Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Stage Talks with Bellingcat

This week we spoke to the people behind the Bellingcat Online Open Source Investigation Toolkit, two years after it was first launched. In the conversation, Johanna Wild, Anisa Shabir and Martin Sona explored how they assess new tools, put tools to the test and manage to upkeep the toolkit amongst a constantly changing digital landscape. They also provided invaluable tips on how you can stay safe and precise with your analysis when using open source tools. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on October 8th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Contact: toolkit@bellingcat.com

Support the Toolkit work: https://www.bellingcat.com/donate-bellingcat-toolkit/

Areas in our Discord for tools: Interested in finding or sharing useful tools? ⁠tools-and-sites Need help with a tool? ⁠tool-support

Looking for help with or review of development of your own tool? ⁠tool-development

We spoke about some of these ethical issues and restrictions with AI tools last week with Craig Silverman, listen back here: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/3202578/

Johanna previously gave a talk when the new toolkit launched here: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1675152/

Image/Video category in the toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/categories/image-video

Tool Pure Ref: https://www.pureref.com/

Social media category in the toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/categories/social-media

Tool zeeschuimer: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/zeeschuimer

Learn about our volunteer community here: https://www.bc-community.org/

This week OSINT journalist and trainer Craig Silverman joined us to share how he uses AI in investigations, from prompting Claude to become a research assistant to searching with facial recognition tools. This talk specifically dove into his methodology on his recent investigation into a North Korean scam, where fake recruiters were trying to get new hires to download malware. Craig shared invaluable tips on how and when AI could come in use, alongside pointing out the risks involved with using this technology for research.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on October 1st 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Craig's investigation: https://indicator.media/p/i-got-inside-a-north-korean-hiring-scam-what-i-found-reveals-a-troubling-shift-in-tactics

Tools mentioned:

spotlight.buriedsignals.com

https://navigator.indicator.media/

Xuele Doc: https://github.com/Malfrats/xeuledoc

Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Bellingcat AI articles: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2026/06/25/how-to-use-ai-to-help-find-civilian-harm-conflict-report-monitor-war-machine-learning-telegram/

https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2025/08/14/llms-vs-geolocation-gpt-5-performs-worse-than-other-ai-models/

Indicator framework: https://indicator.media/p/the-indicator-framework-how-to-tell-what-your-digital-osint-evidence-is-actually-worth

Space in Discord for this topic: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1089154093810978866

This week Bellingcat's Peter Barth joined us to go behind the scenes of his latest investigation into a cold case murder. This talk specifically dove into his methodology for public record requests and how this pursuit led to him finding the answers he was looking for. Full of FOIA tips and tricks, this episode is perfect for anyone looking to do in-depth investigations on cases that may have taken place pre-internet boom.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on September 17th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Peter's cold case investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/us-canada/2026/08/31/investigating-a-murder-public-records-uncover-new-clues-in-chinatown-cold-case/?utm_source=stagetalks

Peter's slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aGJNVqzHSgOC4nwsKT7rrw7NpO--a8lWCK8k2Z8apoM/edit?usp=sharing

Merch contest (referenced at beginning): https://www.bellingcat.com/uncategorized/2026/09/14/bellingcat-official-merch-design-contest/

Peter's last talk on cold cases: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2101281/

Space in the Discord Server to talk tools for cold case investigations: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1375086026275688488

Muckrock: https://www.muckrock.com/foi/

also a great FOI website: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/

Peter's Texas cold case: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/05/27/pigeon-shoots-and-hitmen-new-leads-in-a-texas-oilmans-cold-case/

This week Bellingcat's Michael Colborne and Pooja Chaudhuri joined us to share their experience of using network analysis techniques to study transnational hate groups. We spent the hour discussing useful research tips and exploring the wider context of how these types of groups operate.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on September 3rd 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Want to learn more about researching this topic? Check out our webinar in October: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/hate-symbols-online-extremism-and-how-not-to-amplify-hate-webinar-october-28-2026/

Colombian investigation on AC Bogota: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/05/11/active-club-colombia-politics/

Bulgarian streetwear investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/10/09/active-club-far-right-fashion-w2r-bulgaria/

Example of an event in Budapest: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/01/30/neo-nazis-linked-to-terrorist-activities-to-host-budapest-concert/

Hindu nationalist website article: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/05/28/how-hindu-nationalist-far-right-india-websites-money/

RSS map: https://rssproject.caravanmagazine.in/map

QANON analysis guide: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2021/11/24/toy-rabbits-chemtrails-and-german-qanon-fanatics-how-not-to-conduct-open-source-investigations/

RSS in Modi Government: https://theprint.in/politics/rss-in-modi-govt-in-numbers-3-of-4-ministers-are-rooted-in-the-sangh/353942/

This week Bellingcat's Kolina Koltai and The Press' Michael Wright joined us to discuss their recent investigation into the website LeakedBB. LeakedBB was a publicly accessible forum with millions of registered users, where intimate images were allegedly shared without consent. Kolina and Michael provided insight into the methodology behind their investigation, how they identified a key admin of the website, and the challenges of tackling the wider issue of non-consensual sharing of explicit images online.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on August 13th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

The investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/07/16/leakedbb-crypto-entrepreneur/

The Press' version of the investigation: https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/361041069/leaked-global-online-forum-trading-leaked-nudes-and-its-christchurch-links

These researchers also recently spoke to The World about this investigation: https://theworld.org/segments/2026/08/07/investigative-report-traces-global-reach-of-revenge-porn-website

Have a story for Bellingcat? https://www.bellingcat.com/contact

OpenCorporates: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/opencorporates

MrDeepfakes investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/05/07/canadian-pharmacist-linked-to-worlds-most-notorious-deepfake-porn-site/

Motherless (.com) podcast episode: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2909687/

Image Angel podcast episode: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2962192/

Hunchly: https://hunch.ly/

Autoarchiver: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2025/08/13/the-open-source-tool-that-has-preserved-150000-pieces-of-online-evidence/

This week, we explored how our work is funded - what keeps our open-source collective's lights on? Bellingcat's Sarah Bishop Woods and Mareike Vitt, both members of our Development Team, joined us to explain our new funding structure: a Bellingcat membership model. We discussed what a membership model is, why Bellingcat has adopted it, and the benefits and risks associated with this type of funding. Mareike also stressed that relying on a single source of funding is not enough to sustain an organisation in the current economic climate.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on July 3oth 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Become a Bellingcat member: https://www.bellingcat.com/donate/

Mareike's previous talk is here on wider funding models: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1897808/

Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Listed member benefits: https://www.bellingcat.com/bellingcat-member-benefits/

Some guidance on how to support Bellingcat from Mareike, we're grateful for all of them:

Amplify. Share our program, newsletters or posts within your networks.

Take initiative. You can create your own campaign for Bellingcat and start raising funds within your peers by e.g. for your birthday, run a half-marathon, live-stream your gaming activity

• Fundraiser for Bellingcat NL (tax-deductible in NL)For raising funds that are tax deductible in NL: https://www.bellingcat.com/bellingcat-member-benefits/
• Fundraiser for Bellingcat US (tax-deductible in the US) For raising tax deductible donations in the US: https://donorbox.org/peer-to-peer-fundraising-for-bellingcat

Targeted support. You can support specific causes at Bellingcat now. We’ve created a dedicated fund to support the Bellingcat Toolkit. Let us know what else you’d like to support. Donations to support the Bellingcat Toolkit specifically: https://www.bellingcat.com/donate-bellingcat-toolkit/

Advise. Your insight is important to us, and we will listen carefully.

Connect. If someone from your network belongs in the conversation, we would be grateful for the introduction.

Any ideas, questions or initiatives, we're here for you: donations@bellingcat.com

This week, we spoke to SourceMaterial's Costanza Gambarini, fresh off her win at the Press Awards for Environmental Journalist of the Year. We spoke about what makes a good environmental journalist and the practices she follows in her newsroom. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on July 16th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Seeds of doubt: https://www.politico.eu/article/seeds-of-doubt-the-dark-side-of-enis-green-jet-fuel-promise/

Indonesian exports: https://www.source-material.org/indonesian-exporters-palm-oil-pome-fraud-supplied-european-fuel-companies/

Dark Water: https://www.source-material.org/putin-shadow-fleet-illegal-dumping-oil-sea/

Data Centres: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/09/big-tech-datacentres-water

Other investigations mentioned:

https://www.source-material.org/shadow-fleet-security-guard-captains-russia-oil/

https://www.source-material.org/totalenergies-workers-linked-sexual-exploitation-mozambique/

https://www.source-material.org/mozambique-total-lng-military-human-rights/

Contact SourceMaterial: https://www.source-material.org/contact/

Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Discord spaces:

#environment-wildlife: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/807311724893175878

#Tools-sites: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/709755421836967978

#maritime: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/920298016123023400

Previous talks mentioned:

Protecting the people in your research: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2041897/

Tracking Suspicious Ships: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2235217/

This week, we're exploring technology designed to respond to online harms.

We spoke with Madelaine Thomas, founder of Image Angel, about forensic watermarking, how the technology works, and the challenges of building tools to respond to the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.

We also discuss the opportunities, limitations, and alternative approaches to tackling this issue.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on July 2nd 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

TW: Discussion of sexual exploitation and image abuse

Links:

The company website: https://www.imageangel.co.uk/

And Image Angel's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imageangel_/

If you're interested in this talk you might find our previous talk with CNN interesting: (HUGE TW for sexual abuse) https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2909687/

Revenge Porn Helpline: https://stopncii.org/

Bellingcat Open Source Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Tool Development space in our Discord Server: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1485701772625314013

#NotYourPorn: https://notyourporn.com/

This week we spoke to the CNN team behind the investigation into the porn site Motherless. Anonymous accounts. Private chat groups. Hidden online communities. We unpacked how reporters gained access to these spaces, spoke with users sharing intimate imagery of people they knew, and navigated the challenges of reporting in communities designed to stay hidden. It's a conversation about newsroom resources, risk assessment, digital safety, and the realities of reporting where others aren't looking.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on June 11th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist. Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

TW: Discussion of sexual assault and abuse

Links:

CNN's Motherless Investigation: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2026/03/world/expose-rape-assault-online-vis-intl/index.html and As Equals series: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/asequals/

NDR covered this network in 2024, their unit STRG_F's documentary: youtube.com/watch?si=uoUyWe9dQAteJWJA&v=GLrzyOLJUtk&feature=youtu.be - Their research triggered an international law enforcement operation: https://www.ndr.de/der_ndr/presse/mitteilungen/ndr-recherche-loest-internationale-ermittlungsoperation-medusa-aus,pressemeldungndr-638.html

Pelicot investigation: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2024/12/europe/gisele-pelicot-france-case-messages/

NY Times article hiding CSAM: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/09/us/internet-child-sex-abuse.html

Berkeley Protocol https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2024-01/OHCHR_BerkeleyProtocol.pdf

Alexa Koenig talk https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1908244/

Discord discussion space - Gender Based Violence And Misogyny: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1118448280435687506

Maintain mental hygiene as a researcher: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/

Reporting on gender based violence: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/03/03/sexual-and-gender-based-violence-open-source-researche-osint-digital/

This week we spoke to Bellingcat's Pooja Chaudhuri about the ongoing violence in Myanmar. After tracking developments in Rakhine State for three years, Pooja has recently published a longitudinal data analysis of what has happened to the villages and townships disappearing off government maps.

Within the talk, she guides us through this work and the obstacles faced in order to monitor this difficult to access region.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on May 28th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Her 2026 report: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/05/27/the-lost-villages-of-myanmars-rakhine/?utm_source=rss

Her previous reporting:

2024: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/06/05/myanmar-military-territorial-losses-war-conflict-human-rights-burma/

2025: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/04/29/open-sources-show-myanmar-junta-airstrike-damages-despite-post-earthquake-ceasefire/

Human Rights Watch report: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/05/18/myanmar-no-redress-for-rohingya-muslims-in-arakan-army-massacre

Resources mentioned:

https://acleddata.com/

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/

https://themimu.info/

https://www.info-res.org/myanmar-witness/

Stage Talk on munitions identification: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2625938/

Discord spaces:

Myanmar: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1087357245400035350

Bombs, Arms, Drones, Other Killing Machines: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/709771086228619337

Asia: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/709783693857783929

Contact Pooja on pooja@bellingcat.com

This week we dove head first into the world of flight tracking. How can you identify an ICE flight? What can tracking tools actually tell us? And what kinds of conditions are those being deported facing? We discuss all this and more with independent journalist and former Washington Post staffer Gillian Brockell.

Think of this one as a one stop intro to flight tracking workshop, and listen whilst you have the tools in front of you.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on May 14th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Gillian's work: https://gillianbrockell.com/

Flight tracking site: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/

Another flight tracking site mentioned: https://www.flightradar24.com/

New ICE flight tracking tool designed for legal professionals for when clients touch their jurisdiction (includes ICE hubs/callsign prefixes): https://lexingtonalarm.org/hfw-dashboard/

Acars site: https://tbg.airframes.io/dashboard/

Aviation channel in Bellingcat Discord: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1319318313519812619

ICE discussion channel in Bellingcat Discord: https://discordapp.com/channels/709752884257882135/1371571764525535242

Seattle airport livestream: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/executive-services/transit-transportation-roads/airport/about/ice-flights

LiveATC.net: https://liveatc.net/

ATC.com: https://www.atc.com/

Advice on ADSB feeders: https://adsb.im/home

Bellingcat's historical flight tracking data tool (Turnstone): https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2026/03/05/turnstone-flight-tracking-tool/

This week’s episode features researcher Chu Yang, a specialist in Chinese audience insights. She joins us to break down the most popular social media platforms in China, offering a clear overview of how they work and why they matter. Chu also shares practical tips for accessing these platforms from outside the country, along with useful tools for analysing trends both within China and across global Chinese communities.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on April 30th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

The guide on Xiaohongshu written by Chu Yang: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2026/04/20/xiaohongshu-rednote-open-source-guide/

Mentioned resources:

weibo.com/hot

newrank.cn

whatsonweibo.com

chinadigitaltimes.net

citizenlab.ca

https://zh.greatfire.org/analyzer

Chu's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chu-yang-cn

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 misuse. Effie uncovered what some experts are calling a first-of-its-kind case—where a registered political party paid for content from an AI-generated influencer pushing ideological messaging.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on April 16th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Effie Webb's original reporting: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-03-12/danny-bones-meet-the-ai-rapper-funded-by-a-far-right-party

Effie's follow up investigation on the cash in following her reporting: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-03-26/the-hate-economy-in-action-how-an-ai-rapper-tried-to-cash-in-on-our-coverage

Advance UK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_UK

Bellingcat coverage of Indian political parties using AI-generated images to spread hate: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/31/india-bjp-hate-speech-ai/?utm_source=rss

The Node Project website: https://www.thenodeproject.com/

On AI lego videos from Iran conflict: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/15/iran-beating-us-social-media-wars

AI generated band finding success on Spotify: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/14/an-ai-generated-band-got-1m-plays-on-spotify-now-music-insiders-say-listeners-should-be-warned

One of our previous talks on digital political influence campaigns: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2021916/

On AI and the first amendment: https://www.freedomforum.org/artificial-intelligence-first-amendment/

Bellingcat's Auto Archiver: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2025/08/13/the-open-source-tool-that-has-preserved-150000-pieces-of-online-evidence/

Effie's contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/effie-webb-ab29941938

This week we spoke with Foeke Postma of Bellingcat about the online trade of rare and protected species. He found traffickers not operating on the dark web, nor hidden forums but in plain sight- on social media platforms.

Many of them used coded language to avoid detection. In this talk he discusses his investigative methods, what platforms could do more of to stop these networks and how you can help protect these vulnerable animals in small ways.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on April 2nd 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

Foeke's investigations on this topic:

Indonesian trafficker: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/19/how-wildlife-traffickers-are-using-coded-language-to-sell-protected-animals-on-facebook/

Mongabay's coverage: https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/facebook-shuts-indonesia-groups-after-mongabay-and-bellingcat-report-illegal-wildlife-trade/

Malaysian trafficker: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/02/11/the-hunt-for-malaysias-elusive-wildlife-trafficker/

Dubai trade: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/middle-east/2021/02/08/how-instagram-celebrities-promote-dubais-underground-animal-trade/

Digital tips:

Facebook bookmarklets: https://tools.myosint.training/

Wildlife specific organisations:

Cities: https://trade.cites.org/

Pitch to Bellingcat: submissions@bellingcat.com

Mental hygiene guide: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/

Link to Discord environment/wildlife topic channel: https://discord.gg/GQDsGvXJdf

This week we spoke with Trevor Ball of Bellingcat about how to identify weapons used in conflict, including the munitions appearing in the Iran conflict.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on March 12th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links:

The Weapons Being Deployed https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/03/bombs-will-fall-everywhere-the-american-israeli-and-iranian-weapons-being-deployed-in-middle-east/

The Incendiary Bomb Never Seen in Israel https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/07/the-incendiary-bomb-never-seen-in-israel-before/

Video Of US Tomahawk Missile Strike Next to Girls’ School https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/08/video-shows-us-tomahawk-missile-strike-next-to-girls-school-in-iran/

US Missiles Spotted Over Iraq https://www.bellingcat.com/news/middle-east/2026/03/11/iran-war-iraq-tomahawks-munitions-syria-located-kurdistan-missiles-fired/

OSMP The Iran War 2026 https://osmp.ngo/collection/the-iran-war-2026/

Iran-Israel conflict June 2025 https://osmp.ngo/collection/iran-israel-conflict-june-2025/

US munitions used in Yemen 2025 https://osmp.ngo/collection/us-munitions-in-yemen/

Bulletpicker - https://www.bulletpicker.com/index.html

ODIN- https://odin.tradoc.army.mil/WEG

Images shared by Iranian state media show remnants of a US Tomahawk missile https://bsky.app/profile/bellingcat.com/post/3mgnv5iscv226

Talk with the OSMP team last year: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1945244/

SIPRI https://www.sipri.org/

Identifying possible crater in Gaza: https://www.bellingcat.com/?p=40534

CAGE: https://cage.dla.mil/Home/UsageAgree

Conflict Armament Research field investigation on the Kh-101: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ea22b213d5414fefbcfe2f977ff07910

This week we spoke to Aram Shabanian, a Bellingcat contributor and experienced open source researcher. Aram is somewhat of an expert in monitoring live events. He's often the first to spot something on a livestream or hear an emergency call on a radio. In this talk he walks us through his preferred open source tools for watching things unfold and provides insight into how this type of research can save lives, prevent panic and create an important archive of historic incidents.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday February 26th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Broadcastify: https://www.broadcastify.com/

Compilation of resources including the aforementioned spreadsheet can be found on our Discord here: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1144296259805528256

Watch Duty: https://www.watchduty.org/careers

Earth Null School: https://earth.nullschool.net/

IQ Air: https://www.iqair.com/

Weather and Geological Phenomena channel in our Server: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1204206076493434930

US River gages: https://water.noaa.gov/rfc/mbrfc

VidGrid: https://vidgrid.tk.gg/

Sewage map (UK): https://www.sewagemap.co.uk/

This is for disease: https://www.wastewaterscan.org/en

In this week's Stage Talk we were joined by Amnesty International UK’s Gender Justice Director Chiara Capraro. In a recent report, Chiara and her team mapped the structure and funding of 65 anti-rights groups operating across the UK. She shares the methodology behind the research, what it reveals about the current trajectory of rights-restriction campaigning, and what it could mean in the years ahead. We also explore the key similarities and differences between movements in the UK and the US.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday February 12th 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

The report: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/knowledge-hub/all-resources/the-anti-rights-movement/

Alliance Defending Freedom Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_Defending_Freedom

NY Times report on the US anti-abortion influence on Britain: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/world/europe/uk-abortion-farage.html

Sex Matters Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Matters_(advocacy_group)

LGB Alliance Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGB_Alliance

Companies House: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house

Bellingcat tool to dig into US corporate data: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/12/18/new-tools-dig-deeper-into-hard-to-aggregate-us-corporate-data/

Hope Not Hate: https://hopenothate.org.uk/

Telegraph article on ministers cutting down on foreign donations: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/12/ministers-crackdown-on-foreign-political-donations/

Our previous Stage Talk on counter-disinformation strategies: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2507049/

Democracy for Sale: https://democracyforsale.substack.com/

Panorama investigation on Pregnancy Crisis Centres: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64751800

EPF: https://www.epfweb.org/publications

In our first Stage Talk of 2026, we were joined by Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins and Cornell University's Dr. Claire Wardle sharing their expertise on the formation of fact checking and verification strategies we see today. But how do we cope with the collapse of trust in media and academic institutions? Are corrections and AI fact checks enough? Listen in to find out what two seasoned open source verification experts think could be our next steps.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday January 29rd 2026. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Legacy site of First Draft News: https://firstdraftnews.org/

Projecto Comprova: https://projetocomprova.com.br/

Eliots framework: https://demos.co.uk/research/verification-deliberation-accountability-a-new-framework-for-tackling-epistemic-collapse-and-renewing-democracy/

Eliot's article for Reuters Institute: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-protect-democracies-falsehoods-empowering-young-open-source-investigation-skills

FullFact: https://fullfact.org/

The video of Alex Pretti that faced claims of AI manipulation: https://bsky.app/profile/eliothiggins.bsky.social/post/3mdkcgmsvdk2y

Claire's previous work on Information Disorder: https://firstdraftnews.org/long-form-article/understanding-information-disorder/

Links shared by audience members relevant to the discussion: https://theconversation.com/when-critical-thinking-isnt-enough-to-beat-information-overload-we-need-to-learn-critical-ignoring-198549

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/medialse/2018/05/08/media-literacy-everyones-favourite-solution-to-the-problems-of-regulation/

https://www.disarm.foundation/framework

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/adding-a-d-to-the-abc-disinformation-framework/

https://issues.org/misunderstanding-misinformation-wardle/

In the final Stage Talk of the year, we learnt the mechanics of investigating trade data thanks to this week's guest, Bellingcat research consultant and self-confessed data nerd Katherine de Tolly. Using the example of opioid shipments from India to West Africa, Katherine talked us through the intricacies of import-export data and how to navigate the many data gaps/inconsistencies inherit in the system.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday December 4th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links mentioned:

Katherine's slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JvDqFnM-caIPo39ez3aennGa9iwB-NwWPh9VXAKUFgg/edit?usp=sharing

You can contact Katherine on: kdetolly@gmail.com

Money channel in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/710247961426395186

Comtrade: https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow

52WMB: https://en.52wmb.com/

BBC investigation: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyew21yyjzo

This week, we explored one of war’s less visible consequences: its devastating impact on the environment. How large is the ecological footprint of conflict? What do we know about the long-term harm caused by bombing, heavy machinery, and the waste left behind—and how these pollutants affect both human health and fragile habitats? In this episode, Eoghan Darbyshire of the Conflict and Environment Observatory reveals how his team tracks the immediate and lasting environmental fallout of warfare around the world. He also underscores why open-source research skills are indispensable for uncovering damage that often remains hidden in plain sight.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday November 20th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

CEOBS: https://ceobs.org/

Ukrainian forest tracker: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/08/18/a-new-tool-shows-what-war-has-done-to-ukraines-forests/

Guide on visualising conflict and displacement data: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2025/07/04/the-story-of-a-storm-part-ii-visualising-conflict-and-displacement-data/

CEOBS blog on the fibre optic damage in Ukraine: https://ceobs.org/plastic-pollution-from-fibre-optic-drones-may-threaten-wildlife-for-years/

Sudanese Civil War Discord channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1099724243706589245

Environment and Wildlife Discord channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/807311724893175878

Ship detection tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/05/11/peering-beyond-the-clouds-a-guide-to-bellingcats-ship-detection-tool/

Sketchy Boats Stage Talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2235217/

This week, we explored the practicalities of modern warfare. How do we measure military power? Is it possible to fairly compare fighting resources between regions? In this episode, Michael Hilliard from the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs walked us through their latest research, mapping the militaries of Central Asia. Michael was also joined shortly on stage during the talk by Mitchell Polman, an OSINT researcher who helped with the mapping project.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday November 6th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

PROJECT LINK >> https://oxussociety.org/projects/the-armed-forces-of-central-asia/

UZBEKISTAN CHAPTER DOWNLOAD LINK >> https://oxussociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/The-Armed-Forces-of-Central-Asia-Chapter-IV-Uzbekistan-1-1.pdf

MAPPING PROJECT LINK >> https://oxussociety.org/viz/military-units/map.html

Michael's red line podcast- excellent listening: https://www.theredlinepodcast.com/

And the Oxus Society podcast https://oxussociety.org/publications/podcast/

Purchase higher tier data link: https://oxussociety.org/projects/the-armed-forces-of-central-asia/purchase/

Caucusus and Central Asia Channel in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/709947054042120222

Michael's previous talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1720167/

Mapping Militia Networks with New America talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2212437/

This week, we were discussing what role fashion plays for far-right movements. We spoke to Bellingcat's resident experts on the subject. Michael Colborne has been investigating far-right networks for years and Youri van der Weide has just completed a deep dive on russian neo-nazi paramilitary groups with merchandise embedded within their business plans.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday October 23rd 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Some reading material from Michael: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691196152/the-extreme-gone-mainstream?srsltid=AfmBOor44s08b3e358d6Glak2OUrwrrtBkmbtU7BfSKwRoZ3QvNqj-Wa

The Extreme Gone Mainstream, Cynthia Miller-Idriss (2019) https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=stuff--9780745644233

“Why Clothing is not Superficial” in Stuff, Daniel Miller (2009) https://doppelhouse.com/the-chosen-few/

The Chosen Few: Aesthetics and Ideology in Football-Fan Graffiti and Street Art, Mitja Velikonja (2021) https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801448904/political-aesthetics/#bookTabs=1

Political Aesthetics, Crispin Sartwell (2010)

Elke Gaugele, “The New Obscurity in Style. Alt-right Faction, Populist Normalization, and the Cultural War on Fashion from the Far Right,” Fashion Theory, 23:6, 711-731, DOI: 10.1080/1362704X.2019.1657262, 2019.

Youri's investigation into Maskov: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/03/06/unmasking-maskov-how-bellingcat-found-a-man-outfitting-russian-neo-nazis/

A couple of weeks ago New America talked to us about mapping these Russian paramilitary networks: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2212437/

Youri's latest article on Rusich: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/10/21/how-a-former-political-hopeful-helps-russian-neo-nazi-group-rusich-sell-its-online-merch/

Hate symbol directory: https://globalextremism.org/global-extremist-symbols-database/

Expo sweden: https://expo.se/

Tenepod a suggestion from an audience member as a decent guide for historical far right/nazi eastern European stuff: https://tenepod.libsyn.com/

This week, we were discussing how open source research can help build vital factchecking skills across disciplines. We spoke to Prof. dr. Brianne McGonigle Leyh, a professor and one of the leaders of the Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab at Utrecht University. Alongside her, we were joined by Felix Lommerse, the student assistant at the lab and a former student of the course. In the talk they described the purpose of the project, how major newsrooms have got involved and why other universities may want to take note.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday October 9th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

The lab: https://www.uu.nl/en/research/institutions-for-open-societies/contesting-governance/projects/open-source-global-justice-investigations-lab

Berkeley: https://humanrights.berkeley.edu/

Dr Alexa Koenig Stage Talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1908244/

FT article in partnership with lab: https://ig.ft.com/haiti-gangs

Their work was also mentioned by GIJN: https://gijn.org/stories/african-journalism-database-local-digital-verification/

Their timeline of the Palestinian protests at Utrecht University: https://www.uu.nl/sites/default/files/UU%20May%207%20-%209%20Events%20Report_0.pdf

Bellingcat challenge site: https://challenge.bellingcat.com/

Giancarlo's article on protecting your mental hygiene as a researcher: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/

The Dart Center referenced has been closed over the summer. You can now access those resources here: https://gcjt.org/

This week we spoke to maritime researcher Christian Panton. Christian builds resources to monitor ships as a hobby and has created a useful database of 'sketchy boats' that require further investigation. In the talk he described the purpose of the tool and how he created it, and provided a detailed overview of the current issues with researching ships up to no good.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 25th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Sketchy Boats website: https://sketchy.boats/

Sketchy Boats GitHub: https://github.com/christianpanton/those.sketchy.boats

Christian's pages: https://bsky.app/profile/pa.nton.cx

https://christian.panton.org/

Lloyds list investigation on false flags that Christian contributed to: https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1154326/Massive-fraudulent-flag-operation-linking-over-20-separate-fake-sites-uncovered

Bellingcat investigation into the ships smuggling grain from occupied Crimea: https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1154326/Massive-fraudulent-flag-operation-linking-over-20-separate-fake-sites-uncovered

Bellingcat's Ship Detection Tool (built with Ollie Ballinger): https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/05/11/peering-beyond-the-clouds-a-guide-to-bellingcats-ship-detection-tool/

And Ollie's GitHub page: https://oballinger.github.io/

#maritime channel in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/920298016123023400

TW: This episode contains a description of a murder and mutilation.

This week we spoke to the team at New America about their work tracking militia and private military groups online. Candace Rondeaux and Ben Dalton led us through their tips and techniques for tracing connections on Russian social media site VK and Telegram.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 11th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

New America Future Frontlines: https://www.newamerica.org/future-frontlines/

Their Wagner project: https://www.newamerica.org/future-frontlines/uncovering-the-wagner-group/

And Proxy Warfare project: https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/future-proxy-warfare/

New America covering Hamdi Bouta's murder https://www.newamerica.org/future-security/reports/inquiry-murder-hamdi-bouta/introduction/

Our previous Stage Talk with All Eyes on Wagner: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2061764/

Coverage of the IDF's lavender programme: https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/

This week we spoke to Galen Reich, Tech Community Lead at Bellingcat. In the talk Galen provided invaluable advice for those who want to build a tool for research, highlighting what aspects you need to consider in the planning stages, raising awareness of what obstacles could arise once the tool is established and explaining how anyone can build an everlasting tool with or without coding knowhow.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday August 28th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Bellingcat GitHub Repository: https://github.com/orgs/bellingcat/repositories

1xBet investigations: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/10/21/1xbet-hosts-thousands-of-amateur-sports-streams-on-its-website/

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/11/19/volunteers-find-1xbet-stream-sites/

Upcoming Bellingcat training on the Command Line: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/september-30-2025-command-line-tools-for-open-source-researchers-for-absolute-beginners-americas-europe-friendly-time

Bellingcat Tech Series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq6cQ--4f90icDJUwiGcPrFFLLguuZ0ht

Bellingcat Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Tech Contributors in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1173619361882329149

Tools and sites in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/709755421836967978

Tool Support in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/947175222937800754

Search Grid Tool: https://grid.bellingcat.com/

Council Transcript Search Tool: https://council-search.bellingcat.com/

and GitHub link for the code for that tool: https://github.com/bellingcat/CouncilSearcher

Filmot (YT Transcripts): https://filmot.com/

This week we were joined by psychotherapist and activist Leyla Hussein. In the session we explored how reporters and researchers can make survivors of sexual violence feel safe, supported and heard, and at the same time ensure they make an impact with their work.

TW: The talk contains extensive discussion of sexual violence particularly FGM.

This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 14th of August 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

You can learn more about leyla's work here https://www.leylahussein.co.uk/

The Cruel Cut Channel 4 Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiC_gpE7y053Qlgb9fU0ykM-BggXpfkmj

One month old FGM case: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6200g5d4jlo

The Girl Generation: https://thegirlgeneration.org/

Eliza's talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2041897/#about

Alexa's talk: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1908244/

Our Discord Server channels that were mentioned:

#gender-based-violence-misogny : https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1118448280435687506

#bellingcook : https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1018196475932590090

This week we were joined by Art Detective Arthur Brand. Arthur Brand has recovered over 200 stolen artworks throughout his career, these include famous paintings once thought lost, from Dali’s to Picasso’s. Within the talk he explains how open sources are crucial to his work and he shares valuable resources for those who are curious about the world of art crime themselves.

This talk was hosted by Merel Zoet on Thursday the 31st of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Article covering the case Brand refers to: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250303-police-art-sleuth-crack-case-of-brueghel-stolen-in-poland-in-1974

Lost Art.De: https://www.lostart.de/de/start

Arthur's YouTube: https://youtu.be/ye8sDfUMnhc?si=Jqx6qugYnbYSEFOd

Bellingcat Challenges: https://challenge.bellingcat.com/

Bellingcat Discord Art Crime channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1314267278535036988

Interpol App: https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Cultural-heritage-crime/ID-Art-mobile-app

ARCA Blog: https://art-crime.blogspot.com/

Madonna and the stolen art story: https://www.npr.org/2023/01/17/1149646372/french-museum-finds-a-missing-painting-in-madonnas-personal-collection

Arthur's book: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/440872/hitlers-horses-by-hedley-prole-arthur-brand-translated-by-jane/9781529106107

Arthur's TV show: https://www.arthurbrand.com/de-kunstdetective-tv/

This week we were joined by Bellingcat researcher Kolina Koltai and our long-standing publishing partners Kevin Clancy, cofounder of Evident Media and Sergio Olmos, an investigator from CalMatters. The conversation centered around the reliance on bystander videos for accountability of these arrests and the scale advice for other researchers on what to look out for in bystander videos and what from patterns identified, could emerge over the next few months in other regions. This talk was hosted by me Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 17th of July 2025 in the Bellingcat Discord Server.

This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 17th of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

The two investigations:

Los Angeles: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/07/08/masked-armed-and-forceful-finding-patterns-in-los-angeles-immigration-raids/

Bakersfield: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/04/08/us-border-patrol-called-raid-300-miles-from-border-targeted-open-source-evidence-suggests-otherwise/

Related conversational threads in our Discord Server: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1381169631263199232

https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1371571764525535242

Evident: https://www.youtube.com/@evidentmedia

CalMatters: https://calmatters.org/

The lack of local reporters in the United States: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/10/media/severe-shortage-local-news-muck-rack-journalism-index

The Atlantic article interviewing ICE officials: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/07/trump-ice-morale-immigration/683477/

People impersonating ICE: https://msmagazine.com/2025/07/10/men-impersonating-ice-agents-immigration-customs-attack-women-maga-trump/

People Over Papers: https://padlet.com/PeopleoverPapers/people-over-papers-anonymous-anonimo-lf0l47ljszbto2uj

Bellingcat Volunteer Community: https://sites.google.com/bellingcat.com/bellingcat-volunteer-community

This week we were joined by Bellingcat's Peter Barth.

Peter has been researching a cold case murder from Corpus Christi, Texas, 1971. As part of his research , he's uncovered links to multiple murders and high profile criminal networks, and learnt some invaluable research tips along the way.

This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 3rd of July 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Peter's article on Bill Richardson's killing: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/05/27/pigeon-shoots-and-hitmen-new-leads-in-a-texas-oilmans-cold-case/

The cold case investigation groups Peter suggested: https://uncovered.com/ , https://www.solvethecase.org/

Our Discord Server channel for looking into cold cases: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1375086026275688488

Familysearch.org is free and similar to ancestry.com

MuckRock: https://www.muckrock.com/foi/

For UK: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/

For Australia: https://www.righttoknow.org.au/

For EU: https://www.asktheeu.org/

For Canada: https://theijf.org/open-by-default

404 Media FOIA forum: https://www.404media.co/our-new-foia-forum-6-18-1pm-et/

Missing persons:

Ireland: https://www.garda.ie/en/missing-persons/

Netherlands: https://www.politie.nl/en/missing

Canada: https://www.services.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/missing-disparus/search-recherche.jsf?lang=en

Interpol: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/Yellow-Notices/View-Yellow-Notices

Cold Case lookup Netherlands: https://www.om.nl/

This week we were joined by Fogocruzado founder and journalist Cecília Olliveira.

Cecília launched Fogocruzado after working on a story and discovering that data on armed violence in Rio and elsewhere in Brazil, something she was seeking at the time for the investigation, was not being robustly collected. She came in to our Server to discuss the power of data and why plotting data that hasn’t before been collated can illuminate otherwise hidden trends and be vital when it comes to informing the public of what is going on in their own cities.

This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 19th of June 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Fogocruzado: https://fogocruzado.org.br/

Film 'Elite Squad': https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861739

API link: https://api.fogocruzado.org.br/

Where did the bullets on the streets of Brazil come from?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8WWSRoC93I&ab_channel=TheIntercept

Other example on how to use the data: https://theintercept.com/2018/12/13/brazil-rio-de-janeiro-drug-gangs/

Nemesis book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25329735-nemesis

Upcoming book: https://www.bazardotempo.com.br/products/como-nasce-um-miliciano

Aleph tool: https://aleph.occrp.org/

This week we were joined by Swiss-based NGO Inpact’s Lou Osborn.

Lou is one of the lead researchers in their flagship All Eyes ON Wagner project team. Within the conversation she broadened our knowledge on the current economic and political status of Russian PMCs in Africa and raised the difficulties in reporting on these types of groups.

This talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday the 05th of June 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

All Eyes on Wagner: https://alleyesonwagner.org/home-2/about/

Lou's books: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/32765804.Lou_Osborn

Dig baby dig investigation: https://alleyesonwagner.org/2025/05/02/allez-creuse-bebe-contes-russes-de-lor-en-afrique-centrale/

Prig-IT investigation: https://dossier.center/prig-it/

This week we spoke to The Fuller Project's Eliza Anyangwe about the steps her newsroom takes to protect their sources. We highlighted the basic precautions you should consider when speaking to those with lived experience of the topic you're reporting on and the differences between traditional investigations and open source research when it comes to human-centric storytelling.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday May 22nd 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

The Fuller Project: https://fullerproject.org/

Eliza's talk at the International Journalism Festival on reporting on GBV: https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2025/best-practices-in-reporting-gender-related-crimes-centering-survivors-and-ethical-storytelling

Eliza's CNN Afghanistan example: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/asequals/women-refugees-afghanistan-risks-as-equals-intl-cmd/

Murad code call out: https://www.muradcode.com/open-source-practitioners-guide

This week we spoke with DoubleThink Lab’s Jasper Hewitt as we explored the new forms of digital propaganda. We discussed spamouflage operations in the US elections to AI influencers pushing state lines on TikTok.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday May 8th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

DoubleThink Lab website: https://doublethinklab.org/

DoubleThink Lab medium: https://medium.com/doublethinklab

What is FIMI: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/beyond-disinformation-what-fimi_en

Graphika on spamouflage: https://graphika.com/reports/spamouflage/

US report from VOA and DoubleThink Lab: https://medium.com/doublethinklab/doublethink-lab-and-voice-of-america-us-election-joint-observation-mission-final-report-d5f2dae85e27

Ben Nimmo, the breakout scale: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-breakout-scale-measuring-the-impact-of-influence-operations/

Single File chrome extension: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/singlefile/mpiodijhokgodhhofbcjdecpffjipkle?hl=en&pli=1

Bellingcat auto archiver: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/

Patriotism for sale: https://medium.com/doublethinklab/patriotism-for-sale-wechat-channels-information-ecosystem-5c6a0f7c6358

DFR Lab: https://dfrlab.org/

Wenhao substack: https://wenhao.substack.com/

Discourse Power substack: https://discoursepower.substack.com/

This week we spoke to John Mooney and Connor Plunkett about their investigation into the Kinahan cartel. We discussed the considerations you need to make when reporting on large scale operations and how they found a hidden side to one of Irelands most notorious cartel bosses.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday April 24th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Bellingcat's reporting on this here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/30/kinahan-cartel-wanted-narco-boss-exposes-whereabouts-by-posting-google-reviews/

and here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/03/22/nowhere-to-run-the-online-footprint-of-an-alleged-kinahan-cartel-associate/

Sunday Times reporting on Oliver Hermann https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/kinahan-investigation-oliver-hermann-leveris-jkvrp8n8w

GHunt tool: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/ghunt

Whois lookup: https://www.whois.com/whois/

Outscraper: https://outscraper.com/

Bellingcat workshops: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/

Digital safety tips - Bellingcat video: https://youtu.be/o9uFeVVIiVg

Kinahan's google reviews account: https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/107715424953684019563/reviews

This week we spoke to Lisa Broekhuizen from Space4Good, looking at how satellite imagery can help show large scale impacts on our environment from deforestation to the growth of trees.

The talk was hosted by Giancarlo Fiorella on Thursday April 10th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

This week we spoke to Andro Mathewson from Centre for Information Resilience on identifying explosive ordnance seen in imagery on social media. Explosive ordnance are munitions that contain explosives, and can detonate without warning, killing or injuring civilians long after conflicts have ended. Andro wrote a guide to easily identify the most common types of EO and in this talk he walked us through it.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday March 27th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Andro's guide and key: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2024/07/31/a-beginners-guide-to-identifying-explosive-ordnance-in-social-media-imagery/

Small Arms Survey: https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/

Conflict Armament Research: https://www.conflictarm.com/

OSMP: https://osmp.ngo/

Repository that Andro built: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19xNmsQpcz7UwHOPy1Zrwud-2jVdctulT5W3_0fUNn8k/edit?gid=0#gid=0

CIR: https://www.info-res.org/myanmar-witness/

Bellingcat workshops: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/

CORD database: https://www.ordata.info/

Book recommendation: https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Military-Ordnance-Identification-Investigations/dp/0815369425

Bulletpickers library: https://www.bulletpicker.com/technical-manuals.html

This week we spoke to Joe Dyke and Joe Emmett from AirWars and Nick R. Jenzen-Jones from Armament Research Services (ARES). Together they work on the Open Source Munitions Portal, a database of different munition types for open source research analysis.

The team walked us through the uses of the OSMP, the many exciting features they've added over the years and why the project remains a vital resource for all open source researchers. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday March 13th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links mentioned:

The OSMP: https://osmp.ngo/

Airwars: https://airwars.org/

ARES: https://armamentresearch.com/

OSMP glossary: https://osmp.ngo/resources/glossary/

OSMP visual guide example (3D model): https://osmp.ngo/collection/small-diameter-bomb-gbu-39-visual-guide/

OSMP Israel and Gaza collection: https://osmp.ngo/collection/israel-and-gaza-2023-2024/

OSMP on X: https://x.com/munitionsportal

OSMP on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/munitionsportal.bsky.social

Bellingcat toolkit: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2024/09/24/bellingcat-online-investigations-toolkit/

This week we spoke to Dr. Alexa Koenig from UC Berkeley. Alexa has spent much of her recent career looking into how digital investigations could aid accountability for war crimes and gender based violence. Within this discussion we focused on her work covering gender based violence and what lessons she’s learnt from the various groups she’s spoken to and worked with, from legal professionals to survivor groups. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday February 20th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Links mentioned:

https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-mali-mr-al-hassan-convicted-war-crimes-and-crimes-against-humanity-committed

https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2023/03/03/sexual-and-gender-based-violence-open-source-researche-osint-digital/

https://www.refworld.org/reference/research/gbrfco/2014/en/101109

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4895271

https://humanrights.berkeley.edu/publications/evaluating-digital-open-source-imagery-a-guide-for-judges-and-fact-finders/

https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/case-studies/2014/08/23/the-hills-of-raqqa-geolocating-the-james-foley-video/

https://www.ohchr.org/en/publications/policy-and-methodological-publications/berkeley-protocol-digital-open-source

https://humanrights.berkeley.edu/publications/gender-persecution-in-the-islamic-republic-of-iran/

This week we're joined by Bellingcat Senior Fundraiser Mareike Vitt. Mareike is here to share invaluable tips on sourcing sustainable funding for open source research and journalism efforts. In the discussion we spoke about the current funding trends and how you as an individual or as an organisation can stand out in grant applications and when reaching out to those all important potential donors. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday February 13th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Links mentioned:

Funds for NGOs : Subscribe to newsletter, frequent overview of current calls for grants, fellowships etc. https://www.fundsforngos.org/

Specific insights for funds for NGOs: https://www2.fundsforngos.org/

Funds for Individuals: https://fundsforindividuals.fundsforngos.org/

Funds for US: https://us.fundsforngos.org/

Sample Proposals for many areas: https://www.fundsforngos.org/proposal_category/sample-ngo-or-nonprofit-grant-proposals/

Global Forum for Media Development https://gfmd.info/

Overview of current funding opportunities: https://gfmd.info/find-funding/

Extensive fundraising Guide: https://fundraising-guide.gfmd.info/

Check out other resources e.g. grant writing classes: https://www.nonprofitready.org/grant-writing-classes

Bellingcat workshops/training: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/

Bellingcat's current donation pathway: https://www.bellingcat.com/donate/

Bellingcat's original website campaign is still here! https://brown-moses.blogspot.com/

Freelance cross border funding example: https://www.investigativejournalismforeu.net/

This week we're joined by Mike Yambo, open source investigator from the popular African news outlet Nation. Mike explains how he managed to establish open source research practices in his traditional newsroom and how he taught himself those skillsets. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday January 30th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Links mentioned:

Mike Yambo's work at Nation: https://nation.africa/kenya/author-profiles/mike-yambo-4180312

Ben Strick, YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/bendobrown

Bellingcat guides: https://www.bellingcat.com/category/resources/

Witness: https://www.witness.org/

Code For Africa: https://opportunities.codeforafrica.org/

Anatomy of a killing - BBC Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbnLkc6r3yc

Bellingcat's telegram phone number checker tool: https://github.com/bellingcat/telegram-phone-number-checker

How to use the telegram phone number checker video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLJgnlilEBs&t=1s

Sudan story referenced by Mike: https://nation.africa/africa/news/look-the-fire-is-inside-your-houses-where-are-you-sudan-s-war-within-4683754

Bellingcat DRC coverage: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/01/29/m23-rebels-goma-congo-fighting-clashes-drc-kivu-control/

Shabaab story referenced by Mike: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/the-digital-footprints-of-suspected-shabaab-financier-4391768

Police beating story referenced by Mike: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/finding-the-location-of-viral-video-of-man-beaten-by-police-4304224

This week, we're back for the new year with a new topic, exploring the nexus of art theft, trafficking, and intelligence. We spoke with Lynda Albertson from the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art about the process of collecting and analysing information related to art crimes. How can open source research help tackle the world's cultural crimes? The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday January 16th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Links mentioned:

In our Discord Server you can find our art-crime channel: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

ARCA: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/

Lynda's example 1: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-1/

Example 2: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-2/

Example 3: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/bellingcat-stage-talk-3/

Bellingcat investigations/guides focused on old polaroid analysis: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/04/solving-world-war-ii-photo-mysteries-with-open-source-techniques/ ,

https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/08/09/using-new-tech-to-investigate-old-photographs/

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/08/16/untangling-the-mystery-of-the-worlds-first-rooftop-solar-panel/

Interpol Stolen Works of Art Database: https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Cultural-heritage-crime/ID-Art-mobile-app

India Pride Project: https://x.com/indiaprideproj?lang=en

Lost Arts of Nepal: https://www.facebook.com/lostartsofnepal/

Carabinieri TPC's smartphone app: https://apps.apple.com/it/app/itpc-carabinieri/id858588594

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=itpc.carabinieri.it&hl=it

The Antiquities Coalition: https://theantiquitiescoalition.org/

ARCA training: https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/postgraduate-certificate-programmes/

This week, we decided to change the format a little to mark the final stage talk of the year. We were joined by founder of Bellingcat, Eliot Higgins to discuss how he feels about the last 10 years of open source research as Bellingcat celebrates its decade anniversary. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday December 12th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Links mentioned:

'We Are Bellingcat', the book: https://www.bellingcat.com/book/

GQ interview with lost dog conversation: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/politics/article/eliot-higgins-bellingcat-interview

Toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Bellingcat Open Source Challenges: https://challenge.bellingcat.com/

The Nation open source research coverage of the protests in Kenya: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/eight-hours-of-rage-how-the-finance-bill-2024-led-to-kenya-s-parliament-invasion-4744254

First steps into OSINT: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2021/11/09/first-steps-to-getting-started-in-open-source-research/

NYT piece on bomb crater detection: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/21/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-bomb-investigation.html

Command Line tools video guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3gm-ud91v0

Jupyter Notebooks help: https://github.com/bellingcat/open-source-research-notebooks

Frank Zappa - Eliot's recommendation: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kv0M4wqpMkWqa5f1mbtlogpYO78mBpkws

This week, we spoke to Dr Adam Thomas Smith, Distinguished Professor of Arts & Sciences, Department of Anthropology, Cornell University and Dr Lori Khatchadourian, Associate Professor, Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University about their work at Caucasus Heritage Watch. CHW focuses on monitoring at-risk heritage caught in the cross-fire of the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and was founded in 2020 to monitor and document endangered and damaged cultural heritage using high-resolution satellite imagery. We also discussed Bellingcat's work monitoring similar damage in Gaza and Ukraine. The talk was hosted by Jake Godin on Thursday December 5th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Links mentioned:

You can find all of CHW's work on their website: https://caucasusheritage.cornell.edu/

One of Bellingcat's investigations covering cultural heritage damage in Gaza: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/06/26/gaza-israel-destroy-destruction-damage-cultural-history-heritage-archaeology-conflict-war/

This week, we spoke to Dr Mariëlle Wijermars about internet governance in authoritarian states like Russia. We discussed the current strategies of the Russian government in internet crackdowns both at home and abroad and the trend of bots, online propaganda and banned media outlets in attempts at ongoing censorship. The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday November 8th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

Mariëlle's publications: https://mariellewijermars.com/

Relevant articles:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/30/kremlin-forced-us-tech-firms-shut-down-an-app-its-opponents-were-using-now-what/

https://cepa.org/article/russias-social-media-self-censorship-law-is-misguided-and-the-west-must-avoid-making-the-same-mistake/

Bellingcat RuNet webinar: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/december-10-2024-bellingcat-online-workshop-on-runet-investigations-4-hour-americas-friendly-time/

Example of Russian bot networks on X impersonating Bellingcat: https://x.com/EliotHiggins/status/1838872568041816103

Hugo Mercier’s book Not Born Yesterday might be relevant. Interviews include this one: https://youtu.be/P2iIwEqUecA?feature=shared

Mariëlle's Horizon project https://www.arm-project.eu/

Link to story about telegram: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240827-free-speech-and-homeland-kremlin-opportunistic-response-to-telegram-boss-pavel-durov-arrest-in-france

Bellingcat's archiver tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/

This week, we talk to Michael Hilliard. He and his colleagues at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs recently released their report titled "The Armed Forces of Central Asia". We discuss the complex geopolitical landscape in Central Asia, and what defence capacity the countries have to tackle their strategic challenges. The talk was hosted by Merel Zoet on Thursday October 24th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

You can find the first chapter of the report "Tajikistan" here: https://oxussociety.org/the-armed-forces-of-central-asia-tajikistan/

This week we talk to Elizabeth Pearson. Together with her colleagues she recently worked on the REASSURE report (https://voxpol.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Online-Extremism-and-Terrorism-Researchers-Security-Safety-Resilience.pdf )- which is published with the online extremism and terrorism research network VOX-Pol. The report describes experiences regarding safety and security of researchers who work on digital extremism and terrorism. We explored her learnings and took questions from the audience.

The talk was hosted by Merel Zoet on Thursday October 10th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

For advice on looking after your mental health as a researcher you can look to our guide https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/

and find helpful resources on the DART center's website (https://dartcenter.org/)

This week's stage talk is focused on our new and updated toolkit! We've packed every useful open source research tool into one place to help assist new and old researchers, journalists and NGOs. Johanna Wild, who lead the project, joined us on stage to talk through the new developments.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 26th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Link to article on the Toolkit launch : https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2024/09/24/bellingcat-online-investigations-toolkit/

New toolkit: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

Bellingcat volunteer community: https://sites.google.com/bellingcat.com/bellingcat-volunteer-community

If you have questions around joining the Volunteer Community - reach out to volunteer@bellingcat.com

Invid: https://www.invid-project.eu/

Obsidian: https://obsidian.md/

This week's stage talk is about a militant attack in Burkina Faso that happened in late August, in which over 100 unarmed civilians died. We explore how Bellingcat investigators went to work trying to locate and verify graphic imagery claiming to be associated with the massacre. Content warning: Discussion of civilian harm, abuse and death.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday September 12th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

Links discussed:

The investigation: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/09/04/burkina-faso-barsalogho-massacre-attack-jihadi-militia-military-human-rights/

(You can find the 'screenshots' referenced repeatedly in the recording in the investigation link above)

ACLED: https://acleddata.com/

Wagner in Africa Discord Channel: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/1054884622955184228

Detail about Chirpwire: https://disinfo.africa/inside-al-shabaabs-digital-propaganda-machine-05cbdb04ed4f

Bellingcat's auto-archiver tool: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/09/22/preserve-vital-online-content-with-bellingcats-auto-archiver-tool/

How to prevent, identify and address vicarious trauma: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2018/10/18/prevent-identify-address-vicarious-trauma-conducting-open-source-investigations-middle-east/

Giancarlo's how to maintain mental hygiene as a researcher https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/11/23/how-to-maintain-mental-hygiene-as-an-open-source-researcher/

Wassim Nasr: https://x.com/SimNasr

Héni: https://twitter.com/MENASTREAM/

This week's stage talk is about using open sources in environmental focused investigations. We spoke to freelance journalist Luiz Toledo about his recent work covering deforestation policy gaps. He uncovered his stories using open databases and FOIA requests. Note that Luiz's mic has some distortion in the recording.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday August 29th 2024. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Join our Discord Server for the next live talk at: https://discord.gg/bellingcat

Links discussed:

Luiz's investigations:

https://www.icij.org/investigations/deforestation-inc/

https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/desmatamento-amazonia-embargos-icmbio/

https://www.occrp.org/en/feature/criminal-gangs-are-logging-the-worlds-last-brazilwood-trees-to-make-violin-bows

https://www.occrp.org/en/investigation/operation-do-re-mi-the-brazilian-bow-makers-under-investigation-for-dealing-in-endangered-wood

Luiz's newsletter: https://news.fiquemsabendo.com.br/

FOIA tools:

https://www.404media.co/foia-forum-with-a-pacer-expert-7-31-1pm-est/

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/

https://x.com/JasonLeopold/status/1804630789205942322

https://portaldatransparencia.gov.br/

Environmental/deforestation resources:

https://brasil.mapbiomas.org/

https://infoamazonia.org/en/

https://ambiental.media/

https://dadosabertos.ibama.gov.br/dataset/fiscalizacao-auto-de-infracao

https://cruzagrafos.abraji.org.br/

https://climatecrimeanalysis.org/

https://oxpeckers.org/

https://eia-international.org/