Trainings and Workshops

Alexa and Lindsay at OSINT IICI training
It was a very valuable course with renowned and experienced instructors, completed by an interesting panel of participants. Great!
OSINT course participant

Open Source Investigations Training 

The Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley School of Law offers training courses and workshops on digital open source investigations to professionals across disciplines. Our trainers teach the methodology and techniques found in the Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations and Digital Witness: Using Open Source Information for Human Rights Investigation, Documentation and Accountability, which serve as materials for the course. Our general training focuses on investigations into violations of international criminal, humanitarian, and human rights law. It involves a combination of theory and practice taught through lecture, case studies, and hands on exercises. 

For more information about courses, specialized classes, and modules in legal or general OSINT training, contact Brian Nguyen [bh.nguyen@berkeley.edu]. 

Courses 

IICI/Berkeley HRC Course

In partnership with the Institute of International Criminal Investigations (IICI), Berkeley HRC offers a flagship 28-hour open source investigation course for professionals across a variety of fields including, but not limited to, international human rights and criminal analysts and investigators, law enforcement, lawyers, and investigative journalists. Case studies and exercises focus on the investigation of violations of international criminal, humanitarian and human rights law. Scholarships are available for those with financial need. 

We are offering a five day in-person foundational OSINT course the week of March 13, 2023 in The Hague. Participants will learn the key techniques, skills and tools needed to conduct digital open source investigations which meet the guidelines of the Berkeley Protocol — the first set of international standards for digital investigations. No experience is necessary, but prior experience as an investigator, analyst, journalist, or lawyer is preferred. Please fill out the online application at the IICI website.


Private Berkeley HRC Training 

We also provide ad hoc training courses for organizations on request. If you are interested, please reach out for more information. 


Congressional Oversight Investigations

In partnership with the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), we offer a 3-day open source investigation bootcamp, which teaches open source investigation techniques in the context of congressional investigations. 

Core Training Modules

  • Thinking like an open source investigator

  • Online investigation planning

  • Digital and physical security 

  • Resilience and psychosocial safety

  • Ethical and legal considerations 

  • Advanced search skills

  • Social media search and monitoring 

  • Collection, preservation and documentation 

  • Verification - source analysis 

  • Verification - technical analysis

  • Verification - content analysis

  • Verification - geolocation/chronolocation

  • Investigative analysis

  • Network analysis

  • Geospatial analysis

  • Flight tracking 

  • Vessel tracking 

  • Supply chain tracking

  • Deep web and databases

  • Handling digital evidence for court

  • Reporting on findings

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HRC Trainers 

Alexa Koenig headshot
Lindsay Freeman

Lindsay Freeman, Director of the Technology, Law, and Policy Program

Stephanie Croft headshot

Stephanie Croft, Director, Human Rights Center Investigations Lab 

Brian Nguyen headshot

Brian Nguyen, HRC Research Manager and Digital Investigations Expert

Gisela Perez de Acha Chavez

Gisela Pérez de Acha, HRC Supervising Reporter, Investigative Reporting Program Lecturer

External Trainers

Crofton Black, Research Consultant; Reporter, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Sam Dubberley, Head, Evidence Lab and Digital Verification Corps, Amnesty International

Michael Elsanadi, Investigator, Mnemonic

Charlotte Godart, Investigator and Trainer, Bellingcat

Paul Myers, Information Researcher, BBC; Director of Research Clinic

Haley Willis, Reporter, Visual Investigations, New York Times