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Eliot Higgins

@eliothiggins.bsky.social
162K followers 4.5K following 7.2K posts

Founder and creative director of Bellingcat and director of Bellingcat Productions BV. Author of We Are Bellingcat.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Eliot Higgins
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 8h
People who believe LLMs are conscious are having one of the biggest AI meltdowns yet because someone is running a Saw-like torture chamber for LLMs on GitHub. Just before we published, GitHub took it down. GitHub hasn't said why www.404media.co/someone-tort...
404media.co
Someone ‘Torturing’ LLMs in a Robot Prison Has Triggered the Dumbest Debate in AI Yet
The "AI Torture Chamber" has opened an upsetting and absurd window into the effective altruist obsession with "model welfare."
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Rena Netjes @renanetjes.bsky.social · 14h
Exclusive: How a Military Doctor and an Assad Family Member Handed Over a Crucial Piece of the Puzzle. In December 2024, to secure their own safety. The Search for Austin Tice. 👇 renanetjes.substack.com/p/how-a-mili...
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 10h
My read on this is Luckey is going to put Newt's brain into one of Musk's robots.
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Another Disappointing Day in The Obituaries @deadlyvices.bsky.social · 11h
This exemplifies @eliothiggins.bsky.social 's idea of 'disordered discourse'. They're going to keep flogging this dead horse to the point of prosecuting Smith on grounds that are demonstrably utter bollox. Right-wing politics is now untethered from reality. But it's reality that's gotta give.
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Frances Ryan @francesryan.bsky.social · 11h
I volunteered for Childline for a decade at uni and I know firsthand a snapshot of how many lives Esther Rantzen changed. Her later years were known for assisted dying but her legacy will be giving vulnerable children someone to listen to and care. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
theguardian.com
Esther Rantzen, TV presenter and Childline founder, dies aged 86
Rantzen announced lung cancer diagnosis in 2023 and became a vocal assisted dying campaigner
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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 11h
“Putin has gone even crazier,” a senior Ukrainian official told The Economist. “He ordered attacks on everything civilian. They want people to be afraid of going to the supermarket.” www.economist.com/europe/2026/...
economist.com
Putin’s new bombardment of Kyiv has a terrible logic
A Russian terror campaign aims to cripple the capital even before winter hits
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Reposted by Eliot Higgins
Alex Kaplan @alkapdc.bsky.social · 11h
This appears to be the reason for the Fetterman emails through Parler.
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Alex Kaplan @alkapdc.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It appears that Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) sent a fundraising email via an email distribution domain from the conservative social media platform Parler. ("Free Speech Daily" sends emails through "parlermailer[dot]com.")
"A Special Message from our Sponsor
Please note that views expressed in this message do not necessarily reflect those of Free Speech Daily and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Free Speech Daily.

Dear Friend who has common sense,

I'm always going to stand with America.

I'm always going to reject the extremes.

I'm always going to reject Socialism.

I'm always going to fight against the anti-American way of life.

And this has enraged a lot of people in the media, in my party, and even former staffers --- disgruntled leakers who are viciously and anonymously attacking me.

This is what happens when you put common sense and the wellbeing of the people you are supposed to represent ahead of party loyalty.

But most of all, I think this is what happens when you clash with the Socialist movement "DSA!" that is hijacking the Democratic party.

They want to...

Abolish our borders

Abolish the electoral college

Abolish Israel

Abolish the Senate and the Supreme Court (no, seriously, this is in the "DSA!" platform)

That bad news is the "DSA!" crazies have gone from the political fringe to controlling one of America's major political parties—and onto ballots across the country.

The good news is the hardworking, common-sense Americans I talk to every day still aren't buying it.

I mean, a recent Rasmussen poll kind of proves it:

71% of Americans reject socialism

67% of Democrat voters reject socialism

While 82% of Republican voters reject socialism

But here's the thing.  The loudest voice in the room is often the one that looks the most powerful."And I've got to say, the "DSA!" voices in Washington are loud and getting louder.  The media is their megaphone.

Which is why you may be under the false impression that people really do want the "DSA!" and their extreme policies

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I'm standing up to them.

But sadly I'm pretty much alone on this side of the aisle.

So, can I ask you a favor?

Whatever your party affiliation is, can I ask you to stand with me against the daily barrage of hit-pieces

If you can donate just $25 it would be a big help to me.

But it will also send a message.  It will show the truth that the "real numbers" are on our side here in Pennsylvania, as well as around the rest of America.

You know, I recently stood in front of the iconic U.S. Steel Mill and recorded a video talking about how my friend Dave McCormick and I banded together with President Trump to save this facility and the larger steel industry.  But I'm not backing down.

...

John Fetterman

P.S. - I'll bet you're more than a little surprised to get this email from me. So, I want to say thanks for setting aside party affiliation for a second and hearing me out. You see, I'm not a progressive. And I'm definitely not a Democratic Socialist. I'm just a senator with a big mouth who happens to stand for common-sense things like... strong borders, safe streets, a powerful economy, bringing jobs to my constituents, and Israel and Ukraine's right to defend themselves, not to mention the basic machinery of our democracy (the Electoral College, the Senate, and the Supreme Court). If you see eye-to-eye with me, then I could sure use your help. The "DSA!" vision for Pennsylvania and for America is not a healthy one. It is a dangerous one.Common-sense people need to join together now to reject this vision before it's too late. Can I count on you to stand with me today?

Paid for by Fetterman for PA

You are receiving this sponsored email because you subscribe to Free Speech Daily's newsletter.
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Lucy Fisher @lucyfisher.ft.com · 13h
NEW: There are “strong indications that Iran played a part” in the RAF Fairford incident, Andy Burnham says UK is working w/ US on the matter, which “remains an ongoing, complex & serious police investigation” PM confirms Rubio claim’s claim about role of a state actor www.ft.com/content/bb55...
ft.com
‘Strong indications’ Iran was involved in RAF Fairford incident, says Andy Burnham
Prime minister says UK is working closely with US administration following release of five suspects on bail
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phil @philjamesson.com · 14h
as always when this is posted, i have to fondly remember the time someone stole this tweet word for word, including using my name as the punchline, then claimed it was just independent discovery
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 13h
The Open Source Munition portal just launched an identification practise tool - Link osmp.ngo/practice-too...
osmp.ngo
Munition Identification Practice Tool
Improve your munition knowledge with challenges using randomly selected imagery from the OSMP archive of munitions and remnants
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James O'Malley @jamesomalley.co.uk · 14h
Huge swathe of St Pancras / Kings Cross has been closed off by police. St Pancras entrances blocked. Cordon just got moved up and we were told to move further up the road so not over yet I guess.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 15h
I've seen better posture in Silent Hill.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 15h
Here's the full story that the Tony Blair Institute doesn't want to answer questions about, on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com
Tony’s minor tantrum: how Blair’s institute responded to fresh “cash for access” questions
We asked TBI about allegations of £500,000 corporate memberships and a logo that vanished at Labour conference. They said they’re not talking to us anymore
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 15h
🔴 We asked Tony Blair's think tank about charging businesses £500k for political access at party conferences and why one of its sponsor's logos disappeared after our reporting last week on TBI's alleged cash for access scheme This is what they said
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antibot4navalny | bot blocker | блокировщик ботов @antibot4navalny.bsky.social · 18h
A badge with Brandy's full name appeared at the very end of the sequence. This puzzle was first flagged to us on Sep 21 by @UShadrons.bsky.social.
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antibot4navalny | bot blocker | блокировщик ботов @antibot4navalny.bsky.social · 18h
The Kremlin-aligned Matryoshka bot network is still trolling @BrandyZadrozny.bsky.social after her report for MS NOW exposing a 🪆 campaign targeting the US midterms. Matryoshka posted this picture piece-by-piece daily, and @GnidaProject.bsky.social solved it using our 🪆 dataset.
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Reposted by Eliot Higgins
Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Hahahahaha come on! If you ever wanted a better example of MAGA media presenting an alternate universe to its base, you'd be hard pressed to find one.
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Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
AMAZING! Sean Hannity’s Twitter account is trying to frame Eric Schmitt's embarrassing screwup as a win, claiming he put Jack Smith "on the spot."
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ChrisO_wiki @chriso-wiki.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
1/ Another AI-generated video falsely depicting Russian 'control' north of Lyman has been publicised by disgusted Russian warbloggers. It's part of a "plague" of AI "neurocontrol" that prominent warblogger Rybar condemns as "inept, half-baked information warfare". ⬇️
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Reuters @reuters.com · 29/09/2026
UK police say no explosive devices found in airbase probe reut.rs/3U03EPo
reut.rs
UK police say no explosive devices found in airbase probe
Britain's counter-terrorism police said on ​Tuesday that no improvised explosive ‌devices had been found as part of an investigation into a suspected plot targeting a British ​airbase used by US forces ​to strike Iran.
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Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
And the allegation here was that Smith made a shady trip to Atlanta, where he... got first row seats to an NBA game, I assume so that people wouldn't see he was there.
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Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Aaron is not underrating this. It's cinema. The sly smirk when Schmitt thinks he's gotten Smith to perjure himself. The hasty vanishing of the sign. Klobuchar getting Kennedy to hold it up. Schmitt getting LOUD and ANGRY when Klobuchar points out he mixed up the Hawks and Hawkeyes.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
CHARLIE KIRK SHOW: Dang! So you had texts from Smith's team confirming he was going to a Hawks game, and he acted dumbfounded? ERIC SCHMITT: It was the only NBA game going on in Atlanta. He claimed later he was at another game. My job is to ask the questions (All of Schmitt's "facts" were wrong!)
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
🤡 Schmitt beclowns himself 🤡 Schmitt concocted an elaborate conspiracy theory that Smith traveled to Atl for a Hawks game and to collude with Fani Willis, & flashed his "evidence" before accusing Smith of perjury. There's just one problem -- his facts were totally wrong. Here's the whole sequence:
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 29/09/2026
Winning designers will receive a product of their choice for free. Want to know more about the contest and our guidelines? Find all the details here: www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...
bellingcat.com
Bellingcat Official Merch Design Contest - bellingcat
Bellingcat is finally launching an official merch line! That’s right: after years of fantasizing and wishing, we’re finally ready to get our name and logo on cool merch that you’ll be able to show off...
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 29/09/2026
It's the final week to help shape our next community-curated merch. Got a design idea? Send it our way. Not an artist? No problem. We’re also looking for tagline ideas for T-shirts, bags and hats. What makes you think of Bellingcat? Tell us by Friday: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Various bellingcat merch design mockups. Reads: We Want You To Design Our Merch
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 29/09/2026
Can you work out where a photo was taken — and when? Learn methods for geolocation, satellite imagery analysis and chronolocation techniques with Bellingcat experts. 14–16 October 2026. Find the webinar details here: www.bellingcat.com/workshops/in...
Learn our methods... Uncover the █████.Learn to use shadows and background details to date, time and locate a photograph
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
If the last 15 years of work on things like MH17 and chemical weapon use tells me anything is you'll need a lot more than mere evidence to change the mind of any denialist.
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"We deserve to be told the truth..."
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Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Michael Shellenberger remains obsessed with me but doesn’t want to say my name when he writes made up shit like this lol why is that
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Robert Evans (the Only Robert Evans) @iwriteok.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Not much on this yet, but I certainly hope this reporting proves accurate.
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CNN @cnn.com · 29/09/2026
Migrant children as young as 2 are showing up at immigration courts nationwide, many without attorneys, to make their case to stay in the US and avoid deportation. cnn.it/4huSk5M
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evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Meta Muse appears to read your Apple messages and upload them to the cloud even if you explicitly tell it not to: appleinsider.com/articles/26/...
appleinsider.com
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Dan Kaszeta FRHistS @dankaszeta.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Ah, hexamine, my old friend. www.opcw.org/sites/defaul...
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FORZA ELENA GUNCHEVA @elenaultras.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Spent 5 hours today in a Bellingcat workshop. Big thanks to @msramalho.bsky.social for the session, learned a lot and found it genuinely useful.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 28/09/2026
How is AI changing investigations? On Thursday, investigative journalist @craigsilverman.bsky.social will share how he’s using AI, including in his investigation of a North Korean hiring scam. We’ll explore what AI can uncover and where it falls short. Join us live: discordapp.com/events/70975...
Reads: Using AI in Investigations-
To Uncover a North Korean Hiring Scam with Craig Silverman, 
Bellingcat Stage Talk
Thursday 10/1
5pm CEST/11am EDT
Discord.com/invite/bellingcat
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Mike Rogers is a corporate sellout who moves back to Michigan every few years to run for office to take another swing at the revolving door of corporate politics.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Russia's Matryoshka disinformation campaign has shifted to the US elections, where it's making wild claims about random Democratic Party candidates. They've also started one of their jigsaws again, which is nearly complete. Not sure if it's a specific person, but at least my face isn't on the poo.
The image is a crude satirical illustration set against broad red and cream stripes that run down the background and continue across the floor.
On the left stands a shaggy grey donkey, facing the viewer, with large upright ears, a pale muzzle and several white stars across its chest.
On the right is a blonde woman wearing black glasses, a blue dress with puffed sleeves, a white apron and black high heels. She leans forward with one hand on her hip and holds an oversized wooden spoon in the other. The spoon is coated in a brown substance, which also appears smeared around her smiling mouth and chin.
A large pile of faeces sits between them in the foreground, surrounded by flies and rising green and yellow stink lines.
Three horizontal black bands mark missing sections of the reconstructed image: one across the upper ears and hair, a wider band across the donkey’s muzzle and the woman’s waist, and a narrow band near the bottom.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
An AI-enhanced version of a grainy image that appears to be authentic and shows several men being arrested in relation to the ongoing incident at RAF Fairford is currently being shared on multiple platforms. A SynthID check reveals that the enhanced image was generated with OpenAI.
AI-enhanced version of an authentic image showing arrests at RAF Fairford
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Starting now!
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 28/09/2026
Thank you to every individual and organisation who attended and supported this event. Bellingcat has been thinking about ways to maintain information integrity in an increasingly confusing online environment. You can support this work at bellingcat.com/donate
bellingcat.com
The truth belongs to everyone. Help us find it. - Donate to bellingcat
Every membership directly supports our investigations and global community work.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 28/09/2026
What does a resilient information society look like? Last week we ran the 'TRUST conference with the European Trust Alliance. Working with technologists, legal scholars, civil society advocates and journalists we discussed the complex challenges facing European digital autonomy.
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International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy @isacworld.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Starting soon: Disinformation & Infectious Diseases 🗓️ 28 Sept Disinformation spreads faster than pathogens. Hear experts from @Bellingcat & Cambridge’s Influence Technology Lab unpack how false narratives form &influence public behaviour 🔗 Register: tinyurl.com/f4udj36t @heiman-wertheim.bsky.social
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Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 28/09/2026
Almost all of Meta's PR about Muse was about how careful they had been to set it up not to do things like this, how they delayed the launch by months to carefully design it so it could be trusted. And then...
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LeftRightUSA @leftrightusa.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"We’re now not just recipients of information but distributors and creators of it. That’s a fundamental shift. If you have a mobile phone, you’re part of the process."
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LeftRightUSA @leftrightusa.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Everyone, because the role of verification used to be something the public trusted institutions to do on their behalf. As that trust has been lost, it has fallen into the lap of the public."
forbes.com
Why Bellingcat Wants Everyone To Become An Investigator
The founder of one of the world's best-known open-source investigation outfits on building it from a laptop, why anyone can do this work, and why democracies have misread the problem.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A Q&A I did recently with Ashoka and Forbes - Why Bellingcat Wants Everyone To Become An Investigator www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka...
forbes.com
Why Bellingcat Wants Everyone To Become An Investigator
The founder of one of the world's best-known open-source investigation outfits on building it from a laptop, why anyone can do this work, and why democracies have misread the problem.
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ban-cbw.bsky.social @ban-cbw.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
... evaluation through a note verbale (dated 17 July 2026). The Secretariat is working closely with the Syrian Arab Republic on follow-up activities related to this newly declared facility. [...]
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