1---2name: bellingcat-social-media3description: Investigate accounts, posts, and activity across social media platforms. Search Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok, Twitter/X, YouTube, Discord, Reddit, and more. Track usernames, hashtags, locations, and networks. Use when the user mentions a social media platform, username, hashtag, or social media post, even if they don't mention "OSINT."4---56# Bellingcat Social Media Investigation Tools78Tools for investigating accounts, content, and activity across social media platforms. Covers platform-specific tools and cross-platform username/email search.910## Choosing Tools1112- Choose a platform-specific tool when the platform is known; use multi-platform tools to connect usernames or public activity across services.13- Record URLs, timestamps, and account identifiers, and cross-check platform results because search coverage changes frequently.1415## Tools1617### Multiple Platforms1819| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |20|------|----------|------|-------------|-------|21| [4CAT](https://4cat.nl/) | A tool designed for the easy collection and analysis of online datasets. | Free | 4CAT is a tool designed for the easy collection and analysis of online datasets. It allows researchers to uncover pat... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/4cat) |22| [Blackbird](https://github.com/p1ngul1n0/blackbird) | Check usernames and email addresses on websites and social networks | Free | Check usernames and email addresses on websites and social networks | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/blackbird) |23| [Have I Been Pwned](https://haveibeenpwned.com/) | Does an email address appear in data breaches? | Free | Does an email address appear in data breaches? | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/have-i-been-pwned) |24| [holehe](https://github.com/megadose/holehe) | You to check if the mail is used on different sites like twitter, instagram and will… | Free | holehe allows you to check if the mail is used on different sites like twitter, instagram and will retrieve informati... | |25| [Intelx.io](http://intelx.io/) | Find user details in data breaches | Partially Free | Find user details in data breaches | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/intelx.io) |26| [Namechk](https://namechk.com/) | A username and domain search tool that checks on which platforms or domain a given… | Free | A username and domain search tool that checks on which platforms or domain a given username is registered. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/namechk) |27| [Open Measures](https://public.openmeasures.io) | Helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and… | Partially Free | Open Measures helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and disinformation. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/open-measures) |28| Sherlock | Free | Allows a user to search for the presence of specific usernames across more than 400 websites and social networks. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/sherlock) |29| [Skopenow](https://www.skopenow.com/) | Social Media Investigations - name, phone, email, username searches. | Paid | Social Media Investigations - name, phone, email, username searches. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/skopenow) |30| [Social Searcher](https://www.social-searcher.com/) | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |31| [WhatsMyName](https://whatsmyname.app/) | Search for usernames on several hundred platforms | Free | Search for usernames on several hundred platforms | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/whats-my-name) |32| Zeeschuimer | Free | Zeeschuimer is a browser extension for collecting social media posts that are visible in your web browser, enabling s... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/zeeschuimer) |3334### Telegram3536| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |37|------|----------|------|-------------|-------|38| [Intelligence X Telegram Search](https://intelx.io/tools?tab=telegram) | Google-based search engine for Telegram (includes Telegago) | Free | Google-based search engine for Telegram (includes Telegago) | |39| [Open Measures](https://public.openmeasures.io) | Helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and… | Partially Free | Open Measures helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and disinformation. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/open-measures) |40| [Telegago](https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=006368593537057042503:efxu7xprihg) | A Google Custom Search Engine tailored for searching public Telegram content for OSINT… | Free | Telegago is a Google Custom Search Engine tailored for searching public Telegram content for OSINT purposes. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/telegago) |41| [Telegram Group Joiner](https://bellingcat.github.io/telegram-group-joiner/) | Automate joining multiple Telegram groups and channels, ideal for researchers monitoring… | Free | Automate joining multiple Telegram groups and channels, ideal for researchers monitoring specific topics. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/telegram-group-joiner) |42| [Telegram Phone Number Checker](https://colab.research.google.com/github/bellingcat/open-source-research-notebooks/blob/main/notebooks/bellingcat/telegram-phone-number-checker.ipynb) | Command line tool for checking if phone numbers are connected to Telegram accounts and… | Free | Command line tool for checking if phone numbers are connected to Telegram accounts and retrieving related information... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/telegram-phone-number-checker) |43| [TelegramDB](https://www.telegramdb.org/) | A searchable database service that allows users to explore public Telegram groups and… | Partially Free | TelegramDB is a searchable database service that allows users to explore public Telegram groups and channels via a de... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/telegramdb) |44| [Telemetrio](https://telemetr.io/) | Telemetr.io offers a range of Telegram-related services based on a catalog of Telegram… | Partially Free | Telemetr.io offers a range of Telegram-related services based on a catalog of Telegram channels: country and category... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/telemetrio) |45| [Telemetry](https://www.telemetryapp.io/) | An analytical search tool for Telegram groups and channels. | Partially Free | An analytical search tool for Telegram groups and channels. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/telemetry) |46| [Telepathy](https://github.com/prose-intelligence-ltd/Telepathy-Community) | A versatile Telegram toolkit for OSINT analysts, enabling chat archiving, memberlist… | Free | Telepathy is a versatile Telegram toolkit for OSINT analysts, enabling chat archiving, memberlist gathering, user loc... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/telepathy) |47| [TGStat](https://tgstat.com/) | A web-based analytics tool for Telegram that monitors active channels and provides profile… | Partially Free | TGStat is a web-based analytics tool for Telegram that monitors active channels and provides profile analytics and st... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/tgstat) |48| [tlgrm.eu channels](http://tlgrm.eu/channels) | Search Telegram channels. | Free | Search Telegram channels. | |4950### Twitter/X5152| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |53|------|----------|------|-------------|-------|54| [Hoaxy](https://hoaxy.osome.iu.edu/) | A web-based search and visualization tool. | Partially Free | Hoaxy is a web-based search and visualization tool. It helps visualize the spread of information on Bluesky and X (Tw... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/hoaxy) |55| [Social Searcher](https://www.social-searcher.com/) | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |56| [Twitter Advanced Search](https://x.com/search-advanced) | Twitter/X Advanced Search is X's own tool to help users find more precise information on… | Free | Twitter/X Advanced Search is X's own tool to help users find more precise information on the platform by filtering po... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/twitter-advanced-search) |57| [Twitter Location Search](https://twitter.com/explore) | Search for geocoded tweets by their distance from some coordinates. | Free | Search for geocoded tweets by their distance from some coordinates. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/twitter-location-search) |58| [Twitter Video Downloader](https://twittervideodownloader.com/) | Download videos from X (formerly Twitter) by converting tweet URLs into downloadable video… | Free | Download videos from X (formerly Twitter) by converting tweet URLs into downloadable video links. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/twitter-video-downloader) |5960### Facebook6162| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |63|------|----------|------|-------------|-------|64| [Facebook Video Downloader](http://fdown.net/) | Handy website to download public Facebook videos. | Free | Handy website to download public Facebook videos. Copy paste the URL of the video and download it in the available de... | |65| [HaveIBeenZuckered](https://haveibeenzuckered.com/) | Check if a telephone number is present within the Facebook data breach. | Free | Check if a telephone number is present within the Facebook data breach. | |66| [Meta Content Library](https://transparency.meta.com/researchtools/meta-content-library) | A controlled-access tool that lets approved academic and non-profit researchers search the… | Free | Meta Content Library is a controlled-access tool that lets approved academic and non-profit researchers search the fu... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/meta-content-library) |67| [Social Searcher](https://www.social-searcher.com/) | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |68| [Who posted what?](https://whopostedwhat.com/) | A tool that allows a keyword search on Facebook on a specific date or within a specific… | Free | A tool that allows a keyword search on Facebook on a specific date or within a specific time frame. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/who-posted-what) |6970### Instagram7172| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |73|------|----------|------|-------------|-------|74| [Instagram Location Search](https://github.com/bellingcat/instagram-location-search/tree/main) | A command line tool that allows users to find location tags near a specified latitude and… | Free | A command line tool that allows users to find location tags near a specified latitude and longitude. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/instagram-location-search) |75| [InstaLoader](https://instaloader.github.io) | Download pictures or videos (with metadata) from Instagram. | Free | Download pictures or videos (with metadata) from Instagram. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/instaloader) |76| [Social Searcher](https://www.social-searcher.com/) | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |77| [Story Saver](https://storysaver.net) | Download public Instagram Stories, Highlights and Videos. | Free | Download public Instagram Stories, Highlights and Videos. | |7879### TikTok8081| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |82|------|----------|------|-------------|-------|83| [Bellingcat TikTok Date Extract](https://bellingcat.github.io/tiktok-timestamp) | Get the exact upload date + time for tiktok video urls | Free | Get the exact upload date + time for tiktok video urls | |84| [Bellingcat TikTok Hashtag Analysis](https://github.com/bellingcat/tiktok-hashtag-analysis) | Archive content and metadata from TikTok posts that contain one or more specified hashtags | Free | Archive content and metadata from TikTok posts that contain one or more specified hashtags | |85| [Open Measures](https://public.openmeasures.io) | Helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and… | Partially Free | Open Measures helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and disinformation. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/open-measures) |86| [Social Searcher](https://www.social-searcher.com/) | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |87| [TikTok-Api](https://pypi.org/project/TikTokApi) | Python - This is an unofficial api wrapper for TikTok.com in python. | Free | Python - This is an unofficial api wrapper for TikTok.com in python. With this api you are able to call most trending... | |8889### YouTube9091| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |92|------|----------|------|-------------|-------|93| [Ghunt](https://github.com/mxrch/GHunt) | A command line tool for obtaining information about Google accounts. | Free | A command line tool for obtaining information about Google accounts. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/ghunt) |94| [MW Geofind](https://mattw.io/youtube-geofind/location) | A tool designed to help users identify the filming location of YouTube videos,… | Free | MW Geofind is a tool designed to help users identify the filming location of YouTube videos, facilitating the explora... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/mw-geofind) |95| [RadiTube](https://tool.raditube.com/) | A search engine that searches the subtitles of about 380 (right/left) radical YouTube… | 000 videos | A search engine that searches the subtitles of about 380 (right/left) radical YouTube channels. You query for example... | |96| [Social Searcher](https://www.social-searcher.com/) | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | Partially Free | Search hashtags and usernames across various platforms. | |97| [YouTube Metadata](https://mattw.io/youtube-metadata/) | An alternative to Amnesty's YT viewer, with slightly more information. | Free | An alternative to Amnesty's YT viewer, with slightly more information. | |9899### Other Platforms100101| Tool | Best for | Cost | Description | Guide |102|------|----------|------|-------------|-------|103| [4plebs](https://4plebs.org/) | Searchable archive of specific 4chan boards. | Free | Searchable archive of specific 4chan boards. Makes it possible to read threads after they are purged from 4chan. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/4plebs) |104| [Blackbird](https://github.com/p1ngul1n0/blackbird) | Check usernames and email addresses on websites and social networks | Free | Check usernames and email addresses on websites and social networks | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/blackbird) |105| [BskyFollowFinder](https://bsky-follow-finder.theo.io/) | A tool that identifies which Bluesky accounts are followed by a profile’s contacts but not… | Free | A tool that identifies which Bluesky accounts are followed by a profile’s contacts but not by that profile. Can be us... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/bluesky-network-analyzer) |106| [Disboard](https://disboard.org/servers) | Search for public discord servers | Free | Search for public discord servers | |107| [Discord Chat Exporter](https://github.com/Tyrrrz/DiscordChatExporter) | A tool for exporting and backing up Discord chat logs in multiple formats. | Free | A tool for exporting and backing up Discord chat logs in multiple formats. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/discord-chat-exporter) |108| [DiscordLeaks](https://discordleaks.unicornriot.ninja/) | Search hundreds of thousands of messages leaked from 290+ white-supremacist / nazi discord… | Free | Search hundreds of thousands of messages leaked from 290+ white-supremacist / nazi discord servers. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/discordleaks) |109| [F5Bot](https://f5bot.com/) | Sends you an email when a keyword is mentioned on Reddit. | Free | Sends you an email when a keyword is mentioned on Reddit. | |110| [FindClone](https://findclone.ru/) | Searches images from VK profiles (within certain limits) | Free | Searches images from VK profiles (within certain limits) | |111| [Google Account Finder (EPIEOS)](https://tools.epieos.com/google-account.php) | Find the profile picture and public Google Map Reviews + Photos associated with a G-mail… | Free | Find the profile picture and public Google Map Reviews + Photos associated with a G-mail adress. Also checks for phon... | |112| [Gravatar Email Checker](https://en.gravatar.com/site/check/) | Check if an email address has been used to comment on blogs and whether there is a profile… | Free | Check if an email address has been used to comment on blogs and whether there is a profile image attached. | |113| [LinkdTime](https://github.com/Lucksi/LinkdTime) | Build a clean timeline of any LinkedIn activity from a single URL or a whole list of links. | Free | Build a clean timeline of any LinkedIn activity from a single URL or a whole list of links. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/linkdtime) |114| [NameMC](https://namemc.com/) | Find usernames, track username changes on minecraft | Free | Find usernames, track username changes on minecraft | |115| [Open Measures](https://public.openmeasures.io) | Helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and… | Partially Free | Open Measures helps open source researchers investigate harmful online activity such as extremism and disinformation. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/open-measures) |116| [Photo-Map.RU](http://photo-map.ru/) | Geotagged VK posts. | Free | Geotagged VK posts. | |117| [PSNprofiles](https://psnprofiles.com/) | Search PlayStation username, see daily activity, games played, country, and profile pic | Free | Search PlayStation username, see daily activity, games played, country, and profile pic | |118| [RedditMetis](https://redditmetis.com) | An online tool that analyses any public Reddit profile and returns charts and statistics… | Free | RedditMetis is an online tool that analyses any public Reddit profile and returns charts and statistics on the user’s... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/redditmetis) |119| Sherlock | Free | Allows a user to search for the presence of specific usernames across more than 400 websites and social networks. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/sherlock) |120| [Snap Map](https://map.snapchat.com) | Searchable map of geotagged snaps. | Free | Searchable map of geotagged snaps. | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/snap-map) |121| [SteamId.uk](http://steamid.uk/) | Lookup player names, view (more) previously used names, and when accounts befriended… | Partially Free | Lookup player names, view (more) previously used names, and when accounts befriended eachother (Free). View screensho... | |122| [Strava](https://www.strava.com) | A fitness tracking platform where publicly shared GPS activity data can reveal movement… | Partially Free | A fitness tracking platform where publicly shared GPS activity data can reveal movement patterns, routines, and preci... | [Details](https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit/more/all-tools/strava) |123| [Vk.watch](http://vk.watch/) | See public comments left by an account, profile photos used, and very basic facial… | Free | See public comments left by an account, profile photos used, and very basic facial recognition | |124| [XboxGamertag](https://xboxgamertag.com/) | Search gamertags, see games played and recorded game clips | Free | Search gamertags, see games played and recorded game clips | |125126## Investigation Tips127128- Start with cross-platform username search (Sherlock, WhatsMyName, Blackbird) to find accounts across platforms129- For Telegram: use Telegago/Intelligence X for content search, TGStat/Telemetrio for channel analytics130- For Twitter/X: use Advanced Search and Location Search to filter by date, location, and user131- For TikTok: use Bellingcat's TikTok Date Extract and Hashtag Analysis tools for metadata132- For Discord: search public servers via Disboard and use Discord Chat Exporter for archiving133- 4CAT can collect and analyze datasets from multiple social media platforms at scale
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