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[ S&S / OPS ] SIG-HUB v2.0.1 Versoix · Geneva
Standardsv1.0.3
Tool Index34
Cards8
Methods3
Investigations1
● LIVE Mon 04 May 2026 · 11:04 GMT+2
Investigative Practice / Open-Source Intelligence / Digital Forensics

We verify what is visible.
We document what is not.

Signal & Shadow is an investigative practice publishing house. Field-tested methodology, citable standards, browser-native instruments, and primary investigations. Built for working investigators, newsroom verification desks, and accountability teams. Every entry signed, dated, and held to SIG-STD-002.

Latest investigation → Read the standards
53 Routledge chapters
34 Tools indexed
8 Reference cards
3 Methods tutorials
Intel · 01

The latest from the desks.

Primary investigations and analysis published under SIG-STD-002.

All investigations → Last updated 02 May 2026
CASE / SHA-001 Published 02 May 2026 · Evidentiary tier B1
Maritime Sanctions 12 sources AIS · IMO · Equasis

Dark vessel networks in the eastern Mediterranean.What the AIS gaps actually show.

An eight-week investigation tracing a network of vessels operating with intermittent AIS transmission across three sanctioned trade corridors. Signal & Shadow reconstructs ownership chains across four jurisdictions, documents the gap pattern against satellite imagery, and publishes the full evidentiary record.

14Vessels traced
847AIS gaps logged
4Jurisdictions
B1Evidentiary tier
Derek Bowler 22 min read Open dataset
Read the investigation →
Coverage 6 domains
Maritime
AIS · IMO · port state
04
Sanctions
EU · UK · OFAC
06
Corporate ownership
Beneficial owner · UBO
03
Public records
Courts · procurement
01
Geolocation
Imagery · chronolocation
03
Standards & language
LST · attribution
01
Open Resources All MIT
LST-001 v1.0.3
House editorial standard. Voice, sourcing, attribution.
SIG-STD-002 v2.0
Code of standards. Berkeley Protocol aligned.
Tool Reference v0.1
34 verified tools. Open dataset (JSON).
Reference Cards 8 live
Field-ready tradecraft, indexed by domain.
Cards · 02

Reference card library.

Field-ready tradecraft. Live next to a keyboard, not in a slide deck.

All cards → 8 live · 13 in production
ID Title Domain Date Status
MAR-004 Documenting maritime incidents. Maritime 28 Apr 2026
MAR-003 Tracing the beneficial owner. Maritime 21 Apr 2026
MAR-002 Port entries leave records. Maritime 08 Apr 2026
MAR-001 AIS & MMSI vessel tracking. Maritime 05 Apr 2026
LST-001 Neutral language cheatsheet. Standards 01 Apr 2026 Free
Methods · 03

Long-form tradecraft.

Step-by-step tutorials drawn from working casework. From OSINT for Investigative Journalists, Routledge.

All methods → 3 of 53 chapters published
VOL I · FOUNDATIONS 20 Apr 2026 · 23 min

Lawful OSINT collection.

How to apply Article 6 lawful basis logic to OSINT collection, use the journalism exemption correctly, and know when to stop.

Read tutorial →
VOL I · FOUNDATIONS 06 Apr 2026 · 17 min

Investigate yourself first.

A structured self-audit before someone else does it for you. Map your exposed footprint, build the remediation list, set the six-month re-run cadence.

Read tutorial →
VOL I · FOUNDATIONS 23 Mar 2026 · 14 min

Research browser OPSEC.

Configure Firefox, Multi-Account Containers, and Mullvad VPN to run investigative queries without exposing your IP, DNS, or identity.

Read tutorial →
Workshop · 04

Browser-native instruments.

Right-click your way through verification. Audit-first, privacy-respecting, no telemetry.

All extensions and tools → 3 live · 3 in review · 7 web tools

Browser Extensions 06 in pipeline

3 live · 2 in review · 1 forthcoming

Image Witness

Live
v1.0.0 · Chrome Web Store

Reverse image search, EXIF inspection, hash verification from the right-click menu.

Dork Builder

Live
v1.0.0 · Chrome Web Store

Composes Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo dorks. Operators indexed by domain.

Claim Check

Live
v1.0.0 · Chrome Web Store

Verification of public claims against the IFCN-verified fact-checker network.

Data Scraper

In Review
v2.0.2 · Pending

Pull tables, lists, structured content from any page. CSV-ready output.

Casebook

In Review
v1.1.1 · Pending

Capture, organise, export investigation evidence from any page.

Source

Coming Soon
v1.1 · Submitting

RDAP, Cloudflare DoH, Wayback, and crt.sh CT logs in parallel.

Web Tools 07 live

Open in a tab. Do the work. Cite the output.
Tool Description Output Time Status
OSINT Tool Reference Indexed catalogue of every tool in the Workshop. Index 34 tools Live
Admiralty Grader Grade source reliability against the NATO Admiralty Code. Graded report ~3 min Live
Chronolocation Calculator Time and date from shadow length, sun angle, ground reference. Date · Time ~5 min Live
Geolocation Verifier Cross-reference coordinates, landmarks, satellite imagery. Confirmed coords ~4 min Live
Hash Generator Generate and verify SHA-256, MD5, SHA-1 fingerprints. Hash string ~1 min Live
MIP Analyser Score a Media Integrity Protocol report against 27 criteria. Scored report ~6 min Live
Engage · 05

Four lines of engagement.

Scoped to the question, the sensitivity, and the timeframe. Investigations, audits, and standing advisory for newsrooms and institutions that need a verified answer or a documented capability.

View capabilities deck →
01 / Bespoke investigations

Commissioned investigations.

Open-source investigations on a defined scope. Image and video verification, geolocation, network analysis, entity resolution, timeline reconstruction.

Brief us →
02 / Capability audits

Newsroom capability review.

Structured review of a newsroom or team's verification, OSINT, and digital forensics capability. Maps current practice against a working standard.

Request a scope →
03 / Retained advisory

Standing OSINT counsel.

Monthly or quarterly retainer for ongoing access to senior OSINT and digital forensics counsel. Editorial guidance during sensitive stories.

Discuss terms →
04 / Training

Workshops and curricula.

Workshops, masterclasses, in-newsroom programmes, and custom curricula in open-source intelligence and digital forensics.

View formats →
The Signal · Weekly Briefing · Issue Nº 002

What changed this week in OSINT and digital forensics.

A weekly briefing on tools, technique, and the field's moving edges. Free. Every Sunday at 19:00 Geneva. Read by working investigators, newsroom verification leads, and accountability researchers.

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