Sign in

Elise Thomas

@elisethomas.bsky.social
9.3K followers 1.7K following 1.3K posts

Senior OSINT Investigator at @cen4infores.bsky.social. Opinions, hot takes, mistakes all my own. www.clippings.me/elisethomas

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The tweet that immediately came to mind:
We're a modest company with modest goals:
1: sell a quality product at a fair price
2: drain the world's oceans so we can find and kill god
6:19 PM • Oct 21, 2014 • Twitter for iPhone
9.8K Retweets
32.7K Likes
221742398
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I was chatting to a friend who is 23 and doing her undergrad degree. She was saying that she and all her peers are using AI for assignments, but they also all believe their tutors are using AI to mark them. AI is assessing AI. What even is the point at that stage? www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
As more Australian universities use AI to mark students’ work, is it creating creating a ‘slop-cycle’?
Educational institutions find themselves suddenly confronted with a fork in the road
22012
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
it is 2026 and "woman wears pants" is a headline www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/s...
nytimes.com
At State Dinner for China’s Leader, Melania Trump Wears the Pants
And possibly makes history while doing so.
1102
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
If an individual did this, we'd treat it as a crime. We should treat this as a crime too, and hold OpenAI liable for what its models, under its supervision, did. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...
abc.net.au
OpenAI agent hacked Medicare portal, PM says
Anthony Albanese says he has spoken to the Open AI chief executive to express his concern about the incident and the length of time it took the tech company to inform the government of the breach.
411244458
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Christopher Miller @christopherjm.ft.com · 21/09/2026
Donald Trump pressed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a call on Sunday to halt Kyiv’s strikes on Russian refineries over concerns the attacks are exacerbating a global diesel shortage and pushing up prices. @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/adb8...
ft.com
Donald Trump presses Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop hitting Russian refineries
US president tells Ukrainian leader in phone call it’s all about ‘diesel, diesel, diesel’, according to officials
144916
Reposted by Elise Thomas
elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Friend shared this video of a man unveiling the library he hid when he fled Damascus in 2011. It’s incredible
25150193940
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Our new @cen4infores.bsky.social investigation into A7, the massive Russian government-backed sanctions evasion network, is out now! This one identifies enablers supporting A7A5, A7's cryptocurrency in Kyrgyzstan, and tracks links to shady crypto exchanges and, curiously, the Kyrgyzstan government
info-res.org
Tsunami Payments: Tracing the ripples of A7A5 in Kyrgyzstan
143
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This kind of thing is why, as an OSINT investigator, working with journalists like @ericszeto.bsky.social and @ivanangelovski.bsky.social is so valuable. Here they are following the leads from our OneGate investigation all the way to a director's front door. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEmz...
youtube.com
Exposing a Canadian 'banking' company linked to money launderers
YouTube video by CBC News
0155
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I think there's actually quite an easy and obvious way to solve the collective action problem of how to make the AI companies stop conducting risky research, and it's to make it very clear that they're legally liable for anything their models do. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...
politico.com
Anthropic CEO seeks immediate slowdown on AI
Dario Amodei warned that recent advances have begun to outpace the industry’s ability to fully understand and control the technology.
1286
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I wrote about the risk of this kind of thing happening more than ten years ago. This problem was 100% foreseeable, it WAS foreseen by many people, and nothing was done. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
How one woman’s Tesla was remotely controlled – and used to harass her – by an abusive ex-partner
Enrico Pucci was able to control his former partner’s electric car remotely, controlling its speed, temperature settings and lock
1219
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
This but for any research, any investigation, any anything. Most of my best finds in OSINT investigations were things I didn't know I should be looking for, which I found while looking for something else. Just do the work.
0132
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
On the surface The OneGate looks like a normal fintech startup: payment cards, multicurrency accounts, international payments. Using #OSINT, we've found evidence linking them to a massive transnational crime group which launders money for drug cartels and Russian oligarchs @cen4infores.bsky.social
info-res.org
The OneGate: TGR’s international digital payments network
111353
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Meduza — Новости [Unofficial] @meduza.io.web.brid.gy · 25/08/2026
meduza.io
Во Внуково прилетел военно-транспортный самолет ВВС США. Кого он привез, неизвестно
Утром 25 августа в московском аэропорту Внуково приземлился военно-транспортный самолет Военно-воздушных сил США Boeing C-17 Globemaster III с бортовым номером RCH4555, следует из данных сервиса Flightradar24.
001
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08...
abc.net.au
Grim signs the globe is about to run short of food
Just as the global economy was adjusting to higher fuel prices, a new inflationary wave is about to hit. This time, the shortages will involve food and the poorest nations will be the worst affected.
061
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Charles Я. Davis @charliearchy.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
NEW: The Trump administration is looking to set up a consortium for anti-immigrant "independent journalism" in Europe, with the State Department envisioning "substantial involvement" in the project. www.theredoubt.net/trump-admini...
theredoubt.net
Trump administration to support 'independent journalism' in Europe with anti-immigrant focus
For-profit entities are eligible to receive $1 million from the State Department, which envisions "substantial involvement" in the project.
106740
Reposted by Elise Thomas
edith @edithcharles.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Rethinking this
I just saw a TV reporter pronouncing it as 'aloo akbar' which literally translates to 'potatoes are the greatest'
542775430
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
This has been so little covered in the Australian media that I, a statistically abnormally high news consumer, was totally unaware of it. If they want to go, we should let them! www.politico.com/news/2026/08...
politico.com
Norfolk Island voted to leave Australia. Canberra shrugged.
Australia has an independence problem on its own Pacific island.
1146
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The solution to aggression towards staff is not mass surveillance, it’s having more than one lonesome and often poorly trained security guard per massive store 🙄 www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Alarm raised over ‘privacy dilemma’ of facial recognition technology at Coles and Woolworths
Supermarkets say they are exploring ways to keep people safe, but experts claim the tech is ‘normalising surveillance’
230
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Senator David Shoebridge @davidshoebridge.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I asked why the NACC has apparently never looked into billions in sketchy secret Nauru contracts, the answer was simple: nobody could explain it.
19221109
Reposted by Elise Thomas
The Moscow Times @themoscowtimes.com · 17/08/2026
Andrei Klepach, who served as VEB.RF’s chief economist for 12 years, was reportedly fired after the bank’s leadership received a phone call “from above.”
themoscowtimes.com
VEB Chief Economist Fired After Warning Russia Cannot Win ‘War of Attrition’ – The Bell - The Moscow Times
The chief economist at Russia’s state development corporation VEB.RF has been fired after presenting a report earlier this year warning that Russia cannot win a prolonged war of attrition against Ukra...
0175
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/defence...
thesaturdaypaper.com.au
US leases open AUKUS escape hatch
ANALYSIS: Hosting nuclear-armed US submarines will soon put Australia in breach of its international treaty obligations, opening the door for Labor to reset defence arrangements with America.
010
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project @occrp.org · 12/08/2026
Treasury Rolls Back Ownership Reporting Obligations for U.S. Companies www.occrp.org/en/news/trea...
occrp.org
Treasury Rolls Back Ownership Reporting Obligations for U.S. Companies
Related Articles
23417
Reposted by Elise Thomas
852dude @852dude.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Bro. People are cool as fuck.
274165312327
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
He does understand they're walking out for a day or even just a few hours, right, not dropping out of school
15711
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I talked to this person years ago about a job writing about the ultra wealthy and he told me I was a bad fit because I was obviously going to make jokes about them. I remember this, to be honest, because the hat was present then too www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/b...
nytimes.com
Forbes Fired Top Editor After Discovering He Received Secret $6 Million Payment (Gift Article)
Randall Lane, the magazine’s chief content officer, received the money from the founder of Shook Research, which has worked with Forbes on content about wealth advisers.
823243486
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 11/08/2026
When Elon took over Twitter he told investors he'd triple ad revenue within 5 years. It's now been almost four years... and he's wiped out 2/3rds of the ad revenue (basically revealed in footnotes to SpaceX's earnings).
342067609
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Imagine being the people in the old Air Force One being waved off to fly home, in the knowledge that they really do think there’s a chance you could be shot down 😅
1113
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...
theguardian.com
Inside a meme factory: meet one of thousands of Indonesians trading political outrage clicks for Facebook cash
Exclusive: Adira says she doesn’t know much about her target countries or even know who their leaders are. Instead she’s chasing money from Meta, which pays for engagement
021
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Jesse Felder @jessefelder.com · 09/08/2026
‘In July alone, more than 150 towns and counties passed temporary or permanent bans on data centers, many adopted in emergency meetings. That brings the nationwide total to more than 500.’ www.theinformation.com/articles/dat...
301120370
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Impossibly, Jetstar is making itself worse www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Jetstar to charge fees up to $52 to put carry-on baggage in overhead lockers
Airline says struggling to find room in overhead lockers on planes a ‘stressful part of the airport experience’
130
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
www.cnbc.com/2026/08/04/u...
cnbc.com
U.S. has used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war: Reuters
The U.S. Army has used up much of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its war with Iran, people familiar ⁠with the data told Reuters.
071
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 02/08/2026
New: We found 50 cops who misused Flock cameras and other license-plate readers for personal purposes, often to spy on their girlfriends or ex-wives. He "watched every single move I made. ... Who do you turn the chief of police in to?" wapo.st/3S6rTuo
wapo.st
She left her ex. He secretly tracked her through a network of policing cameras.
Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime. But at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing it and other systems.
11042401779
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
“In recent months, ICE has deployed a round-the-clock digital dragnet to scour the public internet—from Facebook to Instagram to X—for speech that could endanger the agency’s mission.” Speech. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
wsj.com
How ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against its Critics
Agency says its surveillance program searches for threats to agents, but critics see free-speech infringements.
991695904
Reposted by Elise Thomas
ProPublica @propublica.org · 04/08/2026
“If you take the deal, you’re going to be exploited. If you don’t take it, you’re going to die,” said attorney Frank Ssekamwa about the U.S. demand to access the health data of millions of Ugandans. “It’s the essence of digital colonialism.”
propublica.org
“Digital Colonialism”: U.S. Demands to Access Africans’ Data Raise Privacy, Sovereignty Concerns
The United States is requiring access to health data as part of lifesaving aid deals with African countries. The U.S. says the data will be aggregated and anonymized, but privacy experts fear the info...
36825405
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Good. This was galaxy brain stuff. www.france24.com/en/live-news...
france24.com
Google rolls back new satellite image AI tool after backlash
Google rolled back Friday a new feature allowing Google Earth users to generate AI visualizations on top of the service's satellite imagery, following a furious backlash from researchers and open-sour...
040
Reposted by Elise Thomas
The Insider @theins.press · 30/07/2026
Letting the genie out of the bottleneck: Russia is ramping up mass production of drone motors The Insider and Nordsint @nordsint.bsky.social traced the supply chain that could allow Russia to begin producing millions of FPV drones in the coming months.
theins.press
Letting the genie out of the bottleneck: Russia is ramping up mass production of drone motors
Russia is moving to mass-produce drone motors, with production lines worth millions of dollars now arriving in the country. The shift could allow Russia to…
0166
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
As a prolific em dash user
140
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
It is wild that you can argue that no one is allowed to publish that you're a convicted rapist on the basis that it would be upsetting for you if people knew you were a convicted rapist. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...
theage.com.au
Melbourne businessman found guilty of rape, but his name remains a secret
The high-profile man had been defending the rape case under the blanket of a suppression order on his identity.
163
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
In 2032 the US will tell us they don't have any Virginias to spare and won't be giving us any, and then they'll generously offer to continue to base THEIR Virginias in Stirling and frame it as being for our protection 🙄 www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
141
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Ah cool. So normally they just don't really know what their models are doing as a matter of general practice and it takes something unusual for them to actually read the logs. Seems fine.
5277
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Feels like the big lesson is that hosting US military bases doesn’t make you safer, it makes you a target www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
abc.net.au
Iran's attacks on US bases in the Middle East mark 'end of an era'
Five months into a war Donald Trump said would last only weeks, the Iran conflict has so far cost the United States tens of billions of dollars and brought about "the end of an era" in American milita...
072
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Trump says he will dismantle the ICC ‘brick by brick’. It could be his most chilling move of all | Steve Bloomfield
The US is aligning itself with dictators and autocrats to prevent those accused of genocide, ethnic cleansing and war crimes from ever facing justice, says Steve Bloomfield, former international edito...
071
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Look who’s taking the side of explosive diarrhea
FP
SIGN IN
SUBSCRIBE
The Lettuce That Launched a Thousand
The cyclosporiasis outbreak is the fourth this year the media has blamed on Trump and RFK
Jr. None of them have killed a single person.
By Alex Berenson
2305027705
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Professor Euan Ritchie FAMS @euanritchie.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I’m glad some are calling this out theconversation.com/i-cant-work-...
theconversation.com
‘I can’t work in the farce of climate change cruise tourism anymore’: why Antarctic guides quit their dream jobs
The moral struggles of guiding tourists through a pristine landscape.
48719
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I know we've all heard this before but I do actually feel like it's quite important to not normalise the President of the United States publicly announcing his intent to commit war crimes. This is not normal.
2134
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Going out on a limb to say that the driest inhabited continent on earth which is only going to get hotter and drier, is not an ideal place for massive infrastructure which needs constant cooling via huge amounts of water. Even in Tasmania. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
abc.net.au
'We do not want to highlight this yet': AI data centre's FAQ slip-up
Data centre builder Firmus posted a statement, since removed, indicating its intention to get some of its cooling water from the state-owned irrigation system, adding "but we do not want to highlight ...
2111
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Andy Greenberg @agreenberg.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
A car alarm device, KARR, inside millions of cars has a security flaw that lets hackers unlock, track, even paralyze vehicles. There's a patch. The problem? Half of car owners who have the device installed didn't ask for it, and may not even know it's there. Thread👇 www.wired.com/story/a-devi...
wired.com
A Device Hidden in Cars Across the US Leaves Them Vulnerable to Hacking and Paralysis. Patch It Now
Dealerships installed alarms in millions of vehicles—and left them in even if the buyer didn’t want them. Now researchers warn they can be hacked to unlock, track, and disable cars.
12259144
Reposted by Elise Thomas
Roger Sollenberger @sollenbergerrc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The FBI director is traveling to Russia weeks before the midterm elections. “His host is likely to be the FSB, the Russian security service that is heir to the Soviet-era KGB” www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
politico.com
FBI Director Kash Patel plans Russia trip
The plans come as the U.S. and Russia have failed to come to terms on ending the war in Ukraine.
85524255
Elise Thomas @elisethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Extremely excited* for US big tech lobbying money to get involved in our domestic politics
290