What if verification can’t keep up with increasingly sophisticated AI-generated media? Bellingcat researcher @koltai.bsky.social spoke with @bendobrown.bsky.social and Reuters' George Sargent at #ijf26 on the role we can play. Watch back here: www.festivaldelgiornalismo.com/programme/20...
Here is the recording of the conversation. A lot of interesting takeaways mentioned, as well as some great conversations afterwards.
Do go and check out some of the other sessions on the YouTube channel from @journalismfestival.com, so much to learn!
www.journalismfestival.com/programme/20...
Honoured to have been on the “Have we reached peak verification?” panel at the @journalismfestival.com with Joanna Webster, @koltai.bsky.social & George Sargeant
A technical conversation on where OSINT, deepfakes, disinfo and news verification are, and where they go next.
Link 👇
Meet our jury members: @bendobrown.bsky.social, Céline Nauer, Dongpo Deng, @raebaker.net.
Apply now for your #OSINT investigation idea! Anyone can apply!
#InvestigativeJournalism #Researcher #Activist #Hacktivist
More info: www.freiheit.org/global-innov...
📣FNF OSINT+ Investigation Competition 2026 🏆
FNF Global Innovation Hub is launching this competition to showcase the power of #OSINT.
International jury panel of OSINT experts:
• @bendobrown.bsky.social
• Céline Nauer, FNF
• Dongpo Deng, Open Culture Foundation
• @raebaker.net
A viral video of a bombed casino in Cambodia got the location wrong.
The real building was a scam compound. 250 trafficked workers. Forced to defraud Americans. One of many scam centers across Cambodia.
I verified it in under an hour using free tools. Here I show how: youtu.be/4JldlMBxPJo
A jogging app helped expose the location of an aircraft carrier. The same app revealed 500+ UK military staff.
A reminder that everyday platforms and tools continue to generate giant exposures.
All of which are seen in OSINT Field Notes 7, out today: osintfieldnotes.substack.com/p/osint-fiel...
Promotional card for the International Journalism Festival 2026 (XX Edition, Free Entry), Perugia, Italy, 15–18 April. Session: "Have We Reached Peak Verification?" Speakers: Kolina Koltai, George Sargent, Benjamin Strick, Jo Webster. Saturday 18 April. #ijf26. Website: journalismfestival.com.
📌 As tools to spot AI-generated video and synthetic content become more sophisticated, OSINT verification faces an existential challenge.
Amazing data visualisation of historical FIMI operations. Great way to take a step back and look at some of the larger influence operations that have been reported on.
euvsdisinfo.eu/fimi-explorer/
🙏🙏🙏
After strikes on Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, runway 29R was clearly blocked with as many airport vehicles as they could get. Imagery from March 7
Clear satellite imagery from Planet of Iran's Mehrabad Airport in Tehran from March 7 after heavy bombings.
Imagery shows planes destroyed on the tarmac at the airport, as well as some in bays and one destroyed in plane graveyeard north of the runway.
OSINT Field Notes #6. It's out.
This field note unpacks an incredible amount. Iran, Sudan, a disinformation campaign, satellites at night and the facial recognition of a cat that gave away a money launderer.
All here 👇
tinyurl.com/osintfieldno...
I geolocated Taliban special forces drills in an empty desert using sand dunes.
The investigation went from airbase to drop-off point to strike location.
Here's how I did it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t9g...
This investigation from OCCRP uncovered how a person running two UK-registered crypto exchanges was actually a fake front linked to laundering for Iran's regime.
One of the links in the investigation relied on facial matching a cat. Brilliant.
www.occrp.org/en/investiga...
Geolocation proof for video above. Location: 33.85895, 35.51398
Further footage can be seen here
High levels of destruction seen in Beirut today after a wave of Israeli strikes targeted the south of the city.
This footage was filmed here: 33.8587, 35.51405
Via a friend in the know: gpsjam.org A free site with data from airline pilots showing where GPS jamming (a good sign of other types of electronic warfare as well) is occurring in semi-real time.
Not the sunrise, but the Russian LNG tanker which was hit by suspected USVs (maritime surface drones) earlier this morning. Reporting only slowly coming out. Photos taken from another merchant vessel.
Crew reported rescued by Maltese forces
Thanks! They're mapped to today or yesterday. Whichever is available.
I'm keen to hear feedback, how you used it, what you found it useful for and any interesting finds.
I built this to learn better ways to track conflict from space, but there's many more fields, I'm sure.
Find the tool here + more documentation.
benjaminstrick.com/when-the-lig...
It should be noted, please don't draw assumptions from the data.
Just because there's a big heap of red/orange or green/blue, it doesn't tell you what happened or why, just that something did change.
There's a world of applications that can be harnessed through utilising night lights data like this. Another is monitoring the light activity of random military outposts in the south china sea. Or the industrialisation of areas near Jakarta.
I've built in a few case studies into the app. One example is Khartoum. Looking at the comparison to 5 yrs ago, there is significant change in light emissions. No surprises there.
I've built a widget where you can also check the monthly radiance, helpful for event dates.
You can select the window of time you want to look at, which always compares to either today or yesterday.
You can choose to compare that with 1 month, 1yr, 5yrs, 10yrs ago.
What do the colours mean?
Basically:
Warm = decrease
Cold = increase
It uses the global VIIRS night-light data. The type you find in NASA worldview.
That data is basically satellite imagery capturing night lights every night. Where you'd usually look at multiple images, this does the comparison for you.
