Bellingcat: An Intelligence Agency for the People with Eliot Higgins

SpyCast

Summary

Eliot Higgins (X; Wikipedia) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the work of Bellingcat. Eliot founded the open-source investigative website in 2014.

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

• Bellingcat’s approach to “investigative journalism”
• The rise of OSINT as a tool of journalism
• Bellingcat’s relationship with intelligence agencies
• Case studies from Bellingcat’s past, including the Skripal Case and the MH17 flight investigation

Reflections

• Leading by example
• Accessibility and accountability

And much, much more …

Quotes of the Week

“When I first started doing this work ... I would present geolocation and stuff on stage. The reaction was like I was doing magic tricks, but my point was that. This isn't magic – This is something that you can do and recreate and understand.” - Eliot Higgins.

Resources

SURFACE SKIM

*SpyCasts*

• Digital Innovation and the Next Frontier of Intelligence with Jennifer Ewbank (2024)
• The Future of OSINT and the Intelligence Community with Jason Barrett (2024)
• U.S. Army Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) with Dennis Eger & Shawn Nilius (2024)
• Ukraine & Intelligence: One Year On with Shane Harris (2023)

DEEPER DIVE

Books

• OSINT Techniques: Resources for Uncovering Online Information, M. Bazzell (2023)
• Deep Dive: Exploring the Real-world Value of Open Source Intelligence, R. L. Baker (Wiley, 2023)
• We Are Bellingcat: The Online Sleuths Solving Global Crimes, E. Higgins (Bloomsbury, 2022)

Primary Sources

• Map of Civilian Harm in Ukraine (2024)
• Death of Sinwar Report (2024)
• The IC OSINT Strategy 2024-2026 (2024)
• DoS Open Source Intelligence Strategy (2024)
• MH17 Investigation (2019)
• Skripal Report (2018)

*Wildcard Resource*

• The fable of Belling the Cat
• The inspiration behind Bellingcat’s name, the moral of this story is simple – It’s one thing to suggest a solution or idea, but it’s a whole other beast to actually take action.

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