@Bellingcat@mstdn.social
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Bellingcat

@Bellingcat@mstdn.social

Bellingcat is an independent investigative collective of researchers, investigators, and citizen journalists brought together by a passion for open source research.

Want to support our charity? http://bellingcat.com/donate/

Buy our book "We Are Bellingcat" here: http://bit.ly/2EP09EN

Our award-winning podcast series: http://apple.co/36LJURI

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Bellingcat, to random
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In our recent investigation, Bellingcat’s Carlos Gonzales and the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP) investigated the case of a TikTok Influencer with 150,000 followers whose posts about people smuggling activities didn’t quite add up...

The research also highlighted a trend in human smugglers using the social platform to promote their services.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/30/a-phantoms-tale-the-coyote-influencer-on-tiktok/

Bellingcat, to random
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Our Bellingcat Discord Server is officially 4 years old!
To celebrate our community, we're hosting a Bellingcat AMA. Throughout today our team will be in one Discord channel answering your questions. Join from 8am EDT with Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins... https://discord.gg/bellingcat?event=1239394194632474726

Bellingcat,
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We're still going! From 8am EDT- 7pm EDT. Join the AMA here: https://discord.gg/TK8PduKy?event=1239394194632474726

Bellingcat, to random
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Missed our Stage Talk on publishing on closed messaging platforms with The Continent's Sipho Kings? You can catch up on any major podcast platform now or listen in on our SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/UK91xD8VY2S1yNWW6

Bellingcat, to random
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Many open source tools require understanding of programming languages, which can be a real barrier. But there is a way to access them without coding knowledge. In our latest video Bellingcat's Aiganysh Aidarbekova shows you how to use notebooks to access useful research tools: https://youtu.be/ymCMy8OffHM

Bellingcat, to random
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We've seen an uptake in accounts using the term OSINT, in some cases to boost poor analysis. This can be confusing for those looking for considered and objective research in their feed. So we wrote a guide on the warning signs of bad open source research https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2024/04/25/oshit-seven-deadly-sins-of-bad-open-source-research/?utm_source=mastodon

Bellingcat, to random
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At 5pm CET/11am EDT today we will be speaking on journalism and research distributed via closed messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/bellingcat?event=1237346006455160832

Bellingcat, to random
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Did you know that, at Bellingcat, we don't just investigate but we also build tools for research purposes? You can find our full list of open-source tools here on our GitHub: https://github.com/bellingcat

Bellingcat,
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One of our most used tools is our auto-archiver, making it very easy to archive online content that you are researching, keeping it safe regardless if the original poster has taken it off the social platform. Find out how to use the auto-archiver here: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/

Bellingcat,
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Another well used tool is our Open Street Map Search Tool, allowing users to identify regions and areas to start your geolocation search, based on structures and features in your image. This tool was the one recently used by @georainbolt . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiiRpaayqag&list=PLq6cQ--4f90ikZpHg2zL2Y7B-fZlA-hGw

Bellingcat,
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We also recently produced a video on our new Telegram Phone Number Checker tool that helps users pinpoint if phone numbers are connected to Telegram accounts, retrieving usernames, names, and IDs where available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLJgnlilEBs

Bellingcat,
@Bellingcat@mstdn.social avatar

Bellingcat is a non-profit and the ability to carry out our work, including building such tools, is dependent on the kind support of individual donors. If you would like to support our work, you can do so here: https://www.bellingcat.com/donate/

Bellingcat, to random
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Join this Thursday's Stage Talk as we speak to Sipho Kings, cofounder of Africa's weekly Journal The Continent about the risks and rewards of publishing to a large audience on closed messaging platforms. Be in the live audience on our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/bellingcat?event=1237346006455160832

Bellingcat, to random
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The fleet of Russian ships smuggling grain from occupied Ukraine is growing. Last week we identified two other vessels setting sail from Crimea to Iran.
Read how we used open-source techniques to follow these ships on their secretive journeys.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/23/from-crimea-to-iran-two-more-ships-join-russias-grain-smuggling-fleet/?utm_source=mstdn

Bellingcat, to random
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Last week's stage talk is now live and up on all podcast platforms under 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat' . We spoke about Bellingcat's and the Global Legal Action Network's efforts to build a methodology for open source information to be used for prosecution of atrocity crimes. https://on.soundcloud.com/NVMUcd9v3PX91pV56

Bellingcat,
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You can find out more about the work of the Justice and Accountability Unit here: https://www.glanlaw.org/online-open-source-methodology

Bellingcat, to random
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A real life coyote or a con? Bellingcat’s Carlos Gonzales and the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP) investigate a TikTok influencer claiming to help people cross the US-Mexico border undetected...
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/30/a-phantoms-tale-the-coyote-influencer-on-tiktok/?utm_source=mstdn

Bellingcat,
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We asked Maldonado whether he used semi-trailer trucks for his smuggling services to which he answered: “No, I don't work with that”.

Bellingcat,
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Smuggling of Latin American migrants is a multi million dollar operation and is fraught with risk for vulnerable migrants making the journey.

Bellingcat,
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Semi-trailers or lorries have been used to smuggle many migrants across Mexico and the US-Mexico border, sometimes with fatal consequences. Read the full investigative series coordinated by Telemundo and El Clip here: https://www.elclip.org/traileres-trampa-para-migrantes/

Bellingcat,
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Maldonado’s account was banned by TikTok after we contacted them to ask about it and other smuggling ads we identified on the platform.

Bellingcat,
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A TikTok spokesperson told us: "We have zero tolerance for content that facilitates human smuggling. We continue to work closely with law enforcement and industry partners to find and remove content of this nature."

Bellingcat,
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Bellingcat,
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Bellingcat,
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You can read CLIP's version of our article here: https://www.elclip.org/coyote-influencer-tiktok-mexico-usa/

Bellingcat,
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Bellingcat is a non-profit and the ability to carry out our work is dependent on the kind support of individual donors. If you would like to support our work, you can do so here https://www.bellingcat.com/donate/

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