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We Are Bellingcat: An Intelligence Agency for the People
'John le Carré demystified the intelligence services; Higgins has demystified intelligence gathering itself' Financial Times
'Uplifting . . . Riveting . . . What will fire people through these pages, gripped, is the focused, and extraordinary investigations that Bellingcat runs . . . Each runs as if the concluding chapter of a Holmesian whodunit' Telegraph
'We Are Bellingcat is Higgins's gripping account of how he reinvented reporting for the internet age . . . A manifesto for optimism in a dark age' Luke Harding, Observer
How did a collective of self-taught internet sleuths end up solving some of the biggest crimes of our time?
Bellingcat, the home-grown investigative unit, is redefining the way we think about news, politics and the digital future. Here, their founder - a high-school dropout on a kitchen laptop - tells the story of how they created a whole new category of information-gathering, galvanising citizen journalists across the globe to expose war crimes and pick apart disinformation, using just their computers.
From the downing of Malaysia Flight 17 over the Ukraine to the sourcing of weapons in the Syrian Civil War and the identification of the Salisbury poisoners, We Are Bellingcat digs deep into some of Bellingcat's most successful investigations. It explores the most cutting-edge tools for analysing data, from virtual-reality software that can build photorealistic 3D models of a crime scene, to apps that can identify exactly what time of day a photograph was taken.
In our age of uncertain truths, Bellingcat is what the world needs right now - an intelligence agency by the people, for the people.
'Uplifting . . . Riveting . . . What will fire people through these pages, gripped, is the focused, and extraordinary investigations that Bellingcat runs . . . Each runs as if the concluding chapter of a Holmesian whodunit' Telegraph
'We Are Bellingcat is Higgins's gripping account of how he reinvented reporting for the internet age . . . A manifesto for optimism in a dark age' Luke Harding, Observer
How did a collective of self-taught internet sleuths end up solving some of the biggest crimes of our time?
Bellingcat, the home-grown investigative unit, is redefining the way we think about news, politics and the digital future. Here, their founder - a high-school dropout on a kitchen laptop - tells the story of how they created a whole new category of information-gathering, galvanising citizen journalists across the globe to expose war crimes and pick apart disinformation, using just their computers.
From the downing of Malaysia Flight 17 over the Ukraine to the sourcing of weapons in the Syrian Civil War and the identification of the Salisbury poisoners, We Are Bellingcat digs deep into some of Bellingcat's most successful investigations. It explores the most cutting-edge tools for analysing data, from virtual-reality software that can build photorealistic 3D models of a crime scene, to apps that can identify exactly what time of day a photograph was taken.
In our age of uncertain truths, Bellingcat is what the world needs right now - an intelligence agency by the people, for the people.
277 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2021
655 people are currently reading
7260 people want to read
About the author
Eliot Higgins
2 books58 followersEliot Ward Higgins, who previously wrote under the pseudonym Brown Moses, is a British citizen journalist and former blogger, known for using open sources and social media for investigations.
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December 17, 2020
I have to admit that whilst I was aware of Bellingcat, my knowledge of it was sketchy at best. This is a detailed history of Bellingcat and its founder, Eliot Higgins, aka blogger Brown Moses, named after a Frank Zappa song. Higgins outlines his background, becoming obsessed with the Arab Spring and the Libyan Civil War, whilst working as a admin worker in Leicester, using his laptop to scour for information on the internet to add small details on twitter, and other sites, such as the comments section on the Guardian-live blog, focusing on developing stories in the Middle East. Such humble beginnings is later to give birth to the entity, taking on an ever broader range of issues, that is Bellingcat, global truth warriors, a growing community of largely determined and obsessive voluntary contributors, armed only with their laptops, searching the internet, social media and google earth for open source information.
Bellingcat are the digital detectives who tracked down the Russian GRU agents responsible for the 2017 deadly Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury, Britain, that targeted Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, an attack that Putin's Russia had denied, a Russia that had previously gone after Alexander Litvinenko. At its heart, Bellingcat, with its collaborative spirit, sets out to take an evidence based approach, to identify, verify and amplify (publicise) the truth in a counterfactual, post truth era, challenging the powerful, politicians and the criminal, demanding accountability and offering training for those interested in their methodology. Amongst their many successes, they have exposed Assad's use of chemical weapons in Syria, identified ISIS members in Europe, tracked down the Neo-Nazis responsible for violent attacks in Charlottesville, and proved that the Russians downed the Air Malaysia passenger plane in Ukraine. Needless to say, they have made powerful enemies determined to destroy them, you cannot take on the likes of Putin's Russia without consequences.
Bellingcat is the people's intelligence agency at a time when power is in fewer and fewer hands, an organisation that has begun to challenge that old adage that history is written by the victors, now it can be written by the defeated too. It has even charted how people have become radicalised into becoming far right white supremacists, not in itself a new phenomena, by decoding information many had seen but few had understood. It is terrifying just how much information on people is held on the internet, not to mention photographs, and where people can be tracked through family and friends, raising the question whether there is any such thing as privacy. On the other hand, it is Bellingcat's abilities to trawl through this very mass of openly available data that allows it to come up with its ground breaking stories. This is a fascinating and informative read, Higgins provides a mass of intricate details on their biggest operations, including their use of geolocation techniques, and it is written in a riveting and highly readable style. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC.
Bellingcat are the digital detectives who tracked down the Russian GRU agents responsible for the 2017 deadly Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury, Britain, that targeted Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, an attack that Putin's Russia had denied, a Russia that had previously gone after Alexander Litvinenko. At its heart, Bellingcat, with its collaborative spirit, sets out to take an evidence based approach, to identify, verify and amplify (publicise) the truth in a counterfactual, post truth era, challenging the powerful, politicians and the criminal, demanding accountability and offering training for those interested in their methodology. Amongst their many successes, they have exposed Assad's use of chemical weapons in Syria, identified ISIS members in Europe, tracked down the Neo-Nazis responsible for violent attacks in Charlottesville, and proved that the Russians downed the Air Malaysia passenger plane in Ukraine. Needless to say, they have made powerful enemies determined to destroy them, you cannot take on the likes of Putin's Russia without consequences.
Bellingcat is the people's intelligence agency at a time when power is in fewer and fewer hands, an organisation that has begun to challenge that old adage that history is written by the victors, now it can be written by the defeated too. It has even charted how people have become radicalised into becoming far right white supremacists, not in itself a new phenomena, by decoding information many had seen but few had understood. It is terrifying just how much information on people is held on the internet, not to mention photographs, and where people can be tracked through family and friends, raising the question whether there is any such thing as privacy. On the other hand, it is Bellingcat's abilities to trawl through this very mass of openly available data that allows it to come up with its ground breaking stories. This is a fascinating and informative read, Higgins provides a mass of intricate details on their biggest operations, including their use of geolocation techniques, and it is written in a riveting and highly readable style. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC.
Read
December 14, 2022Неймовірно життєствердна книжка про те, що на боці зла може бути репресивний апарат стрьомної держави, катівні, де людей змушують замовкнути навіки, контроль за інтернетом і необмежений бюджет - але достатньо задротів без жодних ресурсів, крім обсесивної вдачі й необмеженого доступу до інтернету, на іншому краю глобусу, щоб урешті викрити злочинців. Як то кажуть, арка історії довга, але хилиться до справедливості.
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January 20, 2023"The Bellingcat method has endless applications. What unifies our work is a drive for accountability. We take scattered facts online and try to turn them into justice" (p.240)
This book is an account of the creation and development of Bellingcat , an agency, group or perhaps a community of people working together using mostly publicly available information to expose crimes, criminals and perpetrators of injustice. This story is told largely chronologically from Eliot Higgins working alone, apparently mostly at his office job, and commentating on internet forums, to having his own website, to forming the Bellingcat community with some paid employees and many volunteer collaborators.
The story progresses by means of looking at his and their contributions to a few major investigations: The war in Syria, the shooting down of flight MH17, aspects of the war in Libya, identifying members of the far-right involved in violence around their rally in Charlottesville, and the poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury.
After finishing the first chapter two ideas stuck in my head obsession and exclusion. Plainly Higgins is an obsessive person, spending a lot of time on the internet arguing points , at first, about the war in Syria and increasingly trying to prove his point by seeking out and researching further information on the internet. This put me in mind of a related story of obsession: Åsne Seierstad's one of us, and how the internet is, perhaps intrinsically, a tool of radicalisation .
The other thought was exclusion, several times Higgins feels that through his investigations he is taken seriously or gets to be considered an equal by people he feels are socially or politically superior to him - he is at first working in an office, he hasn't much formal education, he feels on the outside of the power structures of British society and yet suddenly his insights and knowledge are being taken seriously.
This leads implicitly to Bellingcat as an example of radical democratisation. People can come together, share their concerns, work together and expose injustices and wrong doings. However remembering the Sherlock Holmes story in which the heroes are travelling through the English countryside and Dr.watson comments on how peaceful looking and crime free the rural life is, only to be sternly corrected by Holmes that it is only in the teeming city that crimes come to light, while unknown brutalities and suffering remain behind closed doors in the picture book villages. There are limits to this democratisation, citizen participation, and investigation, there has to be affordable access to the internet, relative leisure and investigation is limited to parts of the world where information is freely available on line.
A pleasing aspect of the investigations is how amateur it is, much of it is simply time consuming but using fairly basic techniques - like looking at pictures and trying to match features to maps to identify the location, or checking what somebody is actually saying in a video that is not in English, or searching for an individuals online presence. Inadvertently for instance they uncover a large number of Russian security agents because they registered their cars to the Moscow security agency headquarters. Though in places they also use more specialised software.
Other issues include funding - eventually Higgins begins to ask for donations which allows him to work full time on his own website - he also has a partner and children, and once Bellingcat is established they receive some grants from, among others, Google the number of paid employees remains small around twenty to thirty and they seem to be working collaboratively over the internet. Much work is done by presumably self financing volunteers.
Higgins is concerned about what he calls 'the counterfactual community' where the far left and far right have met, featuring conspiracy theorists, state propangandists, and alternative media. I think in this concern you can see the roots of Higgins' activism in commenting on online forms and wanting to confront some of those voices which support authoritarian regimes.
I wonder what exactly the purpose of this book was - Bellingcat have plans to expand and grow, but there is already a website of the same name, some of the results of this research are already in the public domain - but perhaps Bellingcat's role has not been fully acknowledged in that process. Curiously mobile telephones are referred to as cell phones an american usage which suggests that the final text did not emerge from the pen or keyboard of the Leicester based Higgins!
This book is an account of the creation and development of Bellingcat , an agency, group or perhaps a community of people working together using mostly publicly available information to expose crimes, criminals and perpetrators of injustice. This story is told largely chronologically from Eliot Higgins working alone, apparently mostly at his office job, and commentating on internet forums, to having his own website, to forming the Bellingcat community with some paid employees and many volunteer collaborators.
The story progresses by means of looking at his and their contributions to a few major investigations: The war in Syria, the shooting down of flight MH17, aspects of the war in Libya, identifying members of the far-right involved in violence around their rally in Charlottesville, and the poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury.
After finishing the first chapter two ideas stuck in my head obsession and exclusion. Plainly Higgins is an obsessive person, spending a lot of time on the internet arguing points , at first, about the war in Syria and increasingly trying to prove his point by seeking out and researching further information on the internet. This put me in mind of a related story of obsession: Åsne Seierstad's one of us, and how the internet is, perhaps intrinsically, a tool of radicalisation .
The other thought was exclusion, several times Higgins feels that through his investigations he is taken seriously or gets to be considered an equal by people he feels are socially or politically superior to him - he is at first working in an office, he hasn't much formal education, he feels on the outside of the power structures of British society and yet suddenly his insights and knowledge are being taken seriously.
This leads implicitly to Bellingcat as an example of radical democratisation. People can come together, share their concerns, work together and expose injustices and wrong doings. However remembering the Sherlock Holmes story in which the heroes are travelling through the English countryside and Dr.watson comments on how peaceful looking and crime free the rural life is, only to be sternly corrected by Holmes that it is only in the teeming city that crimes come to light, while unknown brutalities and suffering remain behind closed doors in the picture book villages. There are limits to this democratisation, citizen participation, and investigation, there has to be affordable access to the internet, relative leisure and investigation is limited to parts of the world where information is freely available on line.
A pleasing aspect of the investigations is how amateur it is, much of it is simply time consuming but using fairly basic techniques - like looking at pictures and trying to match features to maps to identify the location, or checking what somebody is actually saying in a video that is not in English, or searching for an individuals online presence. Inadvertently for instance they uncover a large number of Russian security agents because they registered their cars to the Moscow security agency headquarters. Though in places they also use more specialised software.
Other issues include funding - eventually Higgins begins to ask for donations which allows him to work full time on his own website - he also has a partner and children, and once Bellingcat is established they receive some grants from, among others, Google the number of paid employees remains small around twenty to thirty and they seem to be working collaboratively over the internet. Much work is done by presumably self financing volunteers.
Higgins is concerned about what he calls 'the counterfactual community' where the far left and far right have met, featuring conspiracy theorists, state propangandists, and alternative media. I think in this concern you can see the roots of Higgins' activism in commenting on online forms and wanting to confront some of those voices which support authoritarian regimes.
I wonder what exactly the purpose of this book was - Bellingcat have plans to expand and grow, but there is already a website of the same name, some of the results of this research are already in the public domain - but perhaps Bellingcat's role has not been fully acknowledged in that process. Curiously mobile telephones are referred to as cell phones an american usage which suggests that the final text did not emerge from the pen or keyboard of the Leicester based Higgins!
September 30, 2022
Поки найкраще, що я читала в 2022. Дуже раджу всім українцям до прочитання.
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November 30, 2020Bellingcat is a lovely invented word that perfectly describes a new discipline- tracking down the hidden truth and lassoing the culprits - the powerful - using open source data. In We Are Bellingcat, founder Eliot Higgins tells the remarkable and always fascinating – when not totally gripping – story of how it came to be, how it found itself front and center on the world stage, and how it achieved its numerous, significant accomplishments. It’s an exciting book, because all of their campaigns will be familiar to all readers. The process of uncovering the truth is worthy of the finest spy fiction.
With no training, and out of a combination of curiosity and boredom, with nothing grand in mind, Higgins began to explore open source databanks to fill in some blanks. He found that not only were significant data freely available, but that social media went far above and beyond its claims to level the playing field. Untold millions of people are forever uploading images and videos to various websites and services. And though it is not in any way organized for retrieval, a little screen time can help pinpoint an unidentified location, name the unnamed, and track the untraceable. It’s a true detective story unfolding daily, right now.
In story after story, from Syrian chemical warfare to downed passenger planes, Bellingcat has employed tools freely available to all to expose the truth and the coverup lies around newsworthy incidents. Given a photo of an intersection, they were able to place it perfectly on a map, using the image/satellite function of Google Earth. Elements in the background, from buildings under construction to a row of trees or a billboard allow them to zero in on the exact location. The color of the ground, the style of the neighborhood and numerous other factors allow researchers to narrow the otherwise infinite possibilities. The angle of the shot can sometimes be traced to the specific apartment window it was taken from. Software fed with a precise location can interpret shadows and light to tell the exact time of day. Doing all this repeatedly can establish a timeline.
Bellingcat was able to trace the path of the gun used to shoot down an Air Malaysia passenger plane over Ukraine. They traced it right back to its home base in Russia, and identified the actual gun out of a flotilla of eight of them sent to Ukraine, because later photos showed one missile newly missing from the unit. Some things as simple as dents and scratches on the wheel skirt allowed them to follow individual launchers as they trundled towards and through the country. Fingerprints come in many guises.
People today take thousands of times as many photos as they used to when they required printing from negatives. And they upload them to all kinds of social media, with no specific intent in doing so because it is easy and free. But it all becomes data and evidence if someone wants to use them that way. Reverse image searches are becoming reliable if not universal. And once uploaded, images are generally out of the reach of those with something to hide. Bellingcat takes no chances though. They download their evidence to preserve it.
Among the cases Bellingcat has solved, the book describes in great detail the path to truth of Syrian chemical warfare, Charlottesville white supremacists, downed passenger airliners, the Yemen proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Novichok poisonings. The investigators fear nothing and no one; no story is off limits. Thanks to the internet, language is no longer a barrier, and the internet itself, often accused of promoting lies, has proven to be a remarkable tool for outing the truth.
In the case of the Malaysian airliner (flight MH17 from Amsterdam), Bellingcat was able to identify and track down the Russian military unit responsible, and profile its officers, using social media. When there is no profile of someone who needs to keep his identity secret, Bellingcat goes after everyone around them, from soldiers and classmates to family. Their social media profiles and posts provide the missing clues, including photos of the now secretive, which can be used to identify them in the field today. Young soldiers are more social and chatty. So are younger sisters and daughters. False passports are a hindrance but not a dead end. With open source databanks, real names can be found, home addresses, auto registrations, voter registrations and on and on. It just takes work to find them.
And all the while, Russia maintained it had nothing to do with any of it, and that is was a Ukrainian gun and gunner that brought it down. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, it still holds to that total fabrication.
Which brings up the issue of why no one else is doing this. Why is Bellingcat able to get to the bottom of events when police, newspapers, commissions and detectives cannot? Higgins has been amazed to learn that with all the money and resources available to others “we were the only ones doing this.” With no money at all.
He has been asked several times to testify before tribunals, not so much for the stunning facts he has uncovered and the crimes he has solved, but how he does it. He always gets a receptive audience, simply fascinated by it all. The book works the same way.
His answer is obsession and passion. It’s not often easy, though sometimes a puzzle piece just presents itself in less than hour. In many other cases, sleuths have to keep monitoring for years. But if it’s in you to dig, the rewards can be exhilarating, and the book reflects that wonderfully. Bellingcat findings have graced the front page of the New York Times, and Bellingcat alums have been hired by the paper to set up its own investigative unit. More and more organizations want to partner.
But as much as journalism is in thrall, criminals and politicians are aghast. Outsider Bellingcat is playing in the top leagues. Making a liar out of Vladimir Putin (several times) leads to hacking, harassment, shaming, doxxing, outside pressure and death threats. And we are now certain Russia will not hesitate to poison anyone it dislikes, with chemical compounds it has invented itself. Some Bellingcat alumni suffer from PTSD as if they had been in a shooting war.
In getting to the bottom of the Skripal Novichok poisoning case, Bellingcat proved the Russians to be total frauds and liars. The two accused poisoners claimed to be simple tourists, visiting Salisbury England to admire the steeple of the cathedral. Only Bellingcat was able to prove they were from the military intelligence service GRU. They traced auto registrations back to the GRU building, and their apartments just across the street. They went back to their hometowns to get corroboration, and even found the rest of the hit team, because it was not just the two wildcat poisoners themselves. No other publication or service knew that. The leader was involved in numerous assassinations in the UK and throughout Europe, eliminating critics of the Putin regime one by one. He would arrive beforehand, and leave early, escaping all scrutiny. Higgins’ team got cellphone numbers and called to get voice samples to verify identity, plus mentions by neighbors, and evidence of false passports. Flight tracking going back years showed the same team members doing Putin’s work repeatedly. If not for Bellingcat, there would still be the usual diplomatic niceties peppered with unsubstantiated allegations. Higgins cut through it all with a bunch of volunteers in an open-source investigation.
Higgins faces the same alternative facts from extremists that we all see daily. They lie, make up stories, and when the stories don’t stick, they make up new ones. ”What strikes me most is their (the Counterfactual Community’s) lack of dissonance: they failed to prove the previous claim, or the one before, yet make the next with equal certainty,” he says.
Those with something to hide continually lash out at Bellingcat in an attempt to shred its reputation. They get called armchair detectives, rank amateurs, unprofessional with zero credibility, and just playing dangerous games -badly. Higgins brushes it off and gets back to his screen, where the truth lies, hiding in plain sight. He says: “We are not exactly journalists, nor human rights activists, nor computer scientists, nor archivists, nor academic researchers, nor criminal investigators, but at the nexus of all those disciplines.”
Higgins’ writing style is delightfully simple and free of fluff. He is direct and clear about everything. It is a pleasure to read and it moves smoothly and quickly, taking readers to places unheard of in the news media.
He is taking his show on the road too, teaching others to do the same thing Bellingcat does, all over the world. It doesn’t require a four year degree, a license or 15 years’ training. It requires dedication and persistence, making 100% sure of claims by getting at the same fact from multiple angles. The more widespread such research spreads, the better protected everyone in the world would be. It doesn’t make you rich, but its reward is true accomplishment and pride in the achievement of solving a real mystery. As time goes on, Bellingcat is proving to be the single most credible and valuable news source there is. It derives real value from the dross of social media. For that alone it deserves a medal.
In this era of ever more sophisticated fabrications, Bellingcat, both the service and the book, are most worthy of readers’ attention. This, for once, is an optimistic vision of the future – of journalism if not justice.
David Wineberg
With no training, and out of a combination of curiosity and boredom, with nothing grand in mind, Higgins began to explore open source databanks to fill in some blanks. He found that not only were significant data freely available, but that social media went far above and beyond its claims to level the playing field. Untold millions of people are forever uploading images and videos to various websites and services. And though it is not in any way organized for retrieval, a little screen time can help pinpoint an unidentified location, name the unnamed, and track the untraceable. It’s a true detective story unfolding daily, right now.
In story after story, from Syrian chemical warfare to downed passenger planes, Bellingcat has employed tools freely available to all to expose the truth and the coverup lies around newsworthy incidents. Given a photo of an intersection, they were able to place it perfectly on a map, using the image/satellite function of Google Earth. Elements in the background, from buildings under construction to a row of trees or a billboard allow them to zero in on the exact location. The color of the ground, the style of the neighborhood and numerous other factors allow researchers to narrow the otherwise infinite possibilities. The angle of the shot can sometimes be traced to the specific apartment window it was taken from. Software fed with a precise location can interpret shadows and light to tell the exact time of day. Doing all this repeatedly can establish a timeline.
Bellingcat was able to trace the path of the gun used to shoot down an Air Malaysia passenger plane over Ukraine. They traced it right back to its home base in Russia, and identified the actual gun out of a flotilla of eight of them sent to Ukraine, because later photos showed one missile newly missing from the unit. Some things as simple as dents and scratches on the wheel skirt allowed them to follow individual launchers as they trundled towards and through the country. Fingerprints come in many guises.
People today take thousands of times as many photos as they used to when they required printing from negatives. And they upload them to all kinds of social media, with no specific intent in doing so because it is easy and free. But it all becomes data and evidence if someone wants to use them that way. Reverse image searches are becoming reliable if not universal. And once uploaded, images are generally out of the reach of those with something to hide. Bellingcat takes no chances though. They download their evidence to preserve it.
Among the cases Bellingcat has solved, the book describes in great detail the path to truth of Syrian chemical warfare, Charlottesville white supremacists, downed passenger airliners, the Yemen proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Novichok poisonings. The investigators fear nothing and no one; no story is off limits. Thanks to the internet, language is no longer a barrier, and the internet itself, often accused of promoting lies, has proven to be a remarkable tool for outing the truth.
In the case of the Malaysian airliner (flight MH17 from Amsterdam), Bellingcat was able to identify and track down the Russian military unit responsible, and profile its officers, using social media. When there is no profile of someone who needs to keep his identity secret, Bellingcat goes after everyone around them, from soldiers and classmates to family. Their social media profiles and posts provide the missing clues, including photos of the now secretive, which can be used to identify them in the field today. Young soldiers are more social and chatty. So are younger sisters and daughters. False passports are a hindrance but not a dead end. With open source databanks, real names can be found, home addresses, auto registrations, voter registrations and on and on. It just takes work to find them.
And all the while, Russia maintained it had nothing to do with any of it, and that is was a Ukrainian gun and gunner that brought it down. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, it still holds to that total fabrication.
Which brings up the issue of why no one else is doing this. Why is Bellingcat able to get to the bottom of events when police, newspapers, commissions and detectives cannot? Higgins has been amazed to learn that with all the money and resources available to others “we were the only ones doing this.” With no money at all.
He has been asked several times to testify before tribunals, not so much for the stunning facts he has uncovered and the crimes he has solved, but how he does it. He always gets a receptive audience, simply fascinated by it all. The book works the same way.
His answer is obsession and passion. It’s not often easy, though sometimes a puzzle piece just presents itself in less than hour. In many other cases, sleuths have to keep monitoring for years. But if it’s in you to dig, the rewards can be exhilarating, and the book reflects that wonderfully. Bellingcat findings have graced the front page of the New York Times, and Bellingcat alums have been hired by the paper to set up its own investigative unit. More and more organizations want to partner.
But as much as journalism is in thrall, criminals and politicians are aghast. Outsider Bellingcat is playing in the top leagues. Making a liar out of Vladimir Putin (several times) leads to hacking, harassment, shaming, doxxing, outside pressure and death threats. And we are now certain Russia will not hesitate to poison anyone it dislikes, with chemical compounds it has invented itself. Some Bellingcat alumni suffer from PTSD as if they had been in a shooting war.
In getting to the bottom of the Skripal Novichok poisoning case, Bellingcat proved the Russians to be total frauds and liars. The two accused poisoners claimed to be simple tourists, visiting Salisbury England to admire the steeple of the cathedral. Only Bellingcat was able to prove they were from the military intelligence service GRU. They traced auto registrations back to the GRU building, and their apartments just across the street. They went back to their hometowns to get corroboration, and even found the rest of the hit team, because it was not just the two wildcat poisoners themselves. No other publication or service knew that. The leader was involved in numerous assassinations in the UK and throughout Europe, eliminating critics of the Putin regime one by one. He would arrive beforehand, and leave early, escaping all scrutiny. Higgins’ team got cellphone numbers and called to get voice samples to verify identity, plus mentions by neighbors, and evidence of false passports. Flight tracking going back years showed the same team members doing Putin’s work repeatedly. If not for Bellingcat, there would still be the usual diplomatic niceties peppered with unsubstantiated allegations. Higgins cut through it all with a bunch of volunteers in an open-source investigation.
Higgins faces the same alternative facts from extremists that we all see daily. They lie, make up stories, and when the stories don’t stick, they make up new ones. ”What strikes me most is their (the Counterfactual Community’s) lack of dissonance: they failed to prove the previous claim, or the one before, yet make the next with equal certainty,” he says.
Those with something to hide continually lash out at Bellingcat in an attempt to shred its reputation. They get called armchair detectives, rank amateurs, unprofessional with zero credibility, and just playing dangerous games -badly. Higgins brushes it off and gets back to his screen, where the truth lies, hiding in plain sight. He says: “We are not exactly journalists, nor human rights activists, nor computer scientists, nor archivists, nor academic researchers, nor criminal investigators, but at the nexus of all those disciplines.”
Higgins’ writing style is delightfully simple and free of fluff. He is direct and clear about everything. It is a pleasure to read and it moves smoothly and quickly, taking readers to places unheard of in the news media.
He is taking his show on the road too, teaching others to do the same thing Bellingcat does, all over the world. It doesn’t require a four year degree, a license or 15 years’ training. It requires dedication and persistence, making 100% sure of claims by getting at the same fact from multiple angles. The more widespread such research spreads, the better protected everyone in the world would be. It doesn’t make you rich, but its reward is true accomplishment and pride in the achievement of solving a real mystery. As time goes on, Bellingcat is proving to be the single most credible and valuable news source there is. It derives real value from the dross of social media. For that alone it deserves a medal.
In this era of ever more sophisticated fabrications, Bellingcat, both the service and the book, are most worthy of readers’ attention. This, for once, is an optimistic vision of the future – of journalism if not justice.
David Wineberg
December 9, 2025
Political agendas
should have nothing to do with our work.
Eliot Higgins is, by his own admission, a shiftless and talentless office drone who spent every workday watching YouTube videos. Given his misuse of his employer's office equipment and failure to do any work around his hours and hours of in-office video watching, Higgins was justifiably fired.
Demonstrating the millennial desperation-born "fake it 'til you make it" ethos and hubris, the unemployable Higgins becomes a self-proclaimed arms and geolocation expert within twelve months by watching said videos and attracts a following to his "Brown Moses" blog (yes, this is a Zappa reference, and yes, Moses would naturally have been quite brown).
In 2014, funded through donations from unnamed parties, Higgins founds Bellingcat (belling the cat, in reference to a fable about mice hanging a bell around a cat's neck, so the mice would know the cat's location and avoid being surprised, played-with, and eaten - this is also a Tom & Jerry story line); Higgins is clear (pp. 58) that Bellingcat is an antithesis to WikiLeaks. Given the great lengths Higgins goes through in terms of word count to discredit WikiLeaks, it’s clear that whistle-blowers and investigative reporters are, for Higgins and his backers, the cat to be belled.
Somewhere along the line, Higgins having achieved a reputation for drawing US-friendly conclusions from video evidence (from the US intelligence services-screened YouTube library and FBI-approved Tweets) perhaps "independently" (if one CAN be independent using only carefully screened sources) at first, is recruited through a small Dutch non-profit funded by NATO governments and EU corporations. Bellingcat is later tied to the U.S. far-right ideologue-funded and staffed "think tank", Atlantic Council, and financed by Google and other large western corporations.
Now well-funded and set up with equipment and personnel (largely NATO ex-military and intelligence services), Bellingcat is a psy-op--a nominally independent news agency that just happens to unquestioningly and universally promote pro-NATO narratives (for example, apropos of literally everything, Russia = BAD, Saud = GOOD).
Higgins, still a shiftless deadbeat talentless drone, is now a multi-millionaire propagandist charged with discrediting actual independent analysis and courageous intelligence leaks.
Is this the language of someone without a political agenda when mentioning those who have presented tangible evidence of Bellingcat’s political agenda and patently false narrative as a mouthpiece of the corpo-state?
"counterfactual zealots" (pp. 26)
"fringe conspiracists" (pp. 26)
The "far left" and "far right" united (pp.37)
Dozens of paragraphs disparaging Russia Today and everything ever broadcast there, with no question or reference to the propaganda produced by NPR, the BBC, et al. (e.g. pp. 43)
Multiple references questioning the veracity and intention of documents posted by Wikileaks, without offering a bit of evidence (e.g. pp. 58, 112, 128)
Questions about Higgins' motivations and funding described as paranoiac rants (pp. 116)
Disagreeing narrative labelled "deranged" and motivated by "pathological" suspicion of the US government. (pp. 116)
Eliot Higgins is, by his own admission, a shiftless and talentless office drone who spent every workday watching YouTube videos. Given his misuse of his employer's office equipment and failure to do any work around his hours and hours of in-office video watching, Higgins was justifiably fired.
Demonstrating the millennial desperation-born "fake it 'til you make it" ethos and hubris, the unemployable Higgins becomes a self-proclaimed arms and geolocation expert within twelve months by watching said videos and attracts a following to his "Brown Moses" blog (yes, this is a Zappa reference, and yes, Moses would naturally have been quite brown).
In 2014, funded through donations from unnamed parties, Higgins founds Bellingcat (belling the cat, in reference to a fable about mice hanging a bell around a cat's neck, so the mice would know the cat's location and avoid being surprised, played-with, and eaten - this is also a Tom & Jerry story line); Higgins is clear (pp. 58) that Bellingcat is an antithesis to WikiLeaks. Given the great lengths Higgins goes through in terms of word count to discredit WikiLeaks, it’s clear that whistle-blowers and investigative reporters are, for Higgins and his backers, the cat to be belled.
Somewhere along the line, Higgins having achieved a reputation for drawing US-friendly conclusions from video evidence (from the US intelligence services-screened YouTube library and FBI-approved Tweets) perhaps "independently" (if one CAN be independent using only carefully screened sources) at first, is recruited through a small Dutch non-profit funded by NATO governments and EU corporations. Bellingcat is later tied to the U.S. far-right ideologue-funded and staffed "think tank", Atlantic Council, and financed by Google and other large western corporations.
Now well-funded and set up with equipment and personnel (largely NATO ex-military and intelligence services), Bellingcat is a psy-op--a nominally independent news agency that just happens to unquestioningly and universally promote pro-NATO narratives (for example, apropos of literally everything, Russia = BAD, Saud = GOOD).
Higgins, still a shiftless deadbeat talentless drone, is now a multi-millionaire propagandist charged with discrediting actual independent analysis and courageous intelligence leaks.
Is this the language of someone without a political agenda when mentioning those who have presented tangible evidence of Bellingcat’s political agenda and patently false narrative as a mouthpiece of the corpo-state?
"counterfactual zealots" (pp. 26)
"fringe conspiracists" (pp. 26)
The "far left" and "far right" united (pp.37)
Dozens of paragraphs disparaging Russia Today and everything ever broadcast there, with no question or reference to the propaganda produced by NPR, the BBC, et al. (e.g. pp. 43)
Multiple references questioning the veracity and intention of documents posted by Wikileaks, without offering a bit of evidence (e.g. pp. 58, 112, 128)
Questions about Higgins' motivations and funding described as paranoiac rants (pp. 116)
Disagreeing narrative labelled "deranged" and motivated by "pathological" suspicion of the US government. (pp. 116)
February 10, 2021
Toto bude asi veľmi baviť novinárov a ľudí motajúcich sa okolo dezinformácií a investigatívy, a menej baviť hocikoho iného. Čo je hlavné, dozvedel som sa, čo znamená Bellingcat! (Z vtipu: myši hovoria - našli sme spôsob, ako zneškodniť mačku! Zavesíme jej na krk zvonček. Zostáva len jeden problém - kto ho zavesí? Zvonček na mačku --> Belling the Cat)
March 17, 2022
True gem.
It's a book about the importance of OSINT in understanding the modern world and revealing: lies, false propaganda, fake news. It doesn't go through the details of OSINT work (well, some practices are being mentioned, but it's not the most important thing here), but makes the reader understand why orgs like Bellingcat are important, what they do, and what they have already achieved.
Truth (as a greater value) is one of my favorite topics. Some say that objective truth is already dead, but actually, it's the guys like Higgins or Grozev, who give us some hope for the future.
Make yourself a favor. Read this book, if only to understand that the real world out there is so far different from what media present you - information is a weapon these days, but that weapon can be also used in defense. And this is what Bellingcat is all about.
It's a book about the importance of OSINT in understanding the modern world and revealing: lies, false propaganda, fake news. It doesn't go through the details of OSINT work (well, some practices are being mentioned, but it's not the most important thing here), but makes the reader understand why orgs like Bellingcat are important, what they do, and what they have already achieved.
Truth (as a greater value) is one of my favorite topics. Some say that objective truth is already dead, but actually, it's the guys like Higgins or Grozev, who give us some hope for the future.
Make yourself a favor. Read this book, if only to understand that the real world out there is so far different from what media present you - information is a weapon these days, but that weapon can be also used in defense. And this is what Bellingcat is all about.
February 4, 2021
We Are Bellingcat is the page-turning inside account of the organization solving international mysteries and wielding the power of the internet to fight for facts. In 2018, Russian exile Sergei Skripal and his daughter were nearly killed in an audacious poisoning attempt in Salisbury, England. Soon, the identity of one of the suspects was revealed: he was a Russian spy. This huge investigative coup wasn't pulled off by an intelligence agency or a traditional news outlet. Instead, the scoop came from Bellingcat, the open-source investigative team that is redefining the way we think about news, politics, and the digital future. We Are Bellingcat tells the inspiring story of how a college dropout pioneered a new category of reporting and galvanized citizen journalists-working together from their computer screens around the globe-to crack major cases, at a time when fact-based journalism is under assault from authoritarian forces.
Founder Eliot Higgins introduces readers to the tools Bellingcat investigators use, tools available to anyone, from software that helps you pinpoint the location of an image, to an app that can nail down the time that photo was taken. This book digs deep into some of Bellingcat's most important investigations-the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine, Assad's use of chemical weapons in Syria, the identities of alt-right protestors in Charlottesville-with the drama and gripping detail of a spy novel. A fascinating, accessible and exciting read, this reads every bit like a fictional spy novel rather than the exploits of a real-life citizen-run company. With case studies and examples of work Bellingcat has carried out all over the world you receive a small glimpse in to how vital they have become. As someone who enjoys true crime and mystery I found myself eating into the page count rapidly and for those interested in mysterious happenings and maintaining a factual news outlet that can be relied upon this is a must-read.
Founder Eliot Higgins introduces readers to the tools Bellingcat investigators use, tools available to anyone, from software that helps you pinpoint the location of an image, to an app that can nail down the time that photo was taken. This book digs deep into some of Bellingcat's most important investigations-the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine, Assad's use of chemical weapons in Syria, the identities of alt-right protestors in Charlottesville-with the drama and gripping detail of a spy novel. A fascinating, accessible and exciting read, this reads every bit like a fictional spy novel rather than the exploits of a real-life citizen-run company. With case studies and examples of work Bellingcat has carried out all over the world you receive a small glimpse in to how vital they have become. As someone who enjoys true crime and mystery I found myself eating into the page count rapidly and for those interested in mysterious happenings and maintaining a factual news outlet that can be relied upon this is a must-read.
April 26, 2021
Whilst some of this book was very interested and I whole heartedly support Bellingcat’s aims, I found the long chapters giving a blow by blow account of exactly how they uncovered each bit of evidence too dense. A laudable organisation, and great work by a dedicated team - but I think someone writing this with slightly more distance from the organisation might have improved this as a book.
February 3, 2023
А що ви знаєте про Bellingcat?
Я, зізнаюсь, трохи скептично поставилась до цієї книжки, бо, здавалось, що особливого я тут прочитаю? На наших широтах Bellingcat міцно асоціюється з катастрофою МН17 і пекельними трусиками Навального. Тобто, я уявляла, що за цією назвою стоїть група фанатичних пошуковців, які завдяки відкритим і не дуже джерелам можуть підвердити, або спростувати ту чи іншу версію.
І я, загалом, була права. Але не зовсім. Якщо коротко
Bellingcat дійсно народилась з групки пошуковців за відкритими джерелами, що мали на меті показати правду там, де журналісти не могли цього зробити. Але після збиття малазійського боїнга російським БУКом все змінилось. Bellingcat, до речі, виступали свідками у цій справі офіційно.
Тепер це не просто "пошуки правди з відкритих джерел". Це дещо більше.
Детальніше, звісно, в книжці. Читати яку я, звісно, рекомендую.
Я, зізнаюсь, трохи скептично поставилась до цієї книжки, бо, здавалось, що особливого я тут прочитаю? На наших широтах Bellingcat міцно асоціюється з катастрофою МН17 і пекельними трусиками Навального. Тобто, я уявляла, що за цією назвою стоїть група фанатичних пошуковців, які завдяки відкритим і не дуже джерелам можуть підвердити, або спростувати ту чи іншу версію.
І я, загалом, була права. Але не зовсім. Якщо коротко
Bellingcat дійсно народилась з групки пошуковців за відкритими джерелами, що мали на меті показати правду там, де журналісти не могли цього зробити. Але після збиття малазійського боїнга російським БУКом все змінилось. Bellingcat, до речі, виступали свідками у цій справі офіційно.
Тепер це не просто "пошуки правди з відкритих джерел". Це дещо більше.
Детальніше, звісно, в книжці. Читати яку я, звісно, рекомендую.
November 10, 2021
6/10
3 stars for the book
5 stars for Bellingcat (for what it represents and what it has already accomplished, with much more to come)
3 stars for the book
5 stars for Bellingcat (for what it represents and what it has already accomplished, with much more to come)
March 26, 2023
While I am reluctant to “dislike” the book as I hugely admire Bellingcat, their mission and contribution, as a literally work I found it felt a bit short of my expectation. On one hand, like other reviewers have pointed out, much of the book described the minute detail of various online investigations, which was fascinating in the first chapter but got repetitive as the book progressed, especially as the steps (e.g. the process of geolocation etc.) took place in more or less the same way. While I appreciate that open-source investigations take a lot of very unglamorous effort, describing it in detail over and over doesn’t make for the most interesting read.
Beyond that (and that’s just my personal opinion) although I admired what Higgins had achieved with Bellingcat I found him increasingly annoying as the book progressed. While he was constantly revelling in his and his collaborators admittedly impressive work, he came across as dismissive of the work and capabilities of others or plainly ignorant of the different positions of different actors. For example, suggesting that state intelligence agencies not publicly announcing highly controversial discoveries was a sign that they were simply not able to obtain that information seemed as a rather naive assertion. More than that, I would have also liked for him to be more reflective of issues relating to his work model. He mentions ethical issues in general but I found most of those discussions to be rather superficial and more of a tick-box exercise. He never offers much reflection on how taking advantage of corrupt practices (eg in Russia) to obtain personal information, arguably illegally, or using informants whose lives may be threatened as a result without much support being offered to them (e.g again well exemplified by the later chapters taking about Russia and the Navalny poisoning) fits with the organisation’s mission and what it means ethically. Not saying that an argument cannot be made in defence of those practices but it would have made the author appear a lot more self-aware if he had reflected on these issues more substantively. Because this was glossed over, at times it just made me feel like I was reading the perspective of a person gamifying reality while ignoring the consequences and significance of their actions and just revealing at how “cool” all of it was. Similarly, the mentions how important gender equality is and how it’s such a shame women aren’t more involved but completely glosses over the fact that the heavily relies of extensive unpaid labour and he himself was only able to dedicate hours and hours to getting started seemingly because his wife was working full time to support him and their child (that’s my impression at least for the whole two sentences in which he mentions this). How this pattern of work may affect who enters into the field seems to completely go over his head.
Overall, I enjoyed the book for the most part and admired the work it described, I thought it could have been written better and with a much greater level of reflection and self-awareness.
Beyond that (and that’s just my personal opinion) although I admired what Higgins had achieved with Bellingcat I found him increasingly annoying as the book progressed. While he was constantly revelling in his and his collaborators admittedly impressive work, he came across as dismissive of the work and capabilities of others or plainly ignorant of the different positions of different actors. For example, suggesting that state intelligence agencies not publicly announcing highly controversial discoveries was a sign that they were simply not able to obtain that information seemed as a rather naive assertion. More than that, I would have also liked for him to be more reflective of issues relating to his work model. He mentions ethical issues in general but I found most of those discussions to be rather superficial and more of a tick-box exercise. He never offers much reflection on how taking advantage of corrupt practices (eg in Russia) to obtain personal information, arguably illegally, or using informants whose lives may be threatened as a result without much support being offered to them (e.g again well exemplified by the later chapters taking about Russia and the Navalny poisoning) fits with the organisation’s mission and what it means ethically. Not saying that an argument cannot be made in defence of those practices but it would have made the author appear a lot more self-aware if he had reflected on these issues more substantively. Because this was glossed over, at times it just made me feel like I was reading the perspective of a person gamifying reality while ignoring the consequences and significance of their actions and just revealing at how “cool” all of it was. Similarly, the mentions how important gender equality is and how it’s such a shame women aren’t more involved but completely glosses over the fact that the heavily relies of extensive unpaid labour and he himself was only able to dedicate hours and hours to getting started seemingly because his wife was working full time to support him and their child (that’s my impression at least for the whole two sentences in which he mentions this). How this pattern of work may affect who enters into the field seems to completely go over his head.
Overall, I enjoyed the book for the most part and admired the work it described, I thought it could have been written better and with a much greater level of reflection and self-awareness.
May 24, 2023
Светът стана твърде шумен, хаотичен, прекалено сложен за маймунските ни мозъци. Все пак трябва да се справяме някак и трябва да продължаваме да живеем – ако можем пълниценно – в океана от информация/дезинформация. Всеки го прави както му е в природата или както успее. Често начинът е човек да избере „страна“ и да се придържа към нея, каквото и да става около него. Изборът може да е религия, определена политическа идеология или пък набор от социални, морални и етични норми. След това човекът започва да пресява непрекъснатия поток от информация спрямо избора, който вече е възприел. Фактите имат все по-малко значение, ако противоречат на мирогледа. Така работят мозъците ни, избират преките пътища, за да пестят енергия.
Но изглежда има и друг тип хора, с друга мисловна нагласа, които се интересуват от факта като такъв, а не как се вписва в личната им представа за света. Такива по подразбиране са учените /или би трябвало да бъдат/ и разследващите журналисти. Ако тези хора ни убедят, че са безпристрастни, честни и рационални, може би и ние чрез тях ще видим истината зад завесата на дезинформацията. Екипът на „Белингкат“ прави точно това – изравя и съпоставя информация от публично достъпни източници. Това е нещо, което може да прави всеки човек с достъп до интернет и достатъчно свободно време. Книгата проследява историята на организацията и дава подробности за няколко от знаковите им разследвания – военни престъпления в Сирия, сваленият над Украйна самолет на Малайзийските авиолинии през 2014, отравянето на семейство Скрипал и идентификацията на няколко руски шпиони. Има подробности за техниките на разследване, а и някои стряскащи факти за изтекли бази данни с телефонни номера, адреси и пр. (Чудя се кой ли притежава изтеклите данни от нашата НАП и какво ли прави/ще прави с тях). Еволюцията на „Белингкат“ е интересна – от хора, които само изнасят факти се трансформира в организация, която събира доказателства и ги документира по всички съдебни правила, за да могат да се използват за повдигане на обвинения в съда. Освен това организират семинари за желаещи ентусиасти и обучения на студенти по теми, свързани с проверката на факти и борбата с дезинформацията в интернет. Всичко това от 2011 до сега – прогрес, който заслужав внимание и уважение.
От „Белингкат“ съветват да сме скептици вместо циници. Да проверяваме, а не да отхвърляме всичко, само защото половината от т. нар. информация е фалшива. Добрата новина лично за мен е, че на всеки десет интернет трола, разпространяващи лъжи, конспирация, спам, език на омразата ще има поне по един елф, който ще направи всичко възможно да изобличи лъжата. А маймунските мозъци само трябва по-често да избират елфите пред троловете.
И накрая – разбрах какво означава думата Bellingcat.
Но изглежда има и друг тип хора, с друга мисловна нагласа, които се интересуват от факта като такъв, а не как се вписва в личната им представа за света. Такива по подразбиране са учените /или би трябвало да бъдат/ и разследващите журналисти. Ако тези хора ни убедят, че са безпристрастни, честни и рационални, може би и ние чрез тях ще видим истината зад завесата на дезинформацията. Екипът на „Белингкат“ прави точно това – изравя и съпоставя информация от публично достъпни източници. Това е нещо, което може да прави всеки човек с достъп до интернет и достатъчно свободно време. Книгата проследява историята на организацията и дава подробности за няколко от знаковите им разследвания – военни престъпления в Сирия, сваленият над Украйна самолет на Малайзийските авиолинии през 2014, отравянето на семейство Скрипал и идентификацията на няколко руски шпиони. Има подробности за техниките на разследване, а и някои стряскащи факти за изтекли бази данни с телефонни номера, адреси и пр. (Чудя се кой ли притежава изтеклите данни от нашата НАП и какво ли прави/ще прави с тях). Еволюцията на „Белингкат“ е интересна – от хора, които само изнасят факти се трансформира в организация, която събира доказателства и ги документира по всички съдебни правила, за да могат да се използват за повдигане на обвинения в съда. Освен това организират семинари за желаещи ентусиасти и обучения на студенти по теми, свързани с проверката на факти и борбата с дезинформацията в интернет. Всичко това от 2011 до сега – прогрес, който заслужав внимание и уважение.
От „Белингкат“ съветват да сме скептици вместо циници. Да проверяваме, а не да отхвърляме всичко, само защото половината от т. нар. информация е фалшива. Добрата новина лично за мен е, че на всеки десет интернет трола, разпространяващи лъжи, конспирация, спам, език на омразата ще има поне по един елф, който ще направи всичко възможно да изобличи лъжата. А маймунските мозъци само трябва по-често да избират елфите пред троловете.
И накрая – разбрах какво означава думата Bellingcat.
November 25, 2020
It’s more gripping than a detective novel. Except the crimes are real, the sleuths are smarter, and the stakes are higher. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.
January 8, 2024
Eliot Higgins is the founder of Bellingcat.
Bellingcat are a group / collective of researchers and investigators who delve into the world's most pressing international problems using open-source and social media investigation.
This book is the story so far...and there will surely be others as the number of people involved in Bellingcat and similar organisations increases as the years go by. Large news-gathering companies (eg BBC, New York Times, Reuters) have now set up their own teams doing the same kinds of investigation.
Bellingcat give seminars and provide training about their methods, and so the number of citizen journalists will only ever increase and authoritarian politicians will never be able to stop this rise.
As Higgins states, the Bellingcat methods can be used in your local area to create stories about local issues such as rubbish collection or environmental degradation. We could all become citizen journalists as the information will be available, we just have to know where to look and how to collate the information. The patience involved must be extraordinary.
Having read this book and understood the painstaking processes involved, the effort seems similar to the Dark Age monks who spent hours each day for many months creating the illuminated manuscripts we see in museums today. The results of Bellingcat's investigations are the manuscripts and the investigators are the monks, poring over their screen for hours at a time looking for vital clues in seemingly unconnected databases.
Higgins discusses how AI could both hinder (deepfake imagery) and help (repeated searches of databases / imagery looking for certain items) the Bellingcat cause.
Bellingcat has helped break a number of news stories including exposing who shot down flight MH17, revealing the chemical weaponry used in Syria and where it came from, identifying some of the alt-right people who took part in the Charlottesville trouble in the USA, and most famously of all identifying the attempted murderers of the Skripals in Salisbury, UK in which one UK citizen passed away.
Bellingcat are a group / collective of researchers and investigators who delve into the world's most pressing international problems using open-source and social media investigation.
This book is the story so far...and there will surely be others as the number of people involved in Bellingcat and similar organisations increases as the years go by. Large news-gathering companies (eg BBC, New York Times, Reuters) have now set up their own teams doing the same kinds of investigation.
Bellingcat give seminars and provide training about their methods, and so the number of citizen journalists will only ever increase and authoritarian politicians will never be able to stop this rise.
As Higgins states, the Bellingcat methods can be used in your local area to create stories about local issues such as rubbish collection or environmental degradation. We could all become citizen journalists as the information will be available, we just have to know where to look and how to collate the information. The patience involved must be extraordinary.
Having read this book and understood the painstaking processes involved, the effort seems similar to the Dark Age monks who spent hours each day for many months creating the illuminated manuscripts we see in museums today. The results of Bellingcat's investigations are the manuscripts and the investigators are the monks, poring over their screen for hours at a time looking for vital clues in seemingly unconnected databases.
Higgins discusses how AI could both hinder (deepfake imagery) and help (repeated searches of databases / imagery looking for certain items) the Bellingcat cause.
Bellingcat has helped break a number of news stories including exposing who shot down flight MH17, revealing the chemical weaponry used in Syria and where it came from, identifying some of the alt-right people who took part in the Charlottesville trouble in the USA, and most famously of all identifying the attempted murderers of the Skripals in Salisbury, UK in which one UK citizen passed away.
April 21, 2022
I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.
My brother always used to share super dubious news articles on Facebook. I always used to say do you actually know that that’s true? Have you even read the article? 9/10 times he hadn’t and yes it was nonsense or a news story reused from years before.
I’m sure we’ve all seen the footage this week from the US. And maybe you’ve seen the video of the woman rubbing her eyes with a towel in which you can just about see an onion? Half of the news stories id seen were saying she was doing it to make it look like she’d been attacked. However was she actually doing it because onions can take away the side effects from tear gas because she was somewhere doing something she shouldn’t have? Either way how do we know what to believe when we see things posted online. We are Bellingcat is a brilliant example of an organisation trying to prove whether the news, videos and articles we read are true and if they aren’t prove the facts, solely through open-source investigations. This book explores news stories such as the downing of the MH17 plane over Ukraine, the Salisbury novichok poisonings, the Syrian war, the New Zealand mosque terrorist attack which was broadcast live on Facebook and whether what we are reading online about them are facts, or someone’s spin on them maybe having a hidden agenda. If you want to dig deeper into the news stories you read I implore you to read this. I also ask you to think about the news article you’re reading and sharing and question if there’s a chance you’re spreading fake news.
My brother always used to share super dubious news articles on Facebook. I always used to say do you actually know that that’s true? Have you even read the article? 9/10 times he hadn’t and yes it was nonsense or a news story reused from years before.
I’m sure we’ve all seen the footage this week from the US. And maybe you’ve seen the video of the woman rubbing her eyes with a towel in which you can just about see an onion? Half of the news stories id seen were saying she was doing it to make it look like she’d been attacked. However was she actually doing it because onions can take away the side effects from tear gas because she was somewhere doing something she shouldn’t have? Either way how do we know what to believe when we see things posted online. We are Bellingcat is a brilliant example of an organisation trying to prove whether the news, videos and articles we read are true and if they aren’t prove the facts, solely through open-source investigations. This book explores news stories such as the downing of the MH17 plane over Ukraine, the Salisbury novichok poisonings, the Syrian war, the New Zealand mosque terrorist attack which was broadcast live on Facebook and whether what we are reading online about them are facts, or someone’s spin on them maybe having a hidden agenda. If you want to dig deeper into the news stories you read I implore you to read this. I also ask you to think about the news article you’re reading and sharing and question if there’s a chance you’re spreading fake news.
August 17, 2024
Цю книгу було б круто почитати ще коли я нічого не знала про Bellingcat. Тому я готова щиро її рекомендувати всім за межами бульбашки розслідувальної та дата журналістики.
Проте маю два аспекти, які змушують мене ставитись до неї критично.
По-перше, вражає кількість аж ніяк не відкритих джерел, на які вони спираються розслідуючи ФСБшників – пересування, дзвінки, паспортна інформація... І так, в книзі є один абзац, де автор розмірковує над етичністю такого підходу і приходить до висновку, що всі ці дані лежать на російських торентах – самі можете завантажити і перевірити. А потім ще багато разів згадує про інформаторів та свої джерела 😒
(ні, я аж ніяк не хочу знецінити ці розслідування отруйників Навального чи Скрипалів, просто думаю про невідтворюваність)
По-друге ж, як на мене, Гіґґінз занадто оптимістичний у своєму сприйнятті діпфейків та їхнього впливу. Він каже, що і до їхньої появи осінтери завжди критично ставились до будь-якої інформації. Та забуває згадати який вплив можуть мати ті ж діпфейки на величезну аудиторію ДО того, як їх спростують критичні до всього осінтери. І як їхнє існування спричиняє НЕдовіру до самої сутності онлайн розслідувань.
Проте маю два аспекти, які змушують мене ставитись до неї критично.
По-перше, вражає кількість аж ніяк не відкритих джерел, на які вони спираються розслідуючи ФСБшників – пересування, дзвінки, паспортна інформація... І так, в книзі є один абзац, де автор розмірковує над етичністю такого підходу і приходить до висновку, що всі ці дані лежать на російських торентах – самі можете завантажити і перевірити. А потім ще багато разів згадує про інформаторів та свої джерела 😒
(ні, я аж ніяк не хочу знецінити ці розслідування отруйників Навального чи Скрипалів, просто думаю про невідтворюваність)
По-друге ж, як на мене, Гіґґінз занадто оптимістичний у своєму сприйнятті діпфейків та їхнього впливу. Він каже, що і до їхньої появи осінтери завжди критично ставились до будь-якої інформації. Та забуває згадати який вплив можуть мати ті ж діпфейки на величезну аудиторію ДО того, як їх спростують критичні до всього осінтери. І як їхнє існування спричиняє НЕдовіру до самої сутності онлайн розслідувань.
April 19, 2022
Definitely some interesting stuff here. I think I was somewhat aware of the reporting from Bellingcat in previous years but I was interested in picking up this book now after seeing some of their work on documenting war crimes in Ukraine.
The writing in this book isn't amazing but it gets the job done. It's pretty journalistic in its style so I won't really fault it too much for that. A lot of this is a pretty in-depth examination of the process for finding information using open source investigations in various settings. I found this interesting because I am interested in OSINT and the process involved in doing journalism but it may not be for anyone.
There is definitely an argument being made in this book. The essential idea seems to be that it is essential to pay attention to the vast array of information that the internet provides us. To ignore it is journalistic malpractice, particularly in the era of state-sponsored internet disinformation. Additionally, there is a communal aspect to OSINT that makes it easier to gather information that is counter the journalistic value of getting a scoop.
I am sympathetic to this argument. I definitely think that long-standing journalistic outlets need to do a better job of not being taken in by disinformation campaigns, and I do think they've gotten a bit better. I also think they need to do a better job archiving things like tweets. So many times I'll click on an article and whatever tweet was embedded will have been deleted, making it sometimes impossible to really understand the content of the article. There are times when I did feel like Higgins may be overstating the case a little bit but as someone who is also very much bothered by what Higgins calls the "counterfactual community" I didn't find it too hard to see the benefits of rigorous fact-checking done in the way described in this book.
I would definitely recommend this if you're curious about OSINT or even just the way investigation and fact-checking can work in the internet era. This is a pretty short book and I think it's worth a read if the topic seems interesting to you.
The writing in this book isn't amazing but it gets the job done. It's pretty journalistic in its style so I won't really fault it too much for that. A lot of this is a pretty in-depth examination of the process for finding information using open source investigations in various settings. I found this interesting because I am interested in OSINT and the process involved in doing journalism but it may not be for anyone.
There is definitely an argument being made in this book. The essential idea seems to be that it is essential to pay attention to the vast array of information that the internet provides us. To ignore it is journalistic malpractice, particularly in the era of state-sponsored internet disinformation. Additionally, there is a communal aspect to OSINT that makes it easier to gather information that is counter the journalistic value of getting a scoop.
I am sympathetic to this argument. I definitely think that long-standing journalistic outlets need to do a better job of not being taken in by disinformation campaigns, and I do think they've gotten a bit better. I also think they need to do a better job archiving things like tweets. So many times I'll click on an article and whatever tweet was embedded will have been deleted, making it sometimes impossible to really understand the content of the article. There are times when I did feel like Higgins may be overstating the case a little bit but as someone who is also very much bothered by what Higgins calls the "counterfactual community" I didn't find it too hard to see the benefits of rigorous fact-checking done in the way described in this book.
I would definitely recommend this if you're curious about OSINT or even just the way investigation and fact-checking can work in the internet era. This is a pretty short book and I think it's worth a read if the topic seems interesting to you.
January 6, 2025
I was truly wowed by Higgins's story of his early blogging about the Syrian civil war to the phenomenon that became Bellingcat. Their work is especially critical in these days of decaying main stream media and the rise of shitposters flooding the news and social media with garbage and propaganda. Unsurprisingly Higgins tells of his early attempts to promote truth about Assad's atrocities against Syrian civilians against the lies of the execrable duo of Alex Jones and Putin.
Higgins's rise would seem unlikely as he describes himself as an online gaming, college dropout working in some type of admin job. And this doesn't feel like some kind of setup to make his ascension seem somehow better; there's an endearing earnestness that comes through in the way he describes his search for truth and fairness.
One note of caution to future readers: Higgins goes into granular detail about the methods used to uncover evidence. It's a strength and a weakness of the book. It's all out there for you to see, pages and pages of it. If you're super into specifics you'll love it. If you want just the 'story of' and not so much the 'story of exactly how' then this may be a bit of a slog. It's not all granular detail but it's a major part of the book throughout.
One uncautious note: Higgins writes with a hopeful tone and he talks of Bellingcat seminars throughout the world that teach their techniques. I really appreciate the work of Bellingcat and how they continue to grow and prosper.
Higgins's rise would seem unlikely as he describes himself as an online gaming, college dropout working in some type of admin job. And this doesn't feel like some kind of setup to make his ascension seem somehow better; there's an endearing earnestness that comes through in the way he describes his search for truth and fairness.
One note of caution to future readers: Higgins goes into granular detail about the methods used to uncover evidence. It's a strength and a weakness of the book. It's all out there for you to see, pages and pages of it. If you're super into specifics you'll love it. If you want just the 'story of' and not so much the 'story of exactly how' then this may be a bit of a slog. It's not all granular detail but it's a major part of the book throughout.
One uncautious note: Higgins writes with a hopeful tone and he talks of Bellingcat seminars throughout the world that teach their techniques. I really appreciate the work of Bellingcat and how they continue to grow and prosper.
May 21, 2021
In We Are Bellingcat: Global Crime, Online Sleuths, and the Bold Future of News, founder Eliot Higgins tells the remarkable and always fascinating—when not totally gripping—story of how it came to be, how it found itself front and center on the world stage, and how it achieved its numerous, significant accomplishments. In this era of ever more sophisticated fabrications, Bellingcat, both the service and the book, are most worthy of readers’ attention. This, for once, is an optimistic vision of the future—of journalism if not justice.
December 31, 2023
This one details how Bellingcat, the online investigative platform, came to be.
Eliot Higgins was working a boring day job when he became interested/obsessed with the Libyan Civil War and the Arab Spring. Reading reports and looking at videos he tried to identify clues and pieces of information that mainstream journalists might have missed, posting them in the comments section of The Guardian. Up to the point when he geolocated a video, not even knowing how to call this thing that he did. Later he started a blog, posting as Brown Moses, whilst engaging other passionate online investigators on Twitter. He started identifying arms and weapons used in Syria, documenting use of arms from former Yugoslavia, Russian cluster munitions and, eventually, chemical weapons. His blog started getting some traction and Higgins started to get invited to write for some respectable publishers and to appear on TV. This part of the story reminded me of projects like ISW, Ukraine Weapons Tracker, OSINTtechnical and the likes, which I started following after the Russian invasion in Ukraine, not knowing that similar projects where established a decade before when other conflicts were taking place.
Higgins then details some big investigations that made Bellingcat what it is today. From a small group of self-taught passionate internet users, it became a serious investigative platform that connects people throughout the world, breaking news before mainstream media and before law-enforcement. I first came to know of them after the downing of the MH17 by Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine and started following them more closely after they identified the GRU officers from the Skripal case. They did and do, to this day, a remarkable job. I appreciate that they publish their tools, guides, and spread their methodology so that other passionate people can begin investigating issues that they care about.
They give me some hope, or at least Higgins, the way he writes, makes me hopeful that the fight with disinformation is not lost. Truth still matters.
Eliot Higgins was working a boring day job when he became interested/obsessed with the Libyan Civil War and the Arab Spring. Reading reports and looking at videos he tried to identify clues and pieces of information that mainstream journalists might have missed, posting them in the comments section of The Guardian. Up to the point when he geolocated a video, not even knowing how to call this thing that he did. Later he started a blog, posting as Brown Moses, whilst engaging other passionate online investigators on Twitter. He started identifying arms and weapons used in Syria, documenting use of arms from former Yugoslavia, Russian cluster munitions and, eventually, chemical weapons. His blog started getting some traction and Higgins started to get invited to write for some respectable publishers and to appear on TV. This part of the story reminded me of projects like ISW, Ukraine Weapons Tracker, OSINTtechnical and the likes, which I started following after the Russian invasion in Ukraine, not knowing that similar projects where established a decade before when other conflicts were taking place.
Higgins then details some big investigations that made Bellingcat what it is today. From a small group of self-taught passionate internet users, it became a serious investigative platform that connects people throughout the world, breaking news before mainstream media and before law-enforcement. I first came to know of them after the downing of the MH17 by Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine and started following them more closely after they identified the GRU officers from the Skripal case. They did and do, to this day, a remarkable job. I appreciate that they publish their tools, guides, and spread their methodology so that other passionate people can begin investigating issues that they care about.
They give me some hope, or at least Higgins, the way he writes, makes me hopeful that the fight with disinformation is not lost. Truth still matters.
February 18, 2021
We Are Bellingcat is a fascinating account of the history of investigative news site Bellingcat and how they pioneered using open-source intelligence (OSINT) to uncover the truth about crime and conflict.
Higgins explains his research began as a hobby when he decided to put his time spent online and his attention to detail to use. He began gathering evidence about the war in Syria, realising that there was plenty of publicly available information.
He found ways to verify or debunk claims made on social media using techniques such as matching video footage to landmarks on Google Earth, or gauging the timing and location of images using an app which photographers use to measure light levels.
From there, he connected with other people with expertise and the same singleminded focus, and eventually they created Bellingcat through crowdfunding. It has grown to a formidable news site accumulating evidence on everything from the MH17 air crash over Ukraine to the Salisbury Novichok poisonings.
We Are Bellingcat covers the ethos of the organisation, its commitment to evidence and openness and contrasts it with conspiracy theorists who form opinions first and look for evidence later. Higgins highlights what happens when you go up against powerful actors and the steps they will take to discredit or harass the people who expose them.
He also addressed a couple of my questions. First, why the focus on war and conflict? He explains that they are now applying their techniques to environmental issues. Second, why are most of the key players male? He talked about the legacy of online sexism, particularly referencing Gamergate, and said that now Bellingcat has the funding to expand beyond an informal network of likeminded people, they are making conscious efforts to be more representative.
The beauty of open source intelligence is that you can replicate the work and check it for yourself. It is the opposite of the cliquey world of political journalism in particular, when reports are based on anonymous sources.
Higgins shares some of his techniques, so that you (or in my case, my fictional investigative journalist!) could begin your own research. But what the book makes clear is that this isn’t easy. You need skills, commitment, attention to detail — and the willingness to confront powerful interests.
*
I received a copy of We Are Bellingcat from the publisher via Netgalley.
Higgins explains his research began as a hobby when he decided to put his time spent online and his attention to detail to use. He began gathering evidence about the war in Syria, realising that there was plenty of publicly available information.
He found ways to verify or debunk claims made on social media using techniques such as matching video footage to landmarks on Google Earth, or gauging the timing and location of images using an app which photographers use to measure light levels.
From there, he connected with other people with expertise and the same singleminded focus, and eventually they created Bellingcat through crowdfunding. It has grown to a formidable news site accumulating evidence on everything from the MH17 air crash over Ukraine to the Salisbury Novichok poisonings.
We Are Bellingcat covers the ethos of the organisation, its commitment to evidence and openness and contrasts it with conspiracy theorists who form opinions first and look for evidence later. Higgins highlights what happens when you go up against powerful actors and the steps they will take to discredit or harass the people who expose them.
He also addressed a couple of my questions. First, why the focus on war and conflict? He explains that they are now applying their techniques to environmental issues. Second, why are most of the key players male? He talked about the legacy of online sexism, particularly referencing Gamergate, and said that now Bellingcat has the funding to expand beyond an informal network of likeminded people, they are making conscious efforts to be more representative.
The beauty of open source intelligence is that you can replicate the work and check it for yourself. It is the opposite of the cliquey world of political journalism in particular, when reports are based on anonymous sources.
Higgins shares some of his techniques, so that you (or in my case, my fictional investigative journalist!) could begin your own research. But what the book makes clear is that this isn’t easy. You need skills, commitment, attention to detail — and the willingness to confront powerful interests.
*
I received a copy of We Are Bellingcat from the publisher via Netgalley.
February 15, 2021
Reads like a spy novel yet it’s not a spy novel; it’s real life.
First things first, this is a great read, it is easy to understand and does not attempt to be an academic textbook for those who wish to learn how to do what Bellingcat does.
I had heard of Bellingcat, like many people when they published their investigation into the Skripel poisoning. At the time I remember thinking “wow, look at this, an independent organisation has published evidence that could lead to justice being done”. I was naive really, because the evidence they published meant that Governments and leaders across the world would have to publicly acknowledge and take action against a superpower, and what could they really do that had not been done before? Sanctions, condemnations from the majority, but not anything that would prevent or deter them from such acts in the future. In relation to Syria, I can’t watch a documentary on what Syrians suffered without feeling an immense sense of blame/shame for those who should have took a stand and instead made a choice to allow people to suffer some of the most horrific atrocities since WWII. I believe what Bellingcat says, that one day justice will be done and it will be in large part down to the work carried out by those who work together with and as Bellingcat.
Whilst I understand that this is a book review I think it is important to add context as to why I believe this is a must read book. When you are someone whose skill set includes how to draw inferences from facts and evidence so that your reader, listener or audience make the conclusion you wish/need them too, you cannot underestimate what is at stake for us all if we don’t use verifiable evidence to assert our conclusion. Bellingcat don’t offer inferences to their readers, listeners or audience; they offer verified evidence, conclusive fact. Bellingcat is the lighthouse in a constant fog trying to guide us from the threat of disinformation; the biggest threat we may ever face.
First things first, this is a great read, it is easy to understand and does not attempt to be an academic textbook for those who wish to learn how to do what Bellingcat does.
I had heard of Bellingcat, like many people when they published their investigation into the Skripel poisoning. At the time I remember thinking “wow, look at this, an independent organisation has published evidence that could lead to justice being done”. I was naive really, because the evidence they published meant that Governments and leaders across the world would have to publicly acknowledge and take action against a superpower, and what could they really do that had not been done before? Sanctions, condemnations from the majority, but not anything that would prevent or deter them from such acts in the future. In relation to Syria, I can’t watch a documentary on what Syrians suffered without feeling an immense sense of blame/shame for those who should have took a stand and instead made a choice to allow people to suffer some of the most horrific atrocities since WWII. I believe what Bellingcat says, that one day justice will be done and it will be in large part down to the work carried out by those who work together with and as Bellingcat.
Whilst I understand that this is a book review I think it is important to add context as to why I believe this is a must read book. When you are someone whose skill set includes how to draw inferences from facts and evidence so that your reader, listener or audience make the conclusion you wish/need them too, you cannot underestimate what is at stake for us all if we don’t use verifiable evidence to assert our conclusion. Bellingcat don’t offer inferences to their readers, listeners or audience; they offer verified evidence, conclusive fact. Bellingcat is the lighthouse in a constant fog trying to guide us from the threat of disinformation; the biggest threat we may ever face.
May 1, 2023
Recommended: Bellingcat is an amazing initiative that can inspire to think outside the box. It shows how much perseverance can achieve, and for that, it belongs in my recommendations.
This book really highlights the work of Bellingcat, which, over the last couple of years, has proven to be highly important in the criminal justice system, but also generally, in exposing the lies of authoritarian regimes. With some experience of my own, with working at organisations that apply the same working methods as Bellingcat, it was really interesting to see where Bellingcat came from, and how it paved the way for other organisations and civilians to participate more actively in society in exposing wrongdoings and serving a bit more justice where needed.
We Are Bellingcat is an absolutely fascinating story, which is also well-written, in such a way that you will not get bored and just want to read more and more about what they have achieved. And as a final side note, it was really nice - and surprising - to see a colleague of mine mentioned in the book with regards to an undercover team he had lead in the investigation into the downing of MH17.
This book really highlights the work of Bellingcat, which, over the last couple of years, has proven to be highly important in the criminal justice system, but also generally, in exposing the lies of authoritarian regimes. With some experience of my own, with working at organisations that apply the same working methods as Bellingcat, it was really interesting to see where Bellingcat came from, and how it paved the way for other organisations and civilians to participate more actively in society in exposing wrongdoings and serving a bit more justice where needed.
We Are Bellingcat is an absolutely fascinating story, which is also well-written, in such a way that you will not get bored and just want to read more and more about what they have achieved. And as a final side note, it was really nice - and surprising - to see a colleague of mine mentioned in the book with regards to an undercover team he had lead in the investigation into the downing of MH17.
January 10, 2022
I've been following Bellingcat for a few years now, and believe that they do truly fantastic work. Higgins has a clear moral compass that he's applied to his organization writ large, and their efforts have had a massive impact on journalism and citizen activism.
But this book is mostly a straightforward and self-congratulatory summary of Bellingcat methods and reporting. OSINT is a powerful tool, but as Higgins (briefly) notes, many of Bellingcat's methods have been co-opted by those in various seats of power to serve the ends of obfuscation and a destruction of facts. Higgins never really dwells on this, instead sunnily ending this book with the idea that AI will be an unimpeachable boon to the OSINT community.
That, along with much of "We Are Bellingcat," is shortsighted and lacks the kind of critical analysis that Bellingcat prides itself on. Disappointing on several levels.
But this book is mostly a straightforward and self-congratulatory summary of Bellingcat methods and reporting. OSINT is a powerful tool, but as Higgins (briefly) notes, many of Bellingcat's methods have been co-opted by those in various seats of power to serve the ends of obfuscation and a destruction of facts. Higgins never really dwells on this, instead sunnily ending this book with the idea that AI will be an unimpeachable boon to the OSINT community.
That, along with much of "We Are Bellingcat," is shortsighted and lacks the kind of critical analysis that Bellingcat prides itself on. Disappointing on several levels.
June 6, 2021
Vau! Olen lukenut viime vuosina useita verkon pimeään puoleen keskittyviä, äärimmäisen masentavia teoksia. Sen inspiroivammalta tuntui lukea tämä vetävästi kirjoitettu teos, joka ylistää tiedon ja oikeudenmukaisuuden mahdollisuuksia. Bellingcat on paljastanut lukuisia sotarikoksia ja valtioiden toteuttamia salamurhayrityksiä, ja jatkossa sen kehittämät avoimen tiedonhaun menetelmät voivat nousta arvoon esimerkiksi ilmastokatastrofien tutkinnassa.
Read
September 27, 2022I disliked reading this so much. Partially because it has little to do with the class I have to read it for and partially because it feels like a massive ego trip at times.
November 12, 2023
Місцями забагато самолюбування які вони геніальні розслідувачі виключно на відкритих даних (хоча буквально половина книжки основана на розслідуваннях зі злитих реєстрів і куплених закритих баз).
Цікаво, чому у спеціальній передмові до українського видання автор не згадав про Азов, яких називає нацистами? А ще українською книжка видана 2022 тому, на жаль, автор не зміг зазначити там і те, що його колега у червні 2023 називатиме підрив Каховської ГЕС результатом роботи mother nature :(
Цікаво, чому у спеціальній передмові до українського видання автор не згадав про Азов, яких називає нацистами? А ще українською книжка видана 2022 тому, на жаль, автор не зміг зазначити там і те, що його колега у червні 2023 називатиме підрив Каховської ГЕС результатом роботи mother nature :(
September 14, 2022
Wow! Wow! Wow! So many emotions. I'd read a chapter and wish I was young and could help investigate these crimes. I would feel so hopeful for our future. Then I would read a chapter and just feel angry, depressed and fear for the future. But mostly I just feel incredibly impressed and proud of Eliot and his team.
The Bellingcats are amazing. They are digital detectives using open source data to solve crimes all over the world. I remember so many crimes they solved that hit the national news once they had uncovered the perpetrators. My favorite section was when they discovered who poisoned Navalny and had him call one of the people responsible. It was taped and shown on TV. I just didn't realize that Bellingcat was involved.
Bellingcat has grown from a one man show (Brown Moses) into a large organization with multiple employees and branches all over the world. They are now posting in about 6 languages and training student journalists. I am ready for savvy, computer literate people to take over the press and our politics. I'm convinced that they are our future. Luckily, Bellingcat has a moral fiber and is diligently working to expose corruption.
The Bellingcats are amazing. They are digital detectives using open source data to solve crimes all over the world. I remember so many crimes they solved that hit the national news once they had uncovered the perpetrators. My favorite section was when they discovered who poisoned Navalny and had him call one of the people responsible. It was taped and shown on TV. I just didn't realize that Bellingcat was involved.
Bellingcat has grown from a one man show (Brown Moses) into a large organization with multiple employees and branches all over the world. They are now posting in about 6 languages and training student journalists. I am ready for savvy, computer literate people to take over the press and our politics. I'm convinced that they are our future. Luckily, Bellingcat has a moral fiber and is diligently working to expose corruption.
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