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Charley

@charleymaher.bsky.social
3.8K followers 161 following 37 posts

Social Editor at Bellingcat. Prev investigative reporter for BBC, TBIJ, Seen & many others... Professional account, working class journo. Thoughts are my own. Like discussing representation, accessibility, new tech , social impact and tackling disinfo.

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Charley @charleymaher.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
It was so good to finally host this talk. Gillian broke down the basics and touched upon the intricacies of flight tracking within an hour masterclass. The lesson: Open source tools hold power to account.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 19/04/2026
AI-generated content has entered the political sphere. Bellingcat speaks with @tbij.bsky.social reporter @efwebb.bsky.social on a possible first-of-its-kind case—and what it means for tracking AI misuse in politics. Listen by searching 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat': rss.com/podcasts/bel...
rss.com
"Synthetic Propaganda - Tracing an AI-Driven Political Operation" with Effie Webb | Podcast Episode on RSS.com
This week we spoke with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism's AI reporter, Effie Webb about the use of AI in the political sphere and what researchers/journalists can effectively report on AI misus...
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Adam Rose @adamrose.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Just sobbed hardest I have since my mom died in 2020. She missed these trials by a few months. One of most ruthless cancers. Hard to fathom that maybe she'd still be here. I feel such a hole inside. In case you're wondering if we should fund mRNA research instead of another stupid war ... yes.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Palantir put out a 22-point summary of their CEO's book The Technological Republic. It's pitched as a defence of the West, but if you read it through the VDA framework, verification, deliberation, accountability, what it's actually doing looks rather different. twitter-thread.com/t/2045574398...
Opening text of a thread by Palantir from X
Because we get asked a lot.

The Technological Republic, in brief.

1. Silicon Valley owes a moral debt to the country that made its rise possible. The engineering elite of Silicon Valley has an affirmative obligation to participate in the defense of the nation.

2. We must rebel against the tyranny of the apps. Is the iPhone our greatest creative if not crowning achievement as a civilization? The object has changed our lives, but it may also now be limiting and constraining our sense of the possible.

3. Free email is not enough. The decadence of a culture or civilization, and indeed its ruling class, will be forgiven only if that culture is capable of delivering economic growth and security for the public.

4. The limits of soft power, of soaring rhetoric alone, have been exposed. The ability of free and democratic societies to prevail requires something more than moral appeal. It requires hard power, and hard power in this century will be built on software.
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Kolina Koltai @koltai.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
And that's a wrap on #ijf26! It's never enough sleep or espresso but always so much fun. Thank you to my fellow panelists on peak verification @bendobrown.bsky.social & George Sargent and to @evidentmedia.org @zachtoombs.bsky.social @kevinclancy.bsky.social for screening our Emmy nominated films
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 17/04/2026
India has exported more than 320 million unapproved synthetic opioid pills to West Africa in just three years. Trade data shows over 1,400 shipments of tapentadol — a potent painkiller — were sent to a region already facing an opioid crisis. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...
bellingcat.com
Painkiller Pipeline: 300 Million Tapentadol Pills Sent from India to West Africa - bellingcat
Indian companies have sent more than 320 million synthetic opioid pills to West Africa – where they have not been approved by regulators – in three years.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 17/04/2026
You can watch a video on all of our work investigating the crime trio here www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj0G...
youtube.com
Why these Irish cartel bosses are still free
YouTube video by Search Party
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 17/04/2026
Breaking: Kinahan cartel leader Daniel Kinahan has been arrested in Dubai. It follows a Bellingcat investigation last month that traced him to an MMA event in Dubai - providing the first proof that the cartel's leadership was still in hiding in the UAE. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...
bellingcat.com
New Footage Shows Wanted Kinahan Cartel Kingpins Post-Sanctions - bellingcat
Daniel and Christy Kinahan have been photographed in Dubai, marking the most recent sighting of the wanted crime bosses since the US levied sanctions against the cartel.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 07/02/2026
Grok users prompted the AI chatbot to identify victims from redacted Epstein Files images. Of 31 requests reviewed, Grok generated images for 27, spanning 18 images and one video. X did not respond to requests for comment on Grok's behaviour by time of publication. www.youtube.com/shorts/dhD8O...
youtube.com
Grok Users Are Attempting To Identify Epstein Victims
YouTube video by Bellingcat
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
New from 404 Media: here is the user guide for ELITE, the tool Palantir made for ICE. A map shows people on a map; ICE clicks them, brings up their dossier. ICE uses to find which neighborhoods to target. We obtained it, you can now read the document for yourself: www.404media.co/here-is-the-...
404media.co
Here is the User Guide for ELITE, the Tool Palantir Made for ICE
404 Media is publishing a version of the user guide for ELITE, which lets ICE bring up dossiers on individual people and provides a “confidence score” of their address.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
For anyone interested in digging through the new Epstein Files release our Discord community are going through the files at the moment Thread - discord.com/channels/709... Invite link for newbies - discord.com/invite/belli...
discord.com
Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games
Discord is great for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community. Customize your own space to talk, play, and hang out.
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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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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 28/01/2026
Bellingcat has further analysed videos of the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents. The footage shows an agent wearing a black beanie step behind Pretti. His right arm then appears to recoil at the same time the first shot is heard.
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Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
the work @bellingcat.com is doing in Minneapolis is essential. I spoke with @eoghanmacguire.bsky.social about the site's U.S. strategy www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/in-m...
niemanlab.org
In Minneapolis and other U.S. cities, Bellingcat supplements local news by “zooming in with a forensic lens”
Partnerships with local news outlets help "bring our stories to the audiences who need to see them most."
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 27/01/2026
Pepperball guns, tasers and tear gas are among the weapons recently deployed against protesters in the US. In a new guide, @easybakeovensz.bsky.social details some of the “less-lethal” equipment federal agents have carried during the current immigration raids. www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...
bellingcat.com
Guide: The ‘Less-Lethal’ Weapons Used by the DHS
Tear gas and PepperBall guns are among the weapons ICE and Border Patrol agents have been seen with at nationwide raids and protests related to immigration.
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Giancarlo Fiorella @giancarlofiorella.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
NEW, from @easybakeovensz.bsky.social here at @bellingcat.com: A guide to the "less lethal" weapons used by DHS agents against protesters, observers, and bystanders in the US www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...
bellingcat.com
Guide: The ‘Less-Lethal’ Weapons Used by the DHS
Tear gas and PepperBall guns are among the weapons ICE and Border Patrol agents have been seen with at nationwide raids and protests related to immigration.
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Kristen Radtke @kristenradtke.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
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Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
This time last year, incarcerated firefighters were battling a series of destructive wildfires in Southern California. Frank writes about the reality of serving time at fire camps — which allow for more freedom and benefits — but also blend two prison populations, which can be dangerous.
prisonjournalismproject.org
Prison Yard Politics at California’s Fire Camps
When these two groups get together, explosions can ensue.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
One of the Bellingcat Discord members has made Wordle, but for identifying warships keel-fawn.vercel.app
keel-fawn.vercel.app
Keel - Daily Warship Guessing Game
A daily challenge game for naval history enthusiasts. Identify warships from silhouettes in 5 guesses or less.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 21/01/2026
We’ve annotated this satellite imagery from January 20th to show the proximity of where the journalists using a drone were killed to the displacement camps and the nearest IDF outposts in Gaza. The Yellow Line is where Israeli troops withdrew to following the US-brokered deal with Hamas.
Planet imagery from Jan 20th 2026, showing the area in which the journalists were killed. Bellingcat has labelled the closest displacement camps, IDF outposts and the Yellow Line.
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lauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · 20/01/2026
we're getting all the downsides of cyberpunk (social alienation, ruthless hyper capitalism, digital mass surveillance state) but none of the promised upsides (cheap street food, cool jackets, super drugs that make you really fast and strong before they kill you)
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 09/01/2026
New footage from the ICE agent's phone who shot at Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis has emerged, posted by AlphaNews on X. We've placed that footage in a synced timeline with the other currently available footage.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 14/11/2025
Streets have been renamed, Ukrainian monuments removed, and murals painted over. Bellingcat investigates how apartment blocks in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol have been demolished to make way for a new Russian suburban utopia… www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...
bellingcat.com
Building on Ruins: The Russification of Mariupol, One Apartment Block at a Time - bellingcat
Bellingcat has identified 23 multi-storey housing complexes being built in occupied Mariupol and advertised for sale to Russian citizens.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 23/10/2025
New satellite images show the scale of demolition that has occurred on the East Wing of the White House in less than a month.
October planet imagery showing the east wing demolishedSeptember planet imagery showing the east wing before work took place
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Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 30/09/2025
Can LLMs identify where a photo was taken? And how accurate are they? We put some AI models to the test... www.youtube.com/shorts/tUBm4...
youtube.com
Can ChatGPT Find Out Where Your Photo Was Taken?
YouTube video by Bellingcat
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 30/09/2025
We're happy to see that this important project covering the plight of journalists in Gaza has been recognised with an award. You can read Bellingcat's contribution here, which includes explorable 3D models of Jabalia Refugee Camp and Al-Shati Refugee Camp. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/03...
bellingcat.com
Shot From Above: The Dangerous Work of Drone Journalists in Gaza - bellingcat
Examining the high price those documenting devastation in Gaza pay.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 06/10/2025
Universities may hold the key to fighting misinformation... On Thursday we speak to @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social about their Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab discussing how the lab is building critical thinking skills and leading to headline stories. discord.gg/bellingcat?e...
Stage talk Thursday 9th of October, 5pm CEST/11am EDT discord.com/invite/bellingcat 

Title: Student Researchers vs the Misinformation Machine
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Tomi McCluskey @tomi-mcc.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Had both the great privilege and some great fun developing some maritime OSINT challenges for the fine folks at @bellingcat.com ! Huge appreciation for their work and other investigative outlets telling the important stories happening on our oceans.
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Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 02/10/2025
1. Led by Elon Musk, the far-right has exploded in a campaign to get Netflix to remove shows with queer and trans characters. If Netflix capitulates to their demands, an already strained market for LGBTQ+ animators might become even more dire. Subscribe to support our journalism.
erininthemorning.com
Elon Musk Leads Campaign To Force Netflix To Remove Shows With Trans Characters
Musk's posts have been seen by tens of millions of users, and many conservatives are now attempting to force Netflix into a removal of LGBTQ+ content.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 23/09/2025
Our researcher @koltai.bsky.social has been investigating sites advertising non-consensual AI porn for some time. She recently spoke to @newamerica.org about her work for their recent report on the use of this imagery as a threat against women in politics.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 11/09/2025
Read our full analysis here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/09...
bellingcat.com
Incendiary Munitions Strike Gaza-bound Flotilla Two Nights in a Row - bellingcat
On September 8 and 9, two vessels of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) were attacked outside the port of Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia. Bellingcat analysed footage and images from both incidents. ...
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 11/09/2025
What struck the Gaza Aid Flotilla? After we published the story, the Tunisian Ministry of Interior issued a statement describing the incident “that took place yesterday” as a “premeditated attack” stating that an investigation had been launched.”
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Charley @charleymaher.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
It appears the Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism is now claiming Hamas is behind the Global Sumud Flotilla efforts. www.gov.il/en/pages/glo...
gov.il
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Reports of an attack, allegedly by a drone, on a vessel in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), while anchored outside the port of Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia. The below video shows the moment of the incident. Keep it in mind when you read the next post. www.instagram.com/reel/DOXaR_M...
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AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 09/09/2025
UPDATE Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists say one of their boats was hit by a suspected drone off the coast of Tunisia, but authorities there say none were detected u.afp.com/SdES
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Kolina Koltai @koltai.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
It's very easy to get enraged by a video, but sharing older videos as if they were new can muddy the waters for journalists and citizens. Even though the footage may depict a real thing, we need accurate context! So first things first, we need to determine: Where this happened When this happened
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Kolina Koltai @koltai.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
As Operation Midway Blitz kicks off in Chicago, it's so important to stay on top of both when and where videos are happening. This video below that features bystanders yelling 'Where you taking them?" and masked agents putting someone into a vehicle is NOT from this weekend.
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AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 09/09/2025
BREAKING Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists say that one of its boats was hit by a suspected drone but that no one was hurt
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Charley @charleymaher.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Was watching journalist Yusuf Omar's livestream as the main vessel in the flotilla was hit just offshore Tunis. Luckily some accounts recorded it: www.instagram.com/yusufomar?ig...
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The Serfs (youtube.com/theserfstv) @theserfstv.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
The Global Sumud Flotilla says its main ship has been struck by a suspected drone in Tunisia, luckily all passengers and crew are safe
LIVE: Sumud Flotilla says main ship attacked in Tunisia, crew safe
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 22/08/2025
We are excited to see Bellingcat listed as a finalist in four categories in the 2025 Online Journalism Awards awards.journalists.org/winners/2025
awards.journalists.org
2025 Online Journalism Awards
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
New from 404 Media: ICE is using a new facial recognition app to identify people, leaked emails show. Point camera at person, reveal their identity. It uses the CBP system that records peoples' faces as they enter or exit the U.S. Now, turned inwards to be used by ICE www.404media.co/ice-is-using...
404media.co
ICE Is Using a New Facial Recognition App to Identify People, Leaked Emails Show
The new tool, called Mobile Fortify, uses the CBP system which ordinarily takes photos of people when they enter or exit the U.S., according to internal ICE emails viewed by 404 Media. Now ICE is usin...
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 27/06/2025
Last week @koltai.bsky.social and @melzxy.bsky.social dug into the “CrushAI” network, uncovering new companies associated with the deepfake brand. Meta is currently taking legal action against another Crushmate-affiliated company for 1000s of 'nudify ads' that violated its platform policies.
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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 27/06/2025
Earlier: "This isn’t a removal. It’s not lawful under the Immigration and Nationality Act. It doesn’t conform to anything that was previously passed in legislation ... Essentially, he was disappeared forcefully."
texasobserver.org
Shipped to El Salvador: An Austin Immigration Lawyer on Her Teen Client's Forced 'Disappearance'
“Due process hasn’t been protected. The process that is set in place in this country that is the basis and foundation of our legal system was not allowed to work.”
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Arno Kopecky @arnokopecky.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
“If we understand industrial CO2 as debt, then heat is the interest on that debt…we now find ourselves in the default zone.” And here come the repo-men… Another banger from @johnvaillant.bsky.social www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
thestar.com
John Vaillant: Mark Carney should understand better than anyone why Canada is burning. Here’s how he can change course.
Many reasons for our intense wildfire season are well-known. Our leaders need to do the math in order to save our economy - and us
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Peter Barth @oldpete45.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Watch our story on YouTube in this awesome video by @charleymaher.bsky.social and @merelzoet.bsky.social
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 02/06/2025
Murder, mafia, gambling and pigeons?! How open source research methods helped to unravel a 53 year-old cold case murder... with @oldpete45.bsky.social and @texasobserver.org youtu.be/TZcWblhJc_k
youtu.be
Cold Case Reopened - The Forgotten murder of an Texas Oil Baron
YouTube video by Bellingcat
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 02/06/2025
This month, the Bellingcat Open Source Challenge dives into the world of art, history and illicit trade. Can you spot the telltale signs of stolen cultural artifacts and trace who handled them in the past? Give this month’s Bellingcat Challenge a try! Challenge.bellingcat.com
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Kareem Shaheen @kshaheen.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
A spyware app distributed among thousands of Syrian military officers last year may have compromised Assad's military, gathering reams of sensitive data on deployments and military ranks. Open q who built it. Fascinating investigation in @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/reportage/ho...
newlinesmag.com
How a Spyware App Compromised Assad’s Army
An investigation reveals how a cyberattack exploited soldiers' vulnerabilities and may have changed the course of the Syrian conflict
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