The Weekly OSINT Newsletter (Issue 116)
Learn about: a new AI tool to discover biases in news reporting; tips for researching businesses; discussing ethics and privacy; what celebrities should not do to keep their address private + more
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Let's dive right in without any fluff, as we have a lot to cover in this week’s edition.
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Intelligence Support Specialist (Remote)
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OSINT Tradecraft Tips
From last week. Sourced from multiple sources.
Introducing NewsCord: A New Tool for Uncovering News Biases with AI
NewsCord is a new tool that aims to expose biases in news reporting by leveraging generative AI. Originating from a November Hackathon for Gaza, its current scope extends beyond addressing the current crisis, offering a transformative approach to news consumption. By aggregating and analysing hundreds of stories, NewsCord highlights inconsistencies, omissions, and subtle narrative techniques, fostering a generation of informed news consumers (HT Paul B, LinkedIn).
Notes from the OSINT Jobs Team: This share isn't sponsored; we're highlighting NewsCord as a valuable resource during this year's busy election cycle. The developers noted that NewsCord's AI can make mistakes, so always check the original sources and don’t rely on a single tool.
New from Bellingcat: Identifying the Mystery Vessel Behind Tobago's Oil Spill Crisis
On February 7, 2024, a vessel named "Gulfstream," part of an articulated tug and barge system, ran aground off Tobago's coast, leaking oil over 80 kilometers of the Caribbean Sea and prompting Trinidad and Tobago to declare a national emergency. Despite initial challenges in identifying the vessel due to the absence of an IMO registration number, Bellingcat's investigation revealed it as an unpowered barge associated with the tugboat "Marlin." This discovery followed extensive research, including volunteer efforts within Bellingcat's Discord community and analysis of satellite imagery, ship-spotting photos, and dive team footage. The investigation also uncovered the vessel's history, showing it had been operating with the tug Marlin for decades, including periods of regular visits to petroleum ports in Venezuela and the Caribbean.
Note from the OSINT Jobs Team: Case studies offer great learning opportunities from fellow investigators. For those considering an OSINT course, we recommend prioritisings offerings led by active practitioners who share their personal case studies and problem-solving techniques. Courses that rely on second-hand case studies lack the depth of insight that comes from direct experience, highlighting the importance of learning the art of pivoting from those that actually worked on the case.
A Course on GIS Fundamentals with ArcGIS Pro
The GIS basics course teaches the fundamental components and capabilities of GIS, focusing on how to visualize and analyze data to solve spatial problems and make better informed decisions. It highlights the use of ArcGIS Pro for organisations. This useful tip was shared on LinkedIn by James P.
AI Geolocation APIs: A Collection by Cyber Detective
Introducing a new section in Cyber Detectives' comprehensive collection of OSINT-related sources: AI Geolocation. For those wanting to automate the process of determining the approximate location of photos.
A New OSINT Search Tool
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