Many complex investigations gather leads and data through a blend of custom and open source tools. One example from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) this year was how their team partnered with experts to create a machine learning-based detection tool, and used this with its open source Datashare platform to automatically identify passport information from millions of leaked records.
But GIJN’s annual Top Tools lists seek to highlight innovative, individual tools that don’t require advanced computer science skills and address topical needs.
Last year, the list featured a master toolkit from Bellingcat that updates reporters on the status of open source tools; a remarkable new portal that reveals munition types from fragments found near bomb craters; and a tool that can spare reporters from having to trawl through bigoted far-right content by automatically pulling data from fringe social media platforms. via
| Tool / Resource | Main purpose | Typical use cases | Key notes/limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDI Follow The Money Toolkit | Follow finance behind harmful projects in the Global South.gijn | – Trace investors and financiers behind extractive/infra projects. gijn – Check links between land grabs, mining, and global supply chains.gijn | Free toolkit from Inclusive Development International; aggregates many databases (Land Matrix, Chinese Loans to Africa, GIJN Resource Center, etc.).gijn |
| Land Matrix | Track large-scale land deals worldwide.gijn | – Investigate land grabs and agribusiness concessions.gijn | Accessed via IDI toolkit; focuses on global land acquisitions.gijn |
| Chinese Loans to Africa Database | Map Chinese development and commercial lending in Africa.gijn | – Link controversial projects to specific loans and institutions.gijn | Helps contextualize financing of extractive/infra projects.gijn |
| Just Transition Litigation Tracking Tool | Database of lawsuits linked to “just transition” and green extraction projects.gijn | – Identify legal challenges to mining/renewables projects.gijn | Focus on renewable energy–related extraction cases.gijn |
| Dodgy Deals Database | Track financing of projects harmful to society or environment.gijn | – Check whether a project is flagged for social or environmental harm.gijn | Civil society–driven; focused on problematic deals.gijn |
| Development Bank Investment Tracker | Database of investments by major development finance institutions.gijn | – See which development banks fund particular projects or firms.gijn | Nearly 300,000 investments from 17 DFIs.gijn |
| Summarize.tech | AI tool to summarize long online videos (e.g., YouTube).gijn | – Quickly scan hearings, public meetings, podcasts, livestreams for leads.gijn | Free tier with 5 uploads/month; strongest in English; provides timecoded summaries and access to transcripts.gijn |
| Image Whisperer | Open source tool to help detect AI-generated images.gijn | – Flag suspect visuals, then manually verify using its hints.gijn | Uses Google Vision + LLM analysis; built to avoid overconfident guesses and say when it’s unsure.gijn |
| GIJN Reporter’s Guide to Detecting AI-Generated Content | Practical guide with methods for spotting AI fakes.gijn | – Train newsroom staff on deepfake detection workflows.gijn | Covers seven detection categories (visual artifacts, context failures, behavior issues, etc.).gijn |
| Violation Tracker (US) | Large database of corporate penalties and settlements in the US.gijn | – Quantify a company’s history of fines and regulatory actions.gijn | 684,000+ penalties from 450 agencies since 2000.gijn |
| Violation Tracker UK | Database of corporate penalties in the UK.gijn | – Investigate misconduct patterns of UK-based or operating firms.gijn | 117,000 cases from 80 agencies since 2010.gijn |
| Violation Tracker Global | Multi-country portal on corporate misconduct.gijn | – Check fines and abuses for multinationals across 60 countries/territories.gijn | Less comprehensive than US/UK trackers, but unique cross-country coverage; data manually compiled.gijn |
| Business and Human Rights Resource Centre | Corporate human rights allegations and responses database.gijn | – Cross-check company abuses, statements, and responses.gijn | Complementary to Violation Tracker; covers many jurisdictions.gijn |
| Corporate Prosecution Registry | Records of corporate criminal prosecutions.gijn | – Investigate criminal cases involving companies.gijn | Useful for legal background on corporate offenders.gijn |
| Migration Monitor | Visual database on abuses against African migrants.gijn | – Map major incidents of labor exploitation and human rights violations since 2016.gijn | Built by Diaspora Africa; interactive maps; coverage still incomplete but expanding.gijn |
| RuPEP Database | Politically exposed persons (PEPs) database for Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan.gijn | – Map relationships and profiles of oligarchs and their networks.gijn | 14,000 profiles; includes relatives and business partners; available in English and Russian.gijn |
| SPARK-Interfax | Commercial database for Russian corporate records.gijn | – Check beneficial ownership, financials, court cases, and linkages.gijn | Paid; considered a “gold standard” for Russian company data.gijn |
| Opentender | Public procurement database for EU and nearby states.gijn | – Analyze public tenders in 28 EU states plus Serbia, Georgia, North Macedonia.gijn | Free; useful for contract patterns and red flags.gijn |
| EyesOfGod (Telegram bot) | OSINT bot for person/phone/ID lookups.gijn | – Quick background checks, contact lookups (within legal and ethical bounds).gijn | Accessed via Telegram; part of a set of OSINT bots.gijn |
| QuickOsintBot | General OSINT helper bot on Telegram.gijn | – Rapid queries on digital traces and basic profiling.gijn | Capabilities depend on current configuration/APIs.gijn |
| GetContact | Caller ID / contact discovery app.gijn | – See how numbers are labeled in others’ address books; trace phone identities.gijn | Significant privacy and legal concerns in some jurisdictions.gijn |
| TrueCaller | Global caller ID and spam detection app.gijn | – Identify unknown callers and link numbers to entities.gijn | Large phone database; similar privacy caveats as GetContact.gijn |
| SmartSearch (Telegram bot) | Telegram OSINT bot for people/contacts search.gijn | – Supplement phone and identity tracing in oligarch networks.gijn | One of several bots recommended for oligarch investigations.gijn |
| LittleSis Public Accountability Database | Network mapping of powerful people and institutions.gijn | – Visualize ties between elites, companies, and lobby groups.gijn | Free public accountability project; good for relationship maps.gijn |
| Forbes Russian Rich List | Annual ranking of Russia’s wealthiest individuals.gijn | – Identify new or rising oligarchs to investigate.gijn | Russian-language edition especially useful for emerging figures.gijn |
| RuAssets | Sanctions- and ownership-focused database by YouControl.gijn | – Track assets and links across Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Europe.gijn | Aggregates multiple databases; cross-checks against sanctions lists.gijn |
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