Exercises
Original practice scenarios for open-source investigation. Each one has a briefing, tasks, hints and a hidden solution.
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6 exercises
Exercise 001 · about 30 min
The flooded market
A viral photo claims to show market stalls under water this morning. What does the file itself say?
Novice 4/5Expert 2/5metadataexifverificationgeolocationExercise 002 · about 35 min
Same handle, different person
A committee wants to know if a new forum member is a known blogger. A username search says five sites match. How many really do?
Novice 3/5Expert 2/5usernamesidentity resolutionverificationfalse positivesExercise 003 · about 30 min
Which corner?
A post says a photo shows delays on Mill Road. The street scene and a district map tell a different story.
Novice 3/5Expert 1/5geolocationverificationmapsshadowsExercise 004 · about 35 min
One arrest, wrong map
An automated report ties one arrest to a regional fraud network. Check each claim against five sources and find where it put the wrong person on the wrong map.
Novice 3/5Expert 1/5verificationmachine outputclaim checkingidentity resolutionExercise 005 · about 45 min
Same month, different case
A machine report calls a string of municipal arrests one investigation. Test each link, read the machine's own numbers, and decide what the evidence supports.
Novice 4/5Expert 2/5verificationmachine outputlink analysissearch recallExercise 006 · about 35 min
Five reports, one origin
Trace five fictional articles back to their origins. Separate a source's track record from support for a claim, and keep a conflicting date unresolved.
Novice 4/5Expert 2/5verificationsource tracingcorroboration
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