In Good Company with Nicolai Tangen

Eliot Higgins: How Bellingcat Hunts Down the Truth

39 min

Elliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, explains how open-source investigations use publicly available data like social media, satellite imagery, and flight data to uncover war crimes and expose state-sponsored disinformation. He emphasizes the importance of evidence-based analysis over prejudgment, the shift from elite-controlled to peer-to-peer information systems, and the need to rebuild trust in democratic institutions through verification, deliberation, and accountability.

Summarized by Podsumo

🎧 Listen 🎙️ Ask about this episode

✨ Key Takeaways

1

Bellingcat exposed the *MH17 missile launcher* origin and *Navalny's poisoning* network by buying corrupt Russian data, including phone records and passport registrations.
2

The *shift from top-down to peer-to-peer information systems* rewards engagement over truth, fueling populism and conspiracy theories. Higgins calls this a 'permission structure to deny reality' using AI.
3

Open-source investigation relies on *obsessive nerds* and niche communities (like plane spotters) who verify details others overlook. Bellingcat now has 35 staff, 200 volunteers, and a Discord community of 43,000 people.
4

Disinformation works because people *want to believe* it; Russia's recent fake videos (including a 3D avatar of Higgins) got zero engagement on Armenian politics, proving context matters as much as the lie.
5

Critical thinking education is key—Higgins works with Cambridge University Press to train students and teachers, because 'democracy won't fix itself' without proactive effort.

💬 Notable Quotes

"“We were the first to show these two guys on Russia Today were not tourists visiting Salisbury Cathedral—they were Russian spies, and we could prove it with data within hours.” — Eliot Higgins"
"“The problem with disinformation is it’s treated as a supply-side issue. If you get rid of the supply, society will fix itself? That’s nonsense. The demand comes from distrust in institutions.” — Eliot Higgins"
"“AI gives people a permission structure to deny reality. They see a video they don’t like and just say, ‘That’s AI,’ and stop engaging.” — Eliot Higgins"