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Derek Bowler

@bowlerderek.com
1.2K followers 917 following 220 posts

Investigative journalist & OSINT trainer 🇨🇭Geneva-based, 🇮🇪 Cork-raised

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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 28/09/2026
Humbled and honoured to receive the University of Limerick Outstanding Achievement Alumni Award (Society) at the 2026 UL Alumni Awards on Friday night. 📸 University of Limerick
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 16/09/2026
On 4 April 2022, the New York Times matched the exact street positions of bodies in Bucha, Ukraine ground video against Maxar satellite imagery dated as early as 9 March, while Russian forces still held the town.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 16/09/2026
In January 2024, an audio recording spread online appearing to capture Pikesville High School principal Eric Eiswert making racist remarks. Baltimore County Police confirmed in April 2024 it was entirely AI-generated. #OSINT #factcheck
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 08/09/2026
In 2018, BBC Africa Eye verified crisis footage that led to the identification of Cameroonian soldiers who executed two women and two children. #OSINT
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 03/09/2026
On 1 September, US strikes hit southern Iran and Iran struck back within hours, hitting targets in four countries at once. It is the broadest single-night spread of strikes either side has launched in this war.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 28/08/2026
New AI in OSINT field report: a softened job title, a de-emphasised employer line, a removed endorsement section. Three profile-change types clustered around an incident, and every one of them also happens for reasons that have nothing to do with it.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 27/08/2026
Pete Hegseth told a Panama security conference on 12 August that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras have joined a ground-strikes framework against cartels. Guatemala's president says there's no deal. #OSINT
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 26/08/2026
Human Rights Watch reviewed 5,396 Facebook, Twitter and YouTube posts it had cited in its own reports since 2007 to support abuse and war crimes allegations. #OSINT
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 25/08/2026
On 17 July 2014, shortly before Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was reported shot down, Donetsk separatist commander Igor Girkin posted on VKontakte, claiming his forces had downed a Ukrainian military transport plane.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 21/08/2026
A phone number encodes a carrier, a line type and often a rough geographic origin in its country code, prefix and subscriber block, all queryable without dialling it.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 20/08/2026
CENTCOM said on 4 August that the Southern Omani corridor through the Strait of Hormuz is open to all commercial traffic. UKMTO's own incident log says that corridor absorbed sixteen of eighteen projectile strikes since 6 July.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 18/08/2026
Every Discord user, message and server ID encodes a creation timestamp. It's part of the ID itself, independent of anything the account holder can edit or delete.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 18/08/2026
In February 2024, Citizen Lab attributed a network of 123 fake local news websites in 30 countries to Shenzhen Haimaiyunxiang Media Co., Ltd.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 17/08/2026
In December 2019, the Tow Center for Digital Journalism linked more than 450 seemingly independent local news domains to a handful of corporate entities, using only open infrastructure data.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 13/08/2026
On 30 July, Google put an AI image generator live inside Google Earth. Researchers used it to fabricate a nuclear facility in Iranian territory, fires at Kharg Island, and Russian tanks in Kyiv, all rendered on real, authentic satellite data.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 12/08/2026
A reverse image search can come back with 30, 40, or 60 hits. No clear original, no obvious date order.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 11/08/2026
In June 2011, Gawker journalist Adrian Chen became the first mainstream reporter to access and document Silk Road, the Tor-hosted dark web marketplace.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 10/08/2026
On 8 November 2024, Finastra, a financial software and services provider to 45 of the world's top 50 banks, notified customers that a threat actor had communicated on the dark web claiming to have exfiltrated data from its internal file transfer platform.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 09/08/2026
The Wizard of Oz: Yellow... a prequel about the road crew that paved the Yellow Brick Road, set roughly a decade before Dorothy ever sets foot on it. The entire film is a paving contract dispute between two Munchkinland quarries.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 08/08/2026
Small feature, big signal. Samsung's Galaxy AI tools apply a visible watermark to any image the phone generates or substantially edits with generative AI. 🧵
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 07/08/2026
This week on Signal & Shadow: 9 pieces on OSINT methodology, digital forensics and disinformation analysis. Starting with the big one. 🧵
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 06/08/2026
Since 27 July, hackers have hijacked internet-facing PLCs at water utilities in seven US states. The devices: Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 controllers.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 04/08/2026
A secret deleted from a GitHub repo's current branch is not gone. It stays retrievable through commit history unless the owner rewrites and force-pushes that history, which most projects never do.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 04/08/2026
Ten days. That's the gap between a ProMED volunteer flagging an unexplained pneumonia cluster in Wuhan and the relevant health authority's own formal notification. Here's how open-source disease surveillance closes that gap, thread.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 19/12/2025
If you are a digital investigator who lives at the intersection of breaking news, OSINT, and disinformation defense - come join my team! ebujobs.teamtailor.com/jobs/6956554...
ebujobs.teamtailor.com
Fact-checking & OSINT journalist - Freelance contract - EBU
If you are a digital investigator who lives at the intersection of breaking news, OSINT, and disinformation defense. Join us!
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Eva Wackenreuther @evapunkt.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Es gibt da ein Video, in dem spricht @arminwolf.at angeblich mit @cdrosten.bsky.social über dramatische Gesundheitsprobleme durch Impfstoffe – dagegen gäbe es aber ein Präparat. Das Video ist KI-generiert. Das Erstaunliche daran: Das Video gibt’s in ganz vielen Sprachen.
Collage von TV-ModeratorInnen mit übereinstimmenden Berichten
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 16/10/2025
30 years ago today @smashingpumpkins.bsky.social released “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”. This was at @MontreuxJazz in 2024. Great gig. Iconic song. Incredible album. Apologies for the backing vocals. 🦋 #smashingpumpkins
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 12/09/2025
A new investigation by members of Eurovision News Spotlight reveals how Israel's state-sponsored 'hasbara' campaigns use social media, paid influencers, and military tours to shape the global narrative on Gaza and counter critics. spotlight.ebu.ch/p/the-new-fr...
spotlight.ebu.ch
The new front of war: Inside Israel's digital 'hasbara' offensive
Documents reveal how Israel's state-sponsored 'hasbara' campaigns use social media, paid influencers, and military tours to shape the global narrative on Gaza and counter critics
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 19/07/2025
spotlight.ebu.ch/p/fake-state...
spotlight.ebu.ch
Fake statements circulate after CEO’s alleged affair exposed at Coldplay concert
CLAIM: Screenshots of statements by people involved in an internet storm circulated on social media and made it into news coverage.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 05/07/2025
Join the EBU Academy & Eurovision News | SPOTLIGHT team for our FREE monthly webinar designed for fact-checkers, journalists, and media pros! We’ll equip you with the latest OSINT tools & fact-checking methodologies to identify and debunk misinformation. Register now at academy.ebu.ch
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 26/06/2025
An exceptionally bright meteor appeared to have exploded in the skies over the southeastern U.S. on Thursday. Most of the reports are from Georgia and South Carolina.
washingtonpost.com
Fireball appears to explode over southeastern U.S.
The American Meteor Society has received nearly 150 reports of a fireball spotted around 12:24 p.m. Eastern time.
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Eva Wackenreuther @evapunkt.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Viele Beobachter sehen den Krieg zwischen Israel und dem Iran als Kipppunkt. Das erste Mal waren nämlich auch viele KI-Inhalte im Spiel. @bowlerderek.ebu.ch hat ORF defacto erzählt, wie das die Arbeit von Verifikationsteams umkrempelt. Er sagt: "Das ist erst der Anfang." orf.at/stories/3397...
orf.at
Israel – Iran: Krieg der KI-Bilder
Der Alltag vieler Redaktionen wird gerade umgekrempelt. Sie begegnen bei der Berichterstattung über die Eskalation zwischen Israel und dem Iran einer Flut von mit Hilfe künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) er...
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 24/06/2025
Join the EBU Academy & Eurovision News | SPOTLIGHT team for our FREE monthly webinar designed for fact-checkers, journalists, and media pros! We'll equip you with the latest OSINT tools & fact-checking methodologies to identify and debunk misinformation. Register at academy.ebu.ch
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 20/06/2025
Foreign ministers from the UK, France, and Germany are due to meet their Iranian counterpart in Geneva on Friday. This was the scene this morning outside the Permanent Mission of Germany. #geneva #genève #irantalks #i̇ran
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 15/06/2025
"The man accused of being responsible for holding the missing American journalist Austin Tice has claimed that ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ordered his execution." www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Ex-Syrian commander claims missing US journalist Austin Tice was executed
Major General Bassam Al Hassan claims former Syrian President Assad ordered Austin Tice's execution.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 21/05/2025
"As io merges with OpenAI, Jony (Ive) and LoveFrom will assume deep design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI and io." openai.com/sam-and-jony/
openai.com
Sam and Jony introduce io
Building a family of AI products for everyone.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 26/04/2025
Decades from now, boxing historians will point to the Eubanks' work as the gold standard, the ultimate long-con. An absolute clinic in psychological warfare. #EubankBenn #FatalFury
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 12/04/2025
EBU launches Spotlight fact-checking network to combat misinformation and support trusted news www.ebu.ch/news/2025/04...
ebu.ch
EBU launches Spotlight fact-checking network to combat misinformation and support trusted news
The European Broadcasting Union has launched Eurovision News Spotlight, a collaborative network for fact-checking and open-source intelligence to help public service media counter online falsehoods an...
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 04/01/2025
Hornets need to value the ball more. Too many unforced turnovers and as they continue to struggle to generate good looks late in the shot clock. It's been a long winter. #hivementality
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 19/12/2024
The Unsolved Mysteries theme song is scarier than any of the actual mysteries. I'm convinced it is just Robert Stack whispering "you're next" over and over again.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 14/12/2024
"Social media users have been ditching Elon Musk-owned X as the site is seemingly drowning in bots, extreme content, crypto scams, ads, pornography, racism, transphobia and misinformation." www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...
hollywoodreporter.com
Bluesky Hits 25M Users As Exodus From X Continues
The social media platform has added over 10 million users since U.S. Election Day.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 13/12/2024
Good to know I'm on the list if things go south. www.reuters.com/world/europe...
reuters.com
Switzerland plans revamp of Cold War-era nuclear bunker network
Switzerland wants to update its network of ageing nuclear shelters, which are increasingly seen as an asset at a time of greater global uncertainty, notably since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 09/12/2024
✈️ Geneva ➡️ 🇱🇺Luxembourg ➡️🇨🇭Lausanne. Closing out 2024 with conversations on disinformation, AI and OSINT. Last week I joined the Ministère d'État - Service des médias, de la connectivité et de la politique numérique - Luxembourg to discuss the threat of disinformation to democracy. #mediareform
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Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas @knightcenterut.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
🚨 TOMORROW! 🚨 Join @propublica.org reporter, @craigsilverman.bsky.social, on a 60-minute workshop that offers an in-depth look at the year’s most useful free and paid tools to analyze documents, verify images and videos, background individuals, and much more. 👉 bit.ly/3V4dTj5
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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
1/ THREAD - Verified, Syrian rebels are in Aleppo This screengrab is taken from a video posted this afternoon by al-Askari, the media channel affiliated with HTS, a Syrian rebel group. They claim their Military Media Correspondent is in Aleppo, as rebels enter the city.
A screengrab from al Askari media's Military Media Correspondent at the western entrance to Aleppo
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Mark Hennessy @markhennessy.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
The level of self-congratulation occurring here is a bit much. @bsky.app’s value will be proven, or not by content and engagement and people’s manners - not by people endlessly declaring that they are better than people in the Other Place
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 23/11/2024
As much as many of us would like to, those of us who work in #OSINT and social newsgathering have no choice but to remain active on X. Amidst the noise, eyewitness content and open-source intelligence remain firm on the platform, maintaining its position of importance in newsgathering, for now.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 22/11/2024
It was great to be back in Vilnius this week for the annual European Broadcasting Union (EBU) News Assembly, kindly hosted by our colleagues at LRT. It was an excellent opportunity for me to speak with members, update them on the latest in #AI and #OSINT, and moderate a session on the AI landscape.
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 21/11/2024
“The judges of the International Criminal Court have found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that each has committed the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare” www.icc-cpi.int/news/stateme...
icc-cpi.int
Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC on the issuance of arrest warrants in the Situation in the State of Palestine
On 20 May 2024, my Office submitted applications for warrants of arrest before Pre-Trial Chamber I in relation to the situation in the State of Palestine.   Today, based on the evidence presented by m...
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Derek Bowler @bowlerderek.com · 20/11/2024
“It's proving out the model that we thought would be the right approach to social [media]: Give people the tools to control their experience and they'll have a better time." www.npr.org/2024/11/19/g...
npr.org
Traffic on Bluesky, an X competitor, is up 500% since the election. How will they handle the surge?
Unlike other social media sites, Bluesky allows users to create their own algorithm. The site does not have ads, nor harvest data for artificial intelligence training. But it is still very small and has an unproven business record.
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