Module 1 video 1: Investigating people and social media accounts - Building a Profile

Summary

In this investigative journalism course, Brandi Zadrazni, an NBC News reporter, teaches how to uncover people's stories and secrets through social media sleuthing. She demonstrates techniques for locating, archiving, and verifying social media accounts, using tools like Google, Namecheck, and reverse image search. The course emphasizes the importance of organization, verification, and using various platforms beyond the mainstream to build a comprehensive profile of a subject.

Takeaways

• 🔎 Investigative journalism often involves social media sleuthing to uncover a subject's real life and hidden online identities.
• 🗺️ Locating and archiving social media posts is crucial for breaking big stories quickly, especially those related to violent extremism.
• 🔍 The first step in social media investigation is usually using Google to search for the target's name, city, and state of residence.
• 📚 Utilizing Google's 'Tools' option to input a custom date range can help filter out noise and focus on relevant information.
• 🔑 Finding a username can lead to a broader search across platforms using tools like Namecheck to find availability across multiple sites.
• 👥 Public records services and free websites can provide relatives and associates useful for verifying accounts.
• 📧 Searching for emails in data breaches can validate email addresses and provide new leads for investigation.
• 📷 Reverse image search is a powerful tool for verifying photos and finding associated accounts across different platforms.
• 👪 Cross-referencing photos, biographical details, and family and friend associations are effective methods for account verification.
• 📅 Major life events like birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries celebrated on social media can offer opportunities for searching and investigating.
• 📝 Keeping an organized record of findings, verification processes, and evidence through notes, links, archives, and screenshots is essential for reproducing work.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the course module presented by Brandi Zadrazni?

The course module focuses on investigating people and their social media accounts, teaching how to use social media sleuthing techniques for investigative reporting.

How does social media play a role in investigative reporting according to the transcript?

Social media platforms offer ways to learn about a subject's real life, secret thoughts, and hidden online identities, which can be crucial for breaking news and in-depth investigations.

What is the first step Brandi Zadrazni usually takes when investigating a person's social media presence?

Brandi Zadrazni's first step is to use Google to search for the target's name in quotes along with their city and state of residence if available.

What tool or service does Brandi suggest using to find a person's username across multiple platforms?

Brandi suggests using an online tool like Namecheck, which looks for username availability across various platforms.

How can one verify the authenticity of a social media account that might belong to the person of interest?

Verification can be done by cross-referencing photos, biographical details, and family and friend associations, as well as using reverse image search to verify details in photos.

What is the significance of birthdays in verifying social media accounts during an investigation?

Birthdays are significant because they are often celebrated on social media, providing an opportunity to confirm the identity of a person by looking for birthday wishes or posts on their account.

What are some alternative platforms to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter that might be relevant for investigating younger targets?

Alternative platforms include TikTok, gaming platforms, and other social media sites where younger individuals are more likely to be active.

How can one organize the findings during a social media investigation?

One can use an investigation capture program or maintain a running document and folder system to organize accounts, images, and verification notes.

What is the importance of documenting the verification process and collecting evidence during an investigation?

Documenting the verification process and collecting evidence ensures that the investigator can reproduce their work and provides a record in case information is deleted or altered.

What are some examples of major life events that can be used to search and investigate social media accounts?

Examples include weddings, funerals, holidays, anniversaries, and graduations, as these events are often shared on social media and can lead to additional accounts or information.

What are some tools and websites that Brandi Zadrazni mentions for social media investigation?

Brandi mentions Google, LinkedIn, public records services like LexisNexis, free websites like FastPeopleSearch, and niche search engines for more specific searches.