We are excited to see Bellingcat listed as a finalist in four categories in the 2025 Online Journalism Awards awards.journalists.org/winners/2025

New from 404 Media: ICE is using a new facial recognition app to identify people, leaked emails show. Point camera at person, reveal their identity. It uses the CBP system that records peoples' faces as they enter or exit the U.S. Now, turned inwards to be used by ICE www.404media.co/ice-is-using...

Last week @koltai.bsky.social and @melzxy.bsky.social dug into the “CrushAI” network, uncovering new companies associated with the deepfake brand. Meta is currently taking legal action against another Crushmate-affiliated company for 1000s of 'nudify ads' that violated its platform policies.

Earlier: "This isn’t a removal. It’s not lawful under the Immigration and Nationality Act. It doesn’t conform to anything that was previously passed in legislation ... Essentially, he was disappeared forcefully."

“If we understand industrial CO2 as debt, then heat is the interest on that debt…we now find ourselves in the default zone.” And here come the repo-men… Another banger from @johnvaillant.bsky.social www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Watch our story on YouTube in this awesome video by @charleymaher.bsky.social and @merelzoet.bsky.social

Murder, mafia, gambling and pigeons?! How open source research methods helped to unravel a 53 year-old cold case murder... with @oldpete45.bsky.social and @texasobserver.org youtu.be/TZcWblhJc_k

This month, the Bellingcat Open Source Challenge dives into the world of art, history and illicit trade. Can you spot the telltale signs of stolen cultural artifacts and trace who handled them in the past? Give this month’s Bellingcat Challenge a try! Challenge.bellingcat.com

A spyware app distributed among thousands of Syrian military officers last year may have compromised Assad's military, gathering reams of sensitive data on deployments and military ranks. Open q who built it. Fascinating investigation in @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/reportage/ho...

This is a sit down with a coffee, read on an armchair looking out into the rain kind of story... Amazing what new tech and persistence can uncover about crimes long forgotten.

Libya doesn't even have a unified government...

🕵️ The solution to @bellingcat.com's OSINT Challenge "Fresh Faced" is now on Youtube! Whether you've already completed it or not, I invite you to give it a watch; there is always something new to learn. One of the possible methods relied solely on critical thinking 🤔 www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKsy...

Two newly constructed areas by the IDF in northern Gaza along the Wadi Gaza/Salah al-Deen Road and in southern Gaza at the terminus of the newly-constructed "Morag Corridor". Both locations have a similar setup with a square gravel area surrounded by berms and have barriers setup. Possibly for aid.

From pharmaceuticals to creating explicit deepfake imagery of famous women... Here's how our team unmasked a key figure behind one of the world's largest deepfake pornography websites 👇🏻

Satellite imagery shows near total devastation to an area north west of Tel as Sultan (north of Rafah) in Gaza, May 2022 (Google Earth/Airbus) vs May 2023 (via @planetlabs.bsky.social)

I have created five OSINT challenges! 🎉 The set, titled "Back in Time", focuses on @bellingcat.com's many contributions to the OSINT community over the past decade, and can be found on their new challenge platform. Go and check them out! 🔽 challenge.bellingcat.com

It's easy to make a sexual deepfake without consent. Yet discussions on AI focus on disinformation or chatbot capabilities. @koltai.bsky.social -"The people in this are not in this for the love of the game.. they're in this because they want to make money". www.journalismfestival.com/programme/20...