Bellingcat is an investigative collective founded in 2014 and based in the Netherlands, known for pioneering and popularizing open-source investigation techniques. Its work — and, crucially, its openly published methods — has shaped how journalists, researchers, and election observers verify digital content.
Mission
To use open-source and social-media investigation to produce accountability journalism, and to teach these methods widely so that others can reproduce and extend them.
Focus areas
- Open-source investigation methodology.
- Verification, geolocation, and chronolocation.
- Public training, toolkits, and guides.
Why it matters for elections
Bellingcat's transparent approach — showing every step so a finding can be independently checked — is the model behind the digital verification fundamentals and the verification workflows on this site. For the broader OSINT toolset its investigators use, ElectionsTech points to the OSINTGuide tools directory.
Learn more
Visit the official website for published investigations and training resources, and see OSINT for elections for how these methods apply to electoral contexts.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bellingcat known for?
Bellingcat is an investigative collective that pioneered and popularized open-source investigation techniques — particularly geolocation and chronolocation — and publishes both investigations and the methods behind them, which are widely used in election and information-integrity research.
Does Bellingcat publish its methods?
Yes. A defining feature of Bellingcat is its commitment to transparent, reproducible methodology and public training, which is why its techniques underpin much of the verification practice taught across this site.