Investigating Misinformation with Public Open Source Intelligence Tools and Methods

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Investigate

This course will teach public library patrons how to begin investigating misinformation with fundamental open source intelligence (OSINT) gathering methods and tools on the open web. This course will be an introduction to OSINT methods using publicly available, free resources to examine and help stop the spread of misinformation, focusing on empowering the broader general public with new information literacy skills. The course will focus on fact-checking and cover advanced search engine techniques, reverse image searching, geolocation, and social media analysis.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, you will be able to:

  1. Define disinformation, misinformation, and what types of information is public.
  2. Evaluate information online, especially in social media, for accuracy on a fundamental level.
  3. Describe advanced search engine techniques, reverse image searching, geolocation, and social media analysis and some of their potential use cases.
  4. Locate and appropriately select OSINT tools and resources online.
  5. Use open, public tools and resources effectively to investigate information sources.
  6. Create a brief report investigating the source of a post or other information that seems suspicious.

Contents:

Content: CC BY-SA Matt M. 2024 (get source code). Creative Commons License

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