He followed ALL my security rules. Different usernames, two separate email addresses, cleaned EXIF data, profile locked everywhere. Four hours later, I had his address. And the worst part? It didn't even come from him.
In my last OSINT video, I showed you how to track down someone who isn't suspicious. Many of you commented, "What if the target was careful?" This video is the answer.
Today, we're taking it to the next level: finding someone who followed all the OPSEC rules. Compartmentalized usernames, ProtonMail for leisure, photos without EXIF data, locked LinkedIn profiles. The perfect picture of a "web ghost."
And yet, in just 4 hours, starting with a single username I came across in the comments, I found his full identity, his neighborhood, his street, and even his usual bar. How? Thanks to techniques that OSINT popularizers rarely discuss: Discord snowflake analysis, stylometry, time-stamping, PDF metadata exploitation, and above all—the weak link that no one truly controls: your social circle.
You'll understand why, even with excellent digital hygiene, you remain vulnerable. And most importantly, how to minimize this attack surface.
⚠️ Legal reminder: Marc is a 100% fictional character. All the accounts shown are sockpuppets that I created myself and will be deleted. No one is being targeted in real life. OSINT is legal—using it to cause harm is doxxing, punishable under Article 223-1-1 of the Penal Code (3 years imprisonment, €45,000 fine).
Thanks to my colleagues for proofreading & CptBaroud for the thumbnail
📌 AGENDA (chapters / timestamps)
00:00 - The YouTube comment that started it all
01:30 - The rules I set for myself (ethical framework)
03:00 - Act 1: The YouTube wall + Discord (Sherlock, Holehe, locked profile)
06:00 - Act 2: The Discord pivot (snowflakes, OPSEC residues, fragment "34")
08:30 - The public Discord error: an email retrieved from an archive
10:00 - The cascade: argentic.34 on Flickr, mlefv34 on GitHub
11:30 - Stylometry + temporal analysis: proving it's the same person
13:00 - Wayback Machine: what you post in 2017 betrays you in 2026
14:00 - Why ProtonMail beats Epieos (and Gmail)
3:00 PM - Act 3: Visual GEOINT on Flickr + Yandex Reverse Image
4:30 PM - Forgetting EXIF only once (and ONCE is enough)
5:30 PM - PDF metadata that reveals everything
6:30 PM - The climax: when those around you betray you (Thomas + Google Maps + a bar)
8:00 PM - The doxxing segment: Article 223-1-1, who is targeted, how to act
10:00 PM - Conclusion: slow down, don't disappear
🔗 RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS
If you or someone you know is a victim of cyberbullying or doxxing:
3018 (cyberviolence, free and anonymous): https://www.3018.fr/
Pharos (report illegal content): https://www.internet-signalement.gouv...
e-Childhood (minors): https://e-enfance.org/
Stop Fisha (cybersexual harassment): https://stopfisha.org/
France Victimes: https://www.france-victimes.fr/
🔗 SOCIAL
Discord: Discord: discord
X (Twitter): Twitter: Fransosiche
🛠️ TOOLS MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO
Sherlock (username search): https://github.com/sherlock-project/s...
WhatsMyName: https://whatsmyname.me/
Holehe (email enum): https://github.com/megadose/holehe
Snowflake Discord: https://snowsta.mp/
Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/
Epieos (reverse email) https://epieos.com/
Yandex Images: https://yandex.com/images/
ExifTool: https://exiftool.org/
Maltego: https://www.maltego.com/
ProtonMail: https://proton.me/
📚 SOURCES
Article 223-1-1 of the Penal Code (doxxing) - Légifrance: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/...
INSEE - Cyberviolence in France, 2024: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/...
RSF - 60% of journalists report cyberharassment, 2025: https://rsf.org/fr/8-mars-60-des-jour...
Doxing: definition and sanctions - Public Service: https://www.service-public.fr/particu...
🎬 MY FIRST OSINT VIDEO (the basics): Comment retrouver n'importe qui sur Intern...
🎬 MY ANTI-OSINT VIDEO (the rules to apply): Ne laissez (quasi) plus aucune trace (Le g...
#OSINT #cybersecurity #privacy #anonymity #OPSEC #stylometry #GEOINT #EXIF #metadata #doxxing #cyberviolence #Discord #Wayback #Bordeaux #investigation
He followed ALL my security rules. Different usernames, two separate email addresses, cleaned EXIF data, profile locked everywhere. Four hours later, I had his address. And the worst part? It didn't even come from him.
In my last OSINT video, I showed you how to track down someone who isn't suspicious. Many of you commented, "What if the target was careful?" This video is the answer.
Today, we're taking it to the next level: finding someone who followed all the OPSEC rules. Compartmentalized usernames, ProtonMail for leisure, photos without EXIF data, locked LinkedIn profiles. The perfect picture of a "web ghost."
And yet, in just 4 hours, starting with a single username I came across in the comments, I found his full identity, his neighborhood, his street, and even his usual bar. How? Thanks to techniques that OSINT popularizers rarely discuss: Discord snowflake analysis, stylometry, time-stamping, PDF metadata exploitation, and above all—the weak link that no one truly controls: your social circle.
You'll understand why, even with excellent digital hygiene, you remain vulnerable. And most importantly, how to minimize this attack surface.
⚠️ Legal reminder: Marc is a 100% fictional character. All the accounts shown are sockpuppets that I created myself and will be deleted. No one is being targeted in real life. OSINT is legal—using it to cause harm is doxxing, punishable under Article 223-1-1 of the Penal Code (3 years imprisonment, €45,000 fine).
Thanks to my colleagues for proofreading & CptBaroud for the thumbnail
📌 AGENDA (chapters / timestamps)
00:00 - The YouTube comment that started it all
01:30 - The rules I set for myself (ethical framework)
03:00 - Act 1: The YouTube wall + Discord (Sherlock, Holehe, locked profile)
06:00 - Act 2: The Discord pivot (snowflakes, OPSEC residues, fragment "34")
08:30 - The public Discord error: an email retrieved from an archive
10:00 - The cascade: argentic.34 on Flickr, mlefv34 on GitHub
11:30 - Stylometry + temporal analysis: proving it's the same person
13:00 - Wayback Machine: what you post in 2017 betrays you in 2026
14:00 - Why ProtonMail beats Epieos (and Gmail)
3:00 PM - Act 3: Visual GEOINT on Flickr + Yandex Reverse Image
4:30 PM - Forgetting EXIF only once (and ONCE is enough)
5:30 PM - PDF metadata that reveals everything
6:30 PM - The climax: when those around you betray you (Thomas + Google Maps + a bar)
8:00 PM - The doxxing segment: Article 223-1-1, who is targeted, how to act
10:00 PM - Conclusion: slow down, don't disappear
🔗 RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS
If you or someone you know is a victim of cyberbullying or doxxing:
3018 (cyberviolence, free and anonymous): https://www.3018.fr/
Pharos (report illegal content): https://www.internet-signalement.gouv...
e-Childhood (minors): https://e-enfance.org/
Stop Fisha (cybersexual harassment): https://stopfisha.org/
France Victimes: https://www.france-victimes.fr/
🔗 SOCIAL
Discord: Discord: discord
X (Twitter): Twitter: Fransosiche
🛠️ TOOLS MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO
Sherlock (username search): https://github.com/sherlock-project/s...
WhatsMyName: https://whatsmyname.me/
Holehe (email enum): https://github.com/megadose/holehe
Snowflake Discord: https://snowsta.mp/
Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/
Epieos (reverse email) https://epieos.com/
Yandex Images: https://yandex.com/images/
ExifTool: https://exiftool.org/
Maltego: https://www.maltego.com/
ProtonMail: https://proton.me/
📚 SOURCES
Article 223-1-1 of the Penal Code (doxxing) - Légifrance: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/...
INSEE - Cyberviolence in France, 2024: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/...
RSF - 60% of journalists report cyberharassment, 2025: https://rsf.org/fr/8-mars-60-des-jour...
Doxing: definition and sanctions - Public Service: https://www.service-public.fr/particu...
🎬 MY FIRST OSINT VIDEO (the basics): Comment retrouver n'importe qui sur Intern...
🎬 MY ANTI-OSINT VIDEO (the rules to apply): Ne laissez (quasi) plus aucune trace (Le g...
#OSINT #cybersecurity #privacy #anonymity #OPSEC #stylometry #GEOINT #EXIF #metadata #doxxing #cyberviolence #Discord #Wayback #Bordeaux #investigation
Quelques précisions importantes vu les retours :
1. Marc est 100% fictif. Tous les comptes (YouTube, Discord, ProtonMail, GitHub, Flickr) sont des sockpuppets que j'ai créés moi-même et que je supprimerai peu après la sortie. Personne n'est ciblé dans la vraie vie.
2. Pourquoi cette vidéo existe : montrer publiquement les techniques que les harceleurs/doxxeurs utilisent en silence, pour que vous puissiez identifier vos angles morts et vous protéger. À chaque erreur de Marc, je donne le réflexe défense qui aurait pu l'éviter. C'est de la prévention, pas un tuto offensif.
3. Sur la méthodologie OSINT : l'enquête montrée est de l'inférence probabiliste, pas une preuve absolue. C'est exactement le travail d'un analyste OSINT pro : empiler des hypothèses (stylométrie, analyse temporelle, GEOINT) jusqu'à ce que la combinaison devienne improbable autrement. Le format vidéo compresse forcément des heures de cross-check en 15 min, c'est un compromis assumé pour la vulgarisation.
4. Précision technique : la méthode montrée part de zéro infos et reste 100% légale (sources ouvertes uniquement). Dans la réalité, un attaquant peut accélérer drastiquement le process en exploitant des leaks de données (combolists, bases compromises, dumps). C'est un sujet ENORME que je garde pour une prochaine vidéo.
5. Petite clarification juridique vu les débats : l'OSINT n'est pas TOUJOURS légal en France. La jurisprudence Bluetouff (2014, article 323-1 du Code pénal) sanctionne l'accès à des données qu'on savait ne pas devoir consulter, même sans authentification cassée. À garder en tête.
🆘 Si vous ou un proche êtes victime de cyberharcèlement / doxxing :
→ 3018 (gratuit, anonyme) : 3018.fr
→ Pharos (signalement) : internet-signalement.gouv.fr
→ Liens complets en description