Bellingcat has, amongst other things, uncovered evidence that is now being used in the case against those accused of poisoning Sergei Skripal at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Eliot Higgins and his large team of staff and volunteers have devised their own techniques for exploiting the wealth of information on the Internet when fact-checking the statements of those in power. Higgins is entirely self-taught and in 2011 began fact-checking information from conflict zones around the world under the Twitter handle Brown Moses. By cross-checking, for example, photos from the front line in Syria, or social media posts from Russian soldiers in Ukraine with data from Google Maps and Google Earth, he was able to either confirm or refute the sources' stories from the front line.
The New York Times compiled his tweets about the use of smuggled weapons in the war against Syria, and the reputable newspaper was soon able to share the story that the US was involved in, or at least knew about, secret arms deliveries. The result was a multiplication of Brown Moses' Twitter followers, and far greater interest in Higgins' work.
In 2014, Higgins founded Bellingcat and systematised efforts to uncover the truth on behalf of the people. Bellingcat has won many awards for its investigative work and has received support from, amongst others, the European Union, and the US National Endowment for Democracy.
Eliot Higgins is one of the speakers at our New Year's Conference 2023.