CSINT Open Source Intelligence
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SOCMINT

Social media verification

SOCMINT reviews social media content by source, date, context, and cross-platform checks. This section is for passive, public, and safe verification.

Start hereOpen related sources

First steps

  1. Reduce the claim to text without relying on the person who shared it.
  2. Look for the first source or earliest visible copy.
  3. Check image, date, and account context separately.
  4. Do not treat a screenshot as proof by itself.

Limits

  • Do not interact with a target unnecessarily.
  • Do not try to access private accounts.
  • Do not amplify private details that could lead to targeting.

What this field covers

A quick scope view.

First-source search

Archive capture

Timeline checks

Account-context review

Cross-platform comparison

Related source collections

Good places to start in this field.

Open the full directory

Verification and fact-checking

Bellingcat Online Investigation Toolkit

Use to separate claim, source, evidence, and interpretation.

Open source

Verification and fact-checking

Google Fact Check Explorer

Use to separate claim, source, evidence, and interpretation.

Open source

Verification and fact-checking

International Fact-Checking Network

Use to separate claim, source, evidence, and interpretation.

Open source

Verification and fact-checking

AFP Fact Check

Use to separate claim, source, evidence, and interpretation.

Open source

Image and reverse-image search

Bing Visual Search

Use to find earlier uses of an image and compare visual context across sources.

Open source

Social media research

Bluesky Search

Use for public posts, account context, and timeline checks without overclaiming identity.

Open source