New OSINT tools help journalists fight misinformation

The OSINT Navigator is geared towards people who aren’t familiar with the language of digital deception and all the tools and techniques. They may feel a bit overwhelmed when trying to find out who owns a website. We’re trying to make it less daunting to type a question in natural language to reveal some options.”

Craig Silverman, co-founder, Indicator

The world is awash in digital deception in the form of articles, images, videos and AI-generated content. Identifying, investigating and revealing disinformation and misinformation is a difficult and time-consuming task for journalists, researchers and others.

Craig Silverman and Alexios Mantzarlis, two leading disinformation experts, are helping to make those tasks easier with their platform, Indicator, which launched in May 2025. They’ve developed a strong palette of tools, techniques and training to support journalists and other professionals in recognizing disinformation when they see it and in exposing it in their investigative reporting and academic research. Indicator is entirely member-funded through a monthly or annual subscription.

Silverman understands the journalistic perspective on digital deception, having been a national reporter at ProPublica and the former media editor at BuzzFeed News. For more than 15 years, he has been at the forefront of investigating and reporting on misinformation practices. He is very focused on Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques. He is also editor of the European Journalism Centre’s Verification Handbook series.

“The central challenge for journalists and others is verifying and proving the authenticity of documents, images and videos, and seeking guidance. Reporters need the ability to conduct thorough digital backgrounding on people, organizations and companies. Journalists look to us to be aware of the latest methods of making connections and digging into people, entities and different digital assets,” Silverman said.

Mantzarlis also has deep experience in the disinformation universe. For five years, he worked at Google Trust & Safety and was the founding director of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). As well as partnering with Silverman to co-found and operate Indicator, he dedicates most of his time as the director of the Security, Trust and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech.

Alexios Mantzarlis, co-founder, Indicator

“Every platform where disinformation may be found is operating at a scale that is mind-boggling, so they are constantly triaging and reviewing a potentially limitless amount of problematic content. They have no legal obligation to remove some of this content, which is bad for business and society. Sometimes, having an annoying journalist from outside showing decision makers their questionable content can prompt them to address these issues,” Mantzarlis said.

To help journalists and others understand current stories and trends about digital deception, Indicator offers several resources, including a free weekly briefing via email and articles, reports and analysis on the Indicator website. The public beta of the OSINT Navigator launched in April. Journalists and researchers enter an investigation query, and the Navigator will recommend tools and resources.

“The OSINT Navigator is geared towards people who aren’t familiar with the language of digital deception and all the tools and techniques. They may feel a bit overwhelmed when trying to find out who owns a website. We’re trying to make it less daunting to type a question in natural language to reveal some options,” Silverman said.

Silverman and Mantzarlis also host their “Show & Tell” podcast, which features guests with experience investigating digital deception. The podcast is available by subscribing to Indicator’s YouTube channel and can be seen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Several paid membership levels provide access to an academic library, a monthly workshop and many other exclusive benefits.

Mantzarlis shared advice with local news organizations. “If you cover a community that is heavily dependent on WhatsApp groups for news and information, even if that’s not your consumption pattern, then join all those groups and channels and engage with them. Make yourself a potential target of deceptive behavior and patterns to detect early signs of misinformation in your spaces and communities.”

Bob Sillick has held many senior positions and served a myriad of clients during his 47 years in marketing and advertising. He has been a freelance/contract content researcher, writer, editor and manager since 2010.  He can be reached at bobsillick@gmail.com.