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...

This Friday, I'll be on a panel speaking about investigating AI nudify sites at @journalismfestival.com along side @samleecole.bsky.social at @404media.co @charleymaher.bsky.social @bellingcat.com and Michael Safi from @theguardian.com. Come say hi!

Watch us live in an hour!

The new Bellingcat Challenge is out, this time focused on animals, and I'm already stuck on this one, so prove you're smarter and better than me in every way by trying it yourself here challenge.bellingcat.com

If you're going to the International Journalism Festival #ijf25 next week , spend Friday morning (10:30am) with us learning about the impacts AI is having on informed consent and female rights. www.journalismfestival.com/programme/20...

You can find all of the stories from the Gaza Project here forbiddenstories.org/projects_pos..., and a special thanks to @godin.bsky.social @youssr.bsky.social @magdalenahervada.bsky.social and @charleymaher.bsky.social for letting me work with them on this investigation.

This was a challenging but important piece to work on. Telling the stories of those attacked for showing the scale of destruction and helping illustrate that scale ourselves using a 3D model.

New from our team..

A hard read this morning

This was a great talk yesterday, thanks to those who attended. Podcast version will be out by Monday! In the meantime check out the improvements to the OSMP @munitionsportal.bsky.social , the team are doing vital work!

Are you a keen researcher and passionate about environment or wildlife investigations? Bellingcat is looking for wildlife and environment related investigations that use open source methods and tools. www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...

Bellingcat's Environmental Investigation team is looking for story pitches that use open-source investigation techniques to investigate environmental issues. We offer payment for stories, so if you've been working on a story and want to get paid, look here: www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...

This Wednesday, our founder @eliothiggins.bsky.social, will give it a shot. Watch as he tackles the challenges and reveals the methods he uses to find the answers. This livestream will be offered for free on our Patreon on Wednesday March 12, at 5pm CET/12pm EDT: www.patreon.com/posts/bellin...

Come and join our team, bringing attention to human rights abuses and providing clarity on conflicts around the world using only open sources.

Today’s social media platforms are interested in your attention and data, not in sustaining meaningful connections. So within this system, how can we still build communities for collective online action? Our new podcast is out- Listen to Comment Down Below now... www.patreon.com/posts/episod...

well so much for those cases and especially the victims in Romania. American diplomacy, 2025 news.sky.com/story/andrew...

This was an incredible project to be part of. Showcasing visual investigations by breaking down their methods. Had the pleasure of travelling to Munich to see our hard work in person too.

Latest tech video by @merelzoet.bsky.social and @aiganysh.bsky.social . Invaluable but simple tips for staying secure online!

I am so glad that I get the opportunity at work to table these kinds of discussions. It was my pleasure to interview Alexa about covering GBV cases sensitively. Watch this space for more conversations on ethics and safety in digital investigations...

They’ve survived sanctions, law enforcement crackdowns, and international scrutiny. Now, they’re making moves in a region known for its underworld connections. How a web of Asian hubs cleans cash for the #Kinahancartel. Thanks to @bellingcat.com for their help www.thetimes.com/article/7ce5...

A piece I published in February 2023 that's more relevant than ever How @bellingcat.com collects, verifies and archives digital evidence of war crimes in Ukraine Ft. Nick Waters, who explains how his team ensures any findings stand up in court reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-bel...

@eliothiggins.bsky.social joined DEEP to discuss the origins of Bellingcat and share his thoughts on the future of traditional journalism and social media. Watch the interview here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=quXB...

New from me! This article dives into a sketchy non-profit (so they claim) that Clothoff is supposedly donating money to. Lots of dodging of questions, and no evidence to suggest that they exist beyond a website.