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CheckFirst
@checkfirst.network
1.6K followers 230 following 270 posts
We pioneered algorithm analysis and deploy expert skills to probe the digital space and its actors.

https://checkfirst.network
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checkfirst.network
Check the #SofiaIIF2025 programme to add this session to your calendar: sofia-info-integrity.eu/siif-2025/
November 4, 2025 at 9:55 AM
checkfirst.network
➡️ "Les Dessous de l'infox" by @rfi.bsky.social. Speaking to Sophie Malibeaux, Guillaume presented our framework @RADAR.checkfirst.network and explained how it can help to implement the #DSA.
🔈 www.rfi.fr/fr/podcasts...
October 28, 2025 at 3:41 PM
checkfirst.network
➡️ "Propagations" by @opsci.bsky.social. In this episode, @guillaumeled.it asked Hervé about his experience as a pioneer of the French #OSINT community.
🔈 podmu.st/5ytsq
À la rencontre de l'écosystème anti-désinfo
Un épisode du podcast Propagations. Écouter, partager, s'abonner gratuitement depuis Podmust.
podmust.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:40 PM
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🎙️ Want to listen to something interesting while doing the dishes or using public transport? During our #Disinfo2025 trip to Ljubljana, Hervé and Guillaume were interviewed by two French-speaking podcasts:
October 28, 2025 at 3:40 PM
checkfirst.network
📺 Tonight at 6:30 PM (GMT+1), Hervé will be speaking on TV5MONDE's news program "Le 64'". Alongside the journalist and Albert-Londres Prize winner Elena Volochine and the researcher @davidcolon.bsky.social, he will be discussing Russian disinformation and ways to tackle it.
October 28, 2025 at 3:40 PM
checkfirst.network
🔗 Read our new blogpost to find out more about what we learnt in Ljubljana: checkfirst.network/disinfo2025...
#Disinfo2025: our key takeaways from the EU DisinfoLab's annual conference - CheckFirst
While threats against the community fighting against disinformation are on the rise, solidarity prevails. Civil society organisations, policymakers, platforms representatives and regulators gathered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on October 15 and 16 for two days of discussions centered around many aspects of disinformation.
checkfirst.network
October 27, 2025 at 10:35 AM
checkfirst.network
At the sessions we attended, civil society organisations, policymakers, platform representatives, and regulators demonstrated the power of solidarity during these challenging times.

As always, we thank EU DisinfoLab for the opportunity, and we are excited to attend next year’s conference!
October 27, 2025 at 10:35 AM
checkfirst.network
The conference was the perfect occasion to showcase our framework @RADAR.checkfirst.network to the community. Our tagging system is part of the many initiatives designed to respond collectively to disinformation campaigns.
October 27, 2025 at 10:35 AM
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Don't miss our news and updates by subscribing to our monthly newsletter "Indeed!" 🔗 checkfirst.network/newsletter/
Indeed! The official Check First newsletter - CheckFirst
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October 8, 2025 at 7:47 AM
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❗Please note that all future updates on RADAR will be made on RADAR’s official website (radar.checkfirst.network), Bluesky account (@radar.checkfirst.network) and LinkedIn page (www.linkedin.com/showcase/ra...).
RADAR | LinkedIn
RADAR | 2 followers on LinkedIn. RADAR: Structured DSA framework categorizing violations with observable indicators for systematic risk assessment | RADAR is a structured framework created by CheckFirst that breaks down Digital Services Act into categories, infringements, and observable indicators. It helps stakeholders systematically identify, assess, and address potential DSA infringements.
www.linkedin.com
September 5, 2025 at 8:23 AM
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⚒️ This summer, we also worked on easy-to-use tools to help you implement our tagging system in your reports: a Google Docs addon, a Wordpress plugin and a #ChatGPT assistant. All of these tools are powered by RADAR’s new API.
🔗 radar.checkfirst.network/tools
RADAR Tools & Integrations - API, WordPress, Google Docs & AI
Access RADAR framework through REST API, WordPress plugin, Google Docs add-on, and AI assistant. Official and community tools for Digital Services Act compliance assessment.
radar.checkfirst.network
September 5, 2025 at 8:23 AM
checkfirst.network
If you have any questions about this report, please write to us at info[a]checkfirst[dot]network. Thanks for reading!
While much remains to be explored regarding 16th Center's precise operations, this study paves the way for further research on Russia's security agencies operating in Russia and abroad, including those engaged in intelligence-gathering in Ukraine and European countries. Want to know more about this story? Contact us: info@checkfirst.network
July 18, 2025 at 7:36 AM
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Each interception centre also has a unique way of depicting itself through its insignia, as can be seen in these two examples from our report.
Unit 03110 (1975): The oldest insignia linked to this unit features symbols such as tropical palms and a flag that confirm that it was previously stationed in Lourdes (Cuba), before being relocated close to Sotchi (Russia) in the late 2000s. Among the ten bases we have identified, this one is the only one that equipped its antennas with radomes designed to protect the equipment from weather and hide its orientation and specifications from unwanted eyes. These domes, which may contain a radar or a dish antenna, are even depicted on one of the unit's insignia, which also portrays the facility facing the sea, with mountains in the background. Unit 61608 (1918): The unit's insignia frequently feature symbolic representations of Moscow, including the Kremlin. The unit hosts more than a dozen parabolic antennas near the T-shaped control building, as well as pole antennas arranged in an antenna array slightly further north. It is situated south of Tsaritsyno Park, concealed within a dense forest in the heart of Moscow.
July 18, 2025 at 7:36 AM
checkfirst.network
Thanks to phaleristics, we were able to gain insight into the unit's current
symbolism.
How the 16th Center depicts itself: The standard format of the shield and sword, symbols inherited from the KGB ; The Russian coat of arms (a double-headed eagle clutching a scepter and an orb surmounted by a cross, representing imperial authority and the Orthodox Church, respectively) ; A red background, a colour traditionally associated with the FSB. The Center portrays itself in two distinct ways: A terrestrial globe featuring the Russian Cyrillic letter "i". This letter is commonly associated with the Russian word "information" in Soviet and Russian security services, and could be a reference to the information the unit is capable of acquiring ; An antenna positioned next to a key being shattered by a lightning bolt. The antenna is a fairly common symbol of radio transmissions, but is also used to represent signals intelligence (SIGINT). The lightning bolt symbolizes the interception, disruption, and manipulation of enemy communications and radar systems. The key shattered by the lightning bolt is highly likely an explicit reference to cryptanalysis, the branch of cryptography dedicated to breaking codes and cryptographic systems.
July 18, 2025 at 7:36 AM
checkfirst.network
To unveil the infrastructure of the 16th Center, we employed a combination of unusual and traditional OSINT techniques. Our primary sources were hundreds of photographs of Russian insignia available on specialised websites.
For over a year, we have collected and analyzed hundreds of photographs of military insignia linked to the 16th Center of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB). We combined phaleristics (i.e. the study of medals, orders, decorations, and related honors issued by states, organizations, and military bodies) and traditional OSINT techniques to get insights into the history of the 16th Center, piece together part of its internal structure, and geolocate several of its interception centers within Russia. During our research, we identified: 40 distinct insignia corresponding to different departments ("upravleniya") within the 16th Center. 10 departments within the 16th Center with at least 560 employees. 10 SIGINT stations composing a ground-based network highly likely operated by the 16th Center. These "Special Communications Centers" (TsSS) are designated either by a five-digit identifier or a number.
July 18, 2025 at 7:36 AM