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They do all the actual searching with Google Maps, Lens and Images. None of that is Open Source, just the site to host the results and findings if I understood the article correctly.
The very first phrase of the article talks about open source investigative techniques, not about open source software, both are very different things.
‘Open Source’ in this context is a little different from the software, although I think they are also working on building open source tools to help investigate.
My understanding is that ‘Open source research’ has similar principles of being accessible and verifiable by anyone, as opposed to being a closed process based on trust.
Pulled this from an article: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2021/11/09/first-steps-to-getting-started-in-open-source-research/
Open source research has “come of age”, according to a recent article published by The Economist. What was once the niche realm of a relatively small number of individuals with free time and obsessive internet habits is now informing research and journalism in a wide range of fields and institutions. It’s hard to imagine a better time to roll up your sleeves and set off on the path of the open source researcher.
The promise of open source research is that anyone — not just journalists or researchers at select institutions — can contribute to investigations that uncover wrongdoing and hold perpetrators of crimes and atrocities to account.
The organization is pretty interesting as well. Pulling from Wikipedia because it sums it up nicely. I personally find it impressive how much they’ve accomplished: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellingcat
Bellingcat began as an investigation into the use of weapons in the Syrian civil war. Its reports on the Russo-Ukrainian War (including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17), the El Junquito raid, the Yemeni Civil War, the Skripal poisoning, and the killing of civilians by the Cameroon Armed Forces have attracted international attention
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Open source investigative techniques can be used to uncover all sorts of interesting information about disinformation narratives, potential war crimes or even conspiracy communities.
For example, the ‘Finding the location WW1 & WW2’ Facebook group seeks to employ geolocation techniques to identify where unknown and undated images from the first and second World Wars were taken.
Recently, Bellingcat was able to uncover new information about a series of photos from the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) archives that were posted to this Facebook group.
Alongside the University of Lincoln in the UK, The IBCC Digital Archive focuses on the activities of the RAF Bomber Command during the 1939 to 1945 war period.
Upon closer inspection it appears to show a statue of a monarch, given a crown is visible on the head, with the outline of a building that has a dome in the background.
As the identification and geolocation of these old war-time photos show, modern open source techniques can help answer questions and mysteries from the past.
The original article contains 1,882 words, the summary contains 169 words. Saved 91%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
