Newsletter
Digital Digging
Henk van Ess
Frequent, hands-on posts on AI-assisted research, verification, and geolocation from a long-time Bellingcat and GIJN trainer, with tools he builds himself. The best letter for the AI-and-OSINT seam.
Henk van Ess has trained journalists for decades and contributed to the Verification Handbook. Digital Digging is where he publishes case walkthroughs, finding experts and hidden documents, and the tools he builds for image and location analysis. Ten posts between July and October 2026 make it one of the most active OSINT publications going.
Worth it if
- You want to use AI in research without trusting it blindly
- You are a journalist or researcher who needs documents and experts, not just social profiles
- You like case walkthroughs with the dead ends left in
Skip it if
- You want cyber or breach coverage; this is research and verification
- You dislike opinionated writing
What is inside
- 01
Case walkthroughs
Investigations such as mapping a recruiting operation with AI and open sources.
- 02
Research methods
Finding experts and hidden documents in international research.
- 03
Tools
Author-built tools for image analysis and geolocation, introduced and updated in posts.
What you will be able to do
- Use an AI assistant as a research aide with checks built in
- Find primary documents and expert sources faster
- Try new geolocation aids as they appear
How current it is
Active, with posts dated through 5 October 2026 and a subscriber base above ten thousand.
- Updated
- Latest post 5 October 2026
- Maintained
- Actively maintained
How to get the most from it
- 01
Replicate one walkthrough
Pick a case post and redo the steps on a similar public question.
- 02
Test the tools on known answers
Run them on an exercise with a published solution before using them on real work.
Strengths
- Very active
- A trainer's clarity
- Tools you can try immediately
Limitations
- Irregular cadence
- AI focus will not suit everyone
- Paid tier for the tools
Pair it with
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is it free?
Most posts are. A paid tier adds access to the author's tools; prices are on the site.
Who is Henk van Ess?
A long-time trainer for Bellingcat and the Global Investigative Journalism Network and a contributor to the Verification Handbook.
Learned the method? Practise it on real data
The resources above teach the craft. When you want to run real lookups across breach, people, domain, and crypto sources without opening a dozen vendor accounts, that is what SearchIn is for.
- Free account, no card
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- Refund unused balance in 7 days