I have created five OSINT challenges! 🎉
The set, titled "Back in Time", focuses on @Bellingcat'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! 🔽
https://challenge.bellingcat.com/

And are you subscribed to our monthly Bellingcat Challenge newsletter yet? This is where you’ll be notified when new challenges go live, find the answers, see creative contributions from community members, and watch our researchers attempt the challenges live. Sign up here: https://bellingcat-challenges.beehiiv.com/subscribe

We’re back — the new open source challenges launch today! This month the challenges are made by the one and only @gralhix, and take a deep dive into Bellingcat’s archives. Are you ready? Go to: Challenge.bellingcat.com

Do you wonder how OSINT can contribute to investigations into human rights violations?
Here is an excellent example, courtesy of @Bellingcat https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/04/09/gaza-palestine-israel-killed-death-aid-workers-international-red-cross-crescent-audio-analysis/

And you can find our supplementary reporting into one IDF unit responsible for demolishing homes across Gaza here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/29/weve-become-addicted-to-explosions-the-idf-unit-responsible-for-demolishing-homes-across-gaza/

You can watch the film in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XfVec8GDME

We're overjoyed to see our documentary produced in partnership with the Evident media team “In Real Life: A Hidden War,” has been nominated for two News & Documentary Emmy Awards. The film explores land changes during the conflict in Gaza, highlighting the level of demolition in the Gaza strip and the ongoing expansion of West Bank settlements, using on the ground reporting and satellite analysis.

Airstrikes continue in Myanmar despite a temporary ceasefire and extensive suffering from a March earthquake. Bellingcat has identified at least 22 villages damaged by airstrikes, 14 of which are in the regions most impacted by the recent earthquake. The incidents identified include the targeting of schools and religious sites. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/04/29/open-sources-show-myanmar-junta-airstrike-damages-despite-post-earthquake-ceasefire/?utm_source=mstdn

This week we spoke with Bellingcat's Connor Plunkett & The Sunday Times' John Mooney about reporting on transnational organised crime and how they found a hidden side to one of Irelands most notorious cartel bosses. On podcast platforms search 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat' to listen back. https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2001819

Our Bellingchat Premium podcast unravels the different techniques our researchers are using. In April's edition Bellingcat's Research Lead Carlos Gonzales explains how he used audio analysis to reveal more detail about the final moments of aid workers killed in Gaza. Listen in here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/what-audio-about-127433975

Live in 15 minutes! Join us here: https://discord.gg/a6nzJ89Z?event=1364181192412500020

This Thursday we're talking to Bellingcat's Connor Plunkett and The Sunday Times' John Mooney about investigating a drug cartel's online presence.
In our reporting Bellingcat & The Sunday Times revealed that the normally elusive Kinahan cartel boss Christopher Kinahan had posted hundreds of reviews on Google Maps disclosing his locations across three continents.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/03/30/kinahan-cartel-wanted-narco-boss-exposes-whereabouts-by-posting-google-reviews/?utm_source=mstdn

Join us live to ask your questions at 5pm CEST/11am EDT: https://discord.gg/a6nzJ89Z?event=1364181192412500020

You can read our contribution to the award winning series by Carlos Gonzales here, in which we investigated 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=mastodon

The full series was coordinated by Noticias Telemundo Communications and the Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística (CLIP) here: https://www.elclip.org/traileres-trampa-para-migrantes/

We're overjoyed to find our work on migration, as part of a consortium effort, has won the Tom Renner Award for Outstanding Crime Reporting (Investigative Reporters and Editors) . https://www.ire.org/announcing-the-2024-ire-award-winners-and-finalists/

Lisa Broekhuizen from Space4Good helped us explore how satellite imagery can be used to monitor deforestation but also for a lot more when it comes to environmental damage. Missed it? You can listen back on all podcast platforms now under 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat'. https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/1988257

Curious how a Bellingcat researcher tackles the Open Source Challenge? Researcher Aiganysh Aidarbekova will give it a try with this month's wildlife challenges—tune in tomorrow at 5 PM CEST / 11 AM EDT on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bellingcat-open-126708399?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

On March 23, a convoy of aid workers, traveling in vehicles marked with emergency flashing lights, was struck by gunfire in Gaza. Bellingcat used the video footage of the incident to perform an audio analysis of the shooting. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/04/09/gaza-palestine-israel-killed-death-aid-workers-international-red-cross-crescent-audio-analysis/?utm_source=mastodon

A January operation in the central Californian city of Bakersfield saw dozens detained by US border patrol agents operating more than 300 miles from the US southern border. Agents from the El Centro division of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) claimed the mission was highly targeted and aimed to apprehend immigrants with criminal records. With partners Evident and @CALMatters we explore this claim and geolocate 50 videos showcasing where CBP units were operating.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/04/08/us-border-patrol-called-raid-300-miles-from-border-targeted-open-source-evidence-suggests-otherwise/?utm_source=mastodon

Did you know you can monitor environmental impacts from Space? This Thursday, Lisa Broekhuizen, tech lead at Space4Good, will be discussing how they work on applying data from Space to improve life on Earth. Join us live at 5pm CEST/11am EDT. https://discord.gg/hQF82JAR?event=1359136440398647366