We Are Bellingcat is a fascinating account of the history of investigative news site Bellingcat and how they pioneered using open-source intelligence (OSINT) to uncover the truth about crime and conflict.

Higgins explains his research began as a hobby when he decided to put his time spent online and his attention to detail to use. He began gathering evidence about the war in Syria, realising that there was plenty of publicly available information.

He found ways to verify or debunk claims made on social media using techniques such as matching video footage to landmarks on Google Earth, or gauging the timing and location of images using an app which photographers use to measure light levels.

From there, he connected with other people with expertise and the same singleminded focus, and eventually they created Bellingcat through crowdfunding. It has grown to a formidable news site accumulating evidence on everything from the MH17 air crash over Ukraine to the Salisbury Novichok poisonings.

We Are Bellingcat covers the ethos of the organisation, its commitment to evidence and openness and contrasts it with conspiracy theorists who form opinions first and look for evidence later. Higgins highlights what happens when you go up against powerful actors and the steps they will take to discredit or harass the people who expose them.

He also addressed a couple of my questions. First, why the focus on war and conflict? He explains that they are now applying their techniques to environmental issues. Second, why are most of the key players male? He talked about the legacy of online sexism, particularly referencing Gamergate, and said that now Bellingcat has the funding to expand beyond an informal network of likeminded people, they are making conscious efforts to be more representative.

The beauty of open source intelligence is that you can replicate the work and check it for yourself. It is the opposite of the cliquey world of political journalism in particular, when reports are based on anonymous sources.

Higgins shares some of his techniques, so that you (or in my case, my fictional investigative journalist!) could begin your own research. But what the book makes clear is that this isn’t easy. You need skills, commitment, attention to detail — and the willingness to confront powerful interests.

The very notion of citizen journalism is something that many old school journalists poo-poo. For anyone who does (shame on you) I would ask them to read this book and then wait for their apology. I was blown away by the methodology of the Bellingcat team. Others use technology to commit crimes. These guys use it – YouTube, geomapping, Twitter - to solve them. Eliot Higgins is a hero for the 21st century. There is example after example of how he and his team (mostly volunteers by the way) have over the last decade looked at world events – and thanks to their technological prowess and dogged determination - actually changed the course of history. The man hours involved in their information gathering is incredible, but they have made a difference and achieved something no other world leader has. See: the Salisbury poisoning, the downing of Malaysia Flight 17 over the Ukraine, the sourcing of weapons in the Syrian Civil War. Bravo Sir – a great read.

Eliot Higgins is founder of Bellingcat; a team of internet investigators who call themselves an intelligence agency for the people. In this book, Higgins explains how Bellingcat came to be, how it has grown, and how, using skills, knowledge and techniques which you may not even realise are possible, Bellingcat have made discoveries about major world events that even governments couldn’t, such as the war in Syria, Malaysian flight MH70 and the Salisbury Novichok poisonings. The governments are aware of Bellingcat’s discoveries but what they choose to do about it is anyone’s guess. All Bellingcat can do is keep working for the sake of the people.

I have to admit, when I requested an ARC of this book from @netgalley, I didn’t realise it was a non-fiction book. Possibly because it sounded like a really good plot! And I think that shows how remarkable and unbelievable the work of Bellingcat is. Eliot Higgins goes into depth to explain how his team of both professional and citizen journalists specialise in fact checking and open source intelligence to investigate and find answers way before and government or secret service officials could. I found it easy to get lost in the political jargon and events at times, but this didn’t stop me from realising and appreciating the fascinating work which Bellingcat do. It really is quite shocking what you can find out from the internet if you know the right places to look. Because of getting a little lost at times I give it 3/5 stars.

Before seeing this book on NetGalley I had never heard of Beliingcat. The blurb intrigued me as to just who this organisation is. The book answered my questions. Bellingcat began as a single blogger, Eliot Higgins, following online clues about events happening in the news. He describes himself as curious, as needing to know more, and as having a latent desire to be a journalist.

The book describes how he went from gathering evidence and posting on the Guardian newspaper’s website, to running his own blog, to running an organisation that employs others. It’s quite a journey.

Most of the book follows Higgins’ investigations. These include the poisoning of the two Russian citizens in Salisbury, as well as the downing of the flight over the Ukraine, and the chemical attacks in Syria. It was fascinating to read about how Higgins and his partners went about pulling together evidence. Then how they went about proving who the culprits were for these atrocities. I think this aspect of the book would appeal to fans of true crime the most.

The main methods Bellingcat uses are pulling together the traces we all leave online, mostly through social media. By pulling tools such as Instagram and YouTube together with Google Maps, they can verify the creation date and time of an image or video. I found the descriptions of these sorts of methods fascinating.

I also found it quite disconcerting. We are all leaving traces that we don’t even think about. How much information can someone really find out about you just on the internet? It’s a bit worrying, really. I also wondered where the line is between public information and privacy. Some of the investigations Bellingcat describe use information from data leaks, and I have to wonder how ethical that is.

Overall, I think We Are Bellingcat was interesting. Higgins writes well, but I don’t think I’m the right audience for most of the book. I think fans of true crime will love this, but it left me with some uncomfortable questions.

Incredible book, whilst I had an idea about Bellingcats work I learned so much from this book. I couldn't recommend this more especially if you are very involve in the news

This was absolutely fascinating. The evolution of Bellingcat, who they are, what they do and how they use their findings from open source social media investigations was eye opening. This gives an idea of how journalism will evolve to use the new sources of information and evidence available, and how to do it in the most impartial way possible. I had only previously heard the name and now I feel I have a much better idea of their work, and how and why they are filling a need that never really existed up till now.

I hadn’t heard of Bellingcat although I realised they were the people who identified the Salisbury Novichok killers after I started reading the book. This is truly fascinating - both what they do and how they do it and I’m no techie person, believe me! Reading about how Eliot Higgins started “proving” the veracity of videos on You Tube showing atrocities or “leaked” news, was amazing. Looking at Google Earth to find the buildings in Syria or whatever to support the people risking their lives to release footage of crimes started something phenomenal.

Mr Higgins is now CEO of an organisation of volunteers from all over the world who find ways to support local journalists and expose state crimes. It’s amazing and now a few news media companies use them or have employed their own versions. This is the future of exposing “fake news” and supporting truth in journalism and is to be applauded.

Recommended if you are looking for something a bit different and want to understand how a guy on a computer could find things major news reporters could not.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I knew nothing about Bellingcat and had mistakenly thought this was a work of fiction before reading. Thanks for the education!

I have heard of Bellingcat but my knowledge of the organisation is vague to say the least. I enjoyed finding out that there is an organisation out there that is digging deeper than anyone else to determine the truth and seek justice. Especially living so close to Salisbury, it’s was nice to know that an organisation like Bellingcat was there to name the people responsible for the Skripal poisoning. The writing is easy to understand, making for a quick but intriguing read. It’s a good read that I would recommend.

We Are Bellingcat is the page-turning inside account of the organization solving international mysteries and wielding the power of the internet to fight for facts. In 2018, Russian exile Sergei Skripal and his daughter were nearly killed in an audacious poisoning attempt in Salisbury, England. Soon, the identity of one of the suspects was revealed: he was a Russian spy. This huge investigative coup wasn't pulled off by an intelligence agency or a traditional news outlet. Instead, the scoop came from Bellingcat, the open-source investigative team that is redefining the way we think about news, politics, and the digital future. We Are Bellingcat tells the inspiring story of how a college dropout pioneered a new category of reporting and galvanized citizen journalists-working together from their computer screens around the globe-to crack major cases, at a time when fact-based journalism is under assault from authoritarian forces.

Founder Eliot Higgins introduces readers to the tools Bellingcat investigators use, tools available to anyone, from software that helps you pinpoint the location of an image, to an app that can nail down the time that photo was taken. This book digs deep into some of Bellingcat's most important investigations-the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine, Assad's use of chemical weapons in Syria, the identities of alt-right protestors in Charlottesville-with the drama and gripping detail of a spy novel. A fascinating, accessible and exciting read, this reads every bit like a fictional spy novel rather than the exploits of a real-life citizen-run company. With case studies and examples of work Bellingcat has carried out all over the world you receive a small glimpse in to how vital they have become. As someone who enjoys true crime and mystery I found myself eating into the page count rapidly and for those interested in mysterious happenings and maintaining a factual news outlet that can be relied upon this is a must-read.

"Identify, Verify, Amplify" - and this is how Bellingcat' story goes.

From a "one-man band" gathering data and posting on message boards during the Arab Spring to a full independent enterprise capable of identifying Russian killers, Eliot Higgins has grown a great deal. Through these pages, you get to discover the fascinating "behind the scenes" of open-source investigation and how it all began.

You get to immerse yourself in Eliot's journey from his blog relying on crowdfunding to the company employing many, that is Bellingcat today. The author takes us through a very detailed account of the techniques used by the Bellingcat "sleuths" during the biggest stories they have covered: war in Syria, Salisbury attack, downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight "MH1". All of this ensuring that all data provided and shared can be verified by whoever accesses it.

Using many different tools, ranging from the simplest to more advanced (such as geolocalisation via the analysis of the sun' shadows, Google Maps / Earth, image reversing, analysing hours of footage, scouring social media accounts and so much more), Bellingcat has uncovered so much evidence regarding some of the worst acts of our time, sometimes even shaming the governments' data gathering capabilities, and this only by analysing what was all along in front of our eyes and for all to see (if one knows where to look).

The only criticism that I can make is that we sometimes get lost in a vast amount of details and the transition from one case or one idea to the next, does not always makes sense. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed it, it isn't an easy read for everyone - if you, like me, enjoy investigative reports or scientific journals, then you should definitely try and read it.

What is truly incredible is that everyone could do it, if one is ready to spare some time. Behind the technicalities of it all, Eliot also demonstrates that we are stronger when working together. One person can start something wonderful but only with the help of others can it achieve its true potential, grow and strive.

A truly informative book, and if you would like to investigate further, you can also check out their website: https://www.bellingcat.com.

We Are Bellingcat is a fascinating account of the genesis of an online collective who use particular skills to pick apart disinformation and investigate war crimes amongst others.

From identifying the perpetrators of the Salisbury poisoning case, to proving Russia was responsible for the MH17 plane crash over the Ukraine - Bellingcat use open-source investigative skills (meaning open to anyone with access to the Internet) to fact check, to geolocate and to verify identities. With increasing polarity, and increasing cynicism, Bellingcat is a beacon of light, leading the way to an era of collaboration and information sharing that gives us all hope that there are still people who want to use tech for the greater good of humanity, and not to push their own agenda, or obfuscate the truth.

Never is there more need for open-source investigation than now, and this book is a must read for anyone who likes to challenge the headlines, and who likes to question, rather than simply accept at face value what we are being told by social media and governments around the world.

An extraordinary account of a system based on evidence seeking on the Internet and other digital recordings to piece together proof of events.
Apart from the technical expertise, the author is acutely aware of various political pressures across the world. It is a fascinating account of criminal and war crimes that have occurred. The perpetrators appear to leave evidence which can be uncovered and cross-referenced by those who have the ability and obsession to seek out the truth, this is then made available on open platforms for all to see.
It is extremely thought provoking and disturbing to see what government powers are capable of across the world.

Wow - a fascinating read. I had never heard of the organisation Bellingcat but was interested to read all about it. Thanks to netgalley for the free read in exchange for a review.
The reader learns about how Bellingcat came into being - founded by Eliot Higgins. He and fellow online sleuthers use open source data to track down the instigators of terrible crimes such as the downing of flight MH17 in 2014, people involved in war crimes as well as the novichock poisoning in Saulisbury, UK.
Other areas of interest are the production of fake news.
It is amazing what can be done using a network of like minded people online to track down perpetrators of crimes and bring it to the attention of the officials.
Thanks once again netgalley

What a book! Fascinating, terrifying and optimistic in equal measure. The ability of ordinary citizens to sift fake news from the truth seems to be increasingly eroded by clever use of internet sources, but Higgins and colleagues are fighting to make the way clearer. Long may they continue
Thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury publishing for an advance copy of this book.

If you'd asked me before I read this, I'd have said that I was pretty on top of how internet sleuthing works, the role that social media played in the Arab Spring, and the value of primary sources in a world deluged with news and 'news'. We are Bellingcat, however, opened my eyes in a whole new way.

Although it's not always a gripping read (there are times when such pains are taken to show the workings that I lost patience), it's a truly fascinating one, and truly necessary, maybe particularly for those of us who feel a little jaded - although some of the conclusions are bleak, I found this quite a hopeful read.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in current affairs, 'echo chambers', investigative journalism, or the huge and terrifying world of figuring out how social media shapes our lives.

4.5/5 stars.

My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

The internet has evolved into a jungle of information and disinformation, traps for the gullible, rich pickings for predators and explorers alike. The book is a chronicle of the development of internet investigative journalism focusing on war crimes and political assassinations, to obtain the identification and evidence of the acts and those involved for the benefit of prosecutors. Titbits of information is trawled from public media and recorded and pursued for leads, supplemented by the search of public records and the use of google maps and satellite images to pinpoint locations. Taking years of diligent analysis, explaining how evidence was obtained to convict people of war crimes in Syria, Libya, Ukraine, and the assassination attempt at Salisbury UK makes a most interesting and fascinating story of the work of a little know organisation.

A happy marriage between open-source intelligence and citizen journalism. This is how you apply open source knowledge to better humanity, to bring high profile criminals(and by that I mean crimes against the humanity kind of thing) to justice, this is how you fight against fake news and propaganda by not so democratic regimes.

It was fascinating to read about all the tools available, basically to all of us on the internet, tools that we can use to get a better picture of events out of our reach and why not, to unearth the truth. While I've enjoyed reading this part of the book, despite the information not being entirely new to me and the over detailed narrative that at times bored me; the inner workings of the Bellingcat really didn't interest me. But nonetheless I'd say it's a worthwhile read, especially if you might want to set up something similar yourself.

All in all a good and informative read, that I wholeheartedly recommend.

If you have even have a passing interest in investigative journalism then this book is worth a read. Detailing the history of Bellingcat through the eyes of the people who have been there from the start, the detailed information about various news items that have affected us all is impressive. I found this to be a riveting read, albeit one that could be considered scary since it's so true - truth indeed can be stranger than fiction. Read this if you're interested in the how and why of global investigative news - it's shocking how much this affects all!

In a world of duplicity and false news this was a refreshing book. The author Eliot Higgins has created a news gathering agency that seems to have outdone journalists - at least by thinking 'out of the box' he realised that by accessing social media of ordinary people on the ground he would get a more rounded, nuanced and even more truthful interpretation that traditional journalism. With his blog he has drawn together a group of like minded people who are helping the rest of us to understand what is going on in our world. I absolutely vital service - this is his story how it all came to be - worth reading.