iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 8h

Satellite maps can hide a lot. A fake forest covers a military base in Russia, another covers a government area in South Korea. So I published a video on the free tools you can use to check edits and trust satellite imagery. Link below 👇

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I've just published this month's edition of OSINT Field Notes. The focus is on how tech supports disaster situations, especially after the horrible Nepal floods. Here's 10 interesting links worth checking out if you're interested in open source analysis during disasters 👇

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

OSINT Field Notes #11 is out! In this edition, I dig into a deceptive network and show how to find who manages Facebook pages and where they're from. Plus disappearing aircraft, Starship found using SAR & Google Earth imagery that should never have existed. tinyurl.com/osfieldnotes11

tinyurl.com

OSINT Field Notes #11: Looking Under the Surface

A Facebook network presenting as local communities, three Boeings exposed along Sudan’s supply routes, the imagery that shouldn't be and Shahed-type drones filmed over Mali.

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rpwfb @rpwfb.eurosky.social · 10/08/2026

Good investigation into how easy it is to fill Facebag with fake immigration, identity and political posts with AI slop, at scale, to radicalise the audience.

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Australian and UK Facebook pages & groups are asking thousands of people about immigration, politics and national identity. But they aren't as local as they look. I found 42 pages and 4 groups whose records link them to Sri Lanka. Details 👇🧵

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Hi! I run a monthly newsletter on digital investigations: techniques, developments in the field, and OSINT case studies. I've just published the 10th edition which I am stoked about, and it's a good one. Here are 10 links and helpful hints featured this month 👇🧵

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Some people have asked me about the basics of ship tracking, so in this open source investigations tutorial, we look at two sanctioned Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and find where they are and who owns them, all with the power of #OSINT at home. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-xi...

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Nathan Patin @nathanpatin.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

One of the featured tools in Ben's newsletter lets you estimate the heights of structures using satellite imagery. Had a flashback to one of the OG @bellingcat.com tutorials on the same subject www.bellingcat.com/resources/ho...

bellingcat.com

How Tall is That Gantry? - bellingcat

Translations:English (UK)Русский (Россия)This article was originally posted on Arms Control Wonk. A little how-to guide to measure the height of any most structures on Google Earth. As you click thr...

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Ali @mueritz98.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Another really great read!

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

OSINT Field Notes 9 : - A YouTube channel recruiting women into a Russian drone factory ticked the box "made for kids" - A cartel checkpoint sat on Google Street View - A border wall that glows at night - And what your WiFi name gives away And more 👇 osintfieldnotes.substack.com/p/osint-fiel...

osintfieldnotes.substack.com

OSINT Field Notes #9: Nothing Was Really Hidden

A cartel checkpoint frozen in Street View, metadata showing a drone-factory recruiter's "made for kids" flag, WiFi Exposures and web certificate Fingerprinting.

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

A single Strava run once gave away the position of an aircraft carrier. With 195M+ users, Strava is one of the largest public location datasets online. So here's a new tutorial on how to find locations on Strava, and the settings that keep your own profile private. 👇

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Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Recent border wall construction in southern Arizona is visible not only in daytime satellite imagery, but also at night I made this timelapse w/ NASA Black Marble nighttime lights data, showing light signatures along the border next to Coronado National Forest b/w Jan + Mar 2026

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Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Anyways, this observation originally came onto my radar while playing around with @bendobrown.bsky.social's great Darklight Viewer tool in GEE, which makes it easy to explore changes nighttime satellite data. Worth checking out! gee-night-lights-474517.projects.earthengine.app/view/darklig...

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Really good use of open source reporting, despite commercial satellite imagery limitations from the The New York Times team looking at what damage U.S. military sites incurred during the conflict with Iran. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRno...

youtube.com

What Satellite Images Reveal About Iran’s Attacks on U.S. Bases

YouTube video by The New York Times

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Ali @mueritz98.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Great #OSINT read! Fascinating about the #Sentinal-2 satellite imagery showing a huge mass of dead red #shrimp off #Oman (caused by sudden changes in water temperature/oxygen levels.) Und great guide on protecting yourself from #adtech #surveillance 👍 Adding the CIG Blood Money report to my list...

osintfieldnotes.substack.com

OSINT Field Notes #8

Phone Data Mercenaries, Stolen Wheat, Hormuz Traffic, and How To Shut Down AdTech Surveillance

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

A device in Darfur connected to a Wi-Fi network named "DRONES". A map automates destruction detection across Iran. An investigation tracked stolen Ukrainian grain to Haifa. And: location data and how to shut it down. OSINT Field Notes 8. Out today. osintfieldnotes.substack.com/p/osint-fiel...

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Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Global Innovation Hub @fnfgihub.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

What's your OSINT idea? Tell us and submit it for the OSINT+ Investigation Competition 2026! Up to 3 projects will be selected by our jury members: @bendobrown.bsky.social , Celine Nauer, Dongpo Deng and @raebaker.net baker.net ! Submission Deadline: May 6, 2026, at 12:00 noon (Taipei Time).

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Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Global Innovation Hub @fnfgihub.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Meet our jury member: Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social is a digital investigator, trainer, and educator specialising in open-source intelligence (OSINT), information warfare, and conflict documentation. More info: www.freiheit.org/global-innov...

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Colombian mercenaries were tracked by device data from Colombia to El Fasher, via a UAE base, a Somali compound, and Libya. One device was in El Fasher during the genocidal RSF takeover. It connected to a network named "ATACADOR." Spanish for "attacker." static1.squarespace.com/static/69673...

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 20/04/2026

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...

Kolina Koltai, Bellingcat researcher, with her fellow panelists at IJF26.

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

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 👇

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Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Global Innovation Hub @fnfgihub.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

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...

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Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Global Innovation Hub @fnfgihub.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

📣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

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

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

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

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...

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International Journalism Festival @journalismfestival.com · 31/03/2026

📌 As tools to spot AI-generated video and synthetic content become more sophisticated, OSINT verification faces an existential challenge.

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.

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

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/

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

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

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

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.

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

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...

tinyurl.com

OSINT Field Notes #6

Satellite imagery, strike denial, a 1,431-page influence leak, and the feline facial recognition that gave away a money launderer.

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

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...

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

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...

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

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

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William Gibson @greatdismal.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

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.

gpsjam.org

GPSJAM GPS/GNSS Interference Map

Maps showing daily possible GPS interference.

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H I Sutton @covertshores.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

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

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

I built a free tool that shows how night-time lights have changed anywhere on Earth. Here's how it works and why it's useful for monitoring conflict, disasters, development and growth. 👇

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 16/02/2026

Prefer step-by-step walkthroughs? @bendobrown.bsky.social’s YouTube channel breaks down open source research skills one by one: www.youtube.com/@Bendobrown

youtube.com

Bendobrown

I make videos on maps, data & OSINT :] Hi, I'm Benjamin Strick, or just Ben. My aim is to provide helpful content on Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), satellite imagery, geolocation, maps, data, digi...

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 16/02/2026

Want to investigate something using open sources but not sure where to start? 🧵 We’ve gathered some of our go-to resources for learning, practicing, and collaborating on open source research - whether you’re brand new or sharpening your skills...

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

OSINT Field Notes #5 is out: satellites, sanctions-evasion, and stacking evidence. This month: newbuild identity theft in the shadow fleet, satellite methodologies stacked and how Ubiquiti networking gear ended up powering Russia's drone war. 🧵

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Wow. 100,000 subs on YouTube. For maps, metadata and the occasional weaponised Hilux. Since Feb 2021, my channel has been about breaking down imagery, tools, tracking world events and sharing methods to democratise OSINT. Thanks for watching, sharing and nerding out with me 🤓

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Satellite imagery helps you understand what’s happening on the ground, from above. There are loads of free tools out there. Here are 6 I actually use (and what each is best for). Thread 👇🛰️

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Excited to share the first edition of OSINT Field Notes for 2026. There's a lot here, from film geolocations, hybrid war maps, laptop farms, broken redactions and surveillance map sources. Read here: tinyurl.com/osintfieldno... Here's some nuggets from the dispatches section 👇🧵

tinyurl.com

OSINT Field Notes #4

Film geolocation, hybrid warfare, laptop farms, broken redactions, and the camera map that did not come from Brown.

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Google Earth has updated imagery of Southern Lebanon, showing the scale of destruction of towns and communities, in detail, after the IDF's operation in the region between Oct 2024 and Jan 2025. The imagery of this area is from 6 June, 2025.

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Joanna Bryson @j2bryson.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

It's amazing how much knowledge we all have at our fingertips (all of us with internet, toilets etc so no more than half of us, but still.) Great responsibility.

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

For those looking for geolocated footage from recent events in Venezuela, @geoconfirmed.org has mapped the community's crowdsourced geolocations here: geoconfirmed.org/ven Use it and give credit where it is due. pic.x.com/i5jESLxm6T

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

This footage from Brno (برنو) in Sudan's South Kordofan region, shows the sheer number of RSF affiliated fighters that descend upon these small towns when they are attacked, looted and burned. The location is: 11.27240, 29.4757. It was filmed during the attack and takeover of the town last week.

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Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Sometimes political figures and influential accounts delete posts that could cause headlines. But some archives store those posts forever. In this video, we dig into five tools to look up deleted tweets and search through political posts. youtu.be/QZi4iRN_Uj8?...

youtu.be

OSINT At Home #28 - How to find deleted political posts (5 tools)

YouTube video by Bendobrown

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