,
30 tweets,
22 min read
Read on Twitter
Currently updating the layout of Bellingcat's digital forensics tools, and adding pros and cons of tools we use. docs.google.com/document/d/1Bf… 
Always wondered how to download anyone's tweets, followers and likes into a single spreadsheet? There's an easy tool (and Chrome extension) for that: Twlets (@twlets, twlets.com). H/t @henkvaness.
In which timezone do Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram show the upload time? Useful overview by @firstdraftnews on how to read time stamps on social media.
Basic security precautions for non-profits and journalists in the United States. Do's, Don'ts, and When Travelling. (By @TechSolidarity.) techsolidarity.org/resources/basi…
This is a great trick to transcribe faster and more efficiently. Thanks @AbraxasSpa.
And read this regarding your personal cyber security.
Tip from @henkvaness, the guru of social media investigation: "[Master] the art to make your own formula's, regardless the tools, and rephrase your question into the rigid logic of Facebook by inventing your own formulas". Examples below.
@henkvaness From January 29, 2018, onward, Panoramio will stop working. This means one of the most important resources for geolocation will be lost. Please do migrate your photos to Google if you have photos up in Panoramio - save what's possible.
Today is a sad day for geolocation. Panoramio is dead.
The OSINT Landscape, a condensed visual representation of open source investigative tools. (By @Yaolri, @CovertShores, and @Topol_MSS27).
@Yaolri @CovertShores @Topol_MSS27 (And here's a tip: if you'd like to download or view the Twitter image in higher quality, open it in a new tab and add ":large" or ":orig" behind the url.)
Here's a free dataset of all known oil and gas deposits throughout the world, both on-shore and off-shore, downloadable in shapefiles. H/t @FoekePostma. prio.org/Data/Geographi…
The Mineral Resources Data System of the US is a collection of reports describing metallic and nonmetallic mineral resources throughout the world, including location, commodity, production, reserves, etc. H/t @DerekBisaccio. mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/map-us.ht…
This is a really cool tool that saw the light during a @Bellingcat workshop where @henkvaness and @danielendresz worked together: whopostedwhat.com, which allows you to research trillions of posts on Facebook, sort and select them by date.
@bellingcat Facebook removes the tool that lets users enter phone numbers or email addresses into the social medium's search tool to find other people (something very useful for OSINV) - but also used by malicious actors to scrape public profile info, Facebook said. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
@bellingcat This is neat indeed. (H/t @N_Waters89.)
This is related to the @worldoftanks video game, but these 3D models of a variety of tanks — such as the T-34 — may possibly be interesting for conflict watchers as well. Would be cool to have something similar for modern tanks. sketchfab.com/wargaming/mode… (H/t @Sheeborshee.)
@Sheeborshee Or actually, there are such freely available 3D models already on @Sketchfab. Here's a 3D model of the M1 Abrams, used (with different upgrades etc.) by for example Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iraq. sketchfab.com/models/2577a4e…
This is a pretty cool new tool: a logo identifier. Works with photos and videos. The database draws upon tv channels, media organisations, armed groups, etc. You can add logos and additional information yourself. logos.iti.gr
This is a potentially very useful script for geolocating photos and videos: it allows querying Google Maps API for two specific places, e.g. a bus stop and a church, in a specific given radius. github.com/musafir-py/fin…
Gaza City and surrounding in 1880, the 1940s, and 2018.
Access historical maps and recent satellite imagery of Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel via @visualizingpal here: palopenmaps.org
Access historical maps and recent satellite imagery of Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel via @visualizingpal here: palopenmaps.org
Satellite images are powerful tools for discovery, analysis, and provide vivid illustrations — for conflicts, climate, refugees, forest fires, illegal mining, oil spills, etc. Here's a @GIJN list of where you can find them. Happy I could contribute a bit. gijn.org/resources-for-…
(All the above mentioned satellite services are included on @Bellingcat's digital toolkit, which includes a wide variety of open-source investigative tools: .)
@bellingcat Want to track the jet of an oligarch or dictator, but they have scrubbed their data from commercial flight tracking services? The @OCCRP data team has a new, open resource for journalists, which may help with that. tech.occrp.org/blog/2018/06/1…
Here's a great basic guide by @RaoKomar747 on how to digitally verify combatant affiliation in the Middle East. Over the coming months, @Bellingcat will publish a number of introductory guides on specific open-source investigative topics. bellingcat.com/resources/how-…
Ideally, you read and write the Arabic script when conducting open-source investigations into Syria. But what if you don't? @NoorNahas1 explains how you can still collect open-source info from particular incidents or groups in this new @Bellingcat guide. bellingcat.com/resources/2018…
@bellingcat How to scrape and visualise Twitter mentions? In this blogpost, @dutch_osintguy explains in what way you can scrape tweets containing certain keywords. (H/t @vpkivimaki.) medium.com/@Dutchosintguy…
@bellingcat A Short Guide to the History of ‘Fake News’ and Disinformation: A New @ICFJ Learning Module. icfj.org/news/short-gui…
