Bellingcat uses open source research techniques to uncover facts that are in the public interest. We look to share the knowledge and skills we learn with the wider public so that they can do the same.

Together, Bellingcat and its community have investigated potential war crimes in Ukraine Ethiopia, Armenia and Yemen. We have detailed police violence in Colombia and the US. We have revealed lax security measures at US military bases in Europe that host nuclear weapons. Furthermore, our work has uncovered how state-backed Russian assassins have been operating in Europe and that Russian secret service operatives sought to poison the opposition politician Alexei Navalny. In recent months we have been investigating the perils of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Our work has exposed groups using AI tools to create non-consensual deep fake nude images of unsuspecting women. Bellingcat’s reporting led to some of these websites being shut down. We have also detailed how Russian ships were exporting Ukrainian grain from sanctioned ports in Crimea before transferring their cargo at sea to avoid detection.

All of these investigations revealed information that was important to the wider public and increased knowledge of topics that were hitherto murky or unknown. We continue to refine our methods as technology advances and share our techniques with the wider public. We believe a growing community of open source investigators focused on information integrity, identifying wrongdoing, debunking dis-and-misinformation as well as spreading the word on news literacy can only be a force for progress and good.