Check First OY
Check First OY is a Finnish software and OSINT services company that builds tools and conducts investigations to combat online disinformation, serving EU institutions, governments, fact-checking organizations, media, and NGOs through grants and project contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Check First OY does
Check First OY is a Finnish private company, founded in 2020 and headquartered in Helsinki (operating remote-first across Europe), that develops software, methodologies, and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) services to analyze algorithms and support actors fighting online disinformation. The company's core technology combines HUMINT, SIGINT, and GEOINT techniques with platform-integrated monitoring, and its product portfolio centers on monitoring and analyzing online information manipulation: CrossOver tracks content recommendation algorithms across TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky, Amazon, Google, and Bing in approximately 15 countries; Tutki provides OSINT training through simulated social media environments; RADAR offers a standardized framework for identifying Digital Services Act violations; the Pravda Dashboard provides near-real-time hourly monitoring of Russia's Portal Kombat network; 22vlalapub tracks political advertising across Meta, Google, and Snapchat; ODIL catalogs over 100 French-speaking counter-disinformation initiatives; and the FACT Network explores blockchain-based decentralized verification. Supporting tools include CANOPY (collaborative investigation platform), OKSA (research database), and a CheckFirst Import Connector that distributes Pravda network data through the OpenCTI threat-intelligence platform.
CheckFirst operates primarily on a project-based revenue model combining EU institutional grants (European Commission, EMIF, Mozilla Technology Fund), government contracts (Viginum, FBA, Auswärtiges Amt), and professional services including OSINT investigations, training, custom software development, and methodology advisory work. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with funding sourced through EU project consortia (CrossOver, SIMODS, ODIL, COM-PRESS) and direct institutional contracts. The customer base spans EU institutions, national governments, fact-checking organizations (EU DisinfoLab, ISD, Reset.Tech, Faktabaari), media organizations (France TV), academic and research institutions (Södertörn University, IDLab-MEDIA/imec-UGent), and international organizations (OIF, EEAS). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging active participation in industry conferences (EU DisinfoLab annual conferences, EDMO events, Paris Peace Forum), open-source tool releases on GitHub, the Indeed! newsletter (44+ issues), and collaborative investigations with named research partners to secure EU grant funding and institutional contracts.
The company was founded by Nelly Pailleux, Amaury L., and Guillaume Kuster — who met on the Journalistes Solidaires Discord server during COVID-19 fact-checking efforts — and remains founder-influenced, with leadership transitioning in 2026 to Hervé Letoqueux as CEO and additions including Nelly Pailleux returning as COO and Shivika Sharma as Chief Policy Officer. CheckFirst is GDPR-compliant, maintains wholly-owned subsidiary The FACTLab Inc., and spun off ObSINT as an independent Finnish NGO in July 2025. The company operates with 1-10 employees across multiple European jurisdictions (Finland, France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Ukraine) and select engagements in Africa, the Americas, and Asia Pacific.
Check First OY firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Check First OY
- Legal name
- Check First OY
- Website
- https://checkfirst.network
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Check First OY is a Finnish software and OSINT services company that builds tools and conducts investigations to combat online disinformation, serving EU institutions, governments, fact-checking organizations, media, and NGOs through grants and project contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Check First OY industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Counter-Disinformation Software & Services
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- App Security, Compliance & Review Automation Platforms (BPAMADAJ)
Keywords
Where Check First OY is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsinki
- HQ country
- Finland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Check First OY business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- EU Project Grants and Funding: Primary revenue stream from EU-funded projects including grants from European Commission, Digital Services Act research initiatives, and pilot programs. CheckFirst participates in consortium projects funded by EU programs including the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF).
- Government and Institutional Contracts: Contracts with government agencies (Viginum, Auswärtiges Amt), international organizations (OIF/Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie), and public institutions for research, monitoring, and training services.
- Training and Capacity Building Services: State-of-the-art training in digital media transformation, content creation, audience targeting for journalism, OSINT techniques, and proprietary tools. Training provided to civil society organizations, journalists, and government agencies.
- Research and Investigation Services: Open source investigation services helping clients make sense of online information. Research aimed at understanding issues, following leads, and performing investigations. Deliverables include reports on disinformation campaigns and IMS documentation.
- Software Development and Tools: Custom software development services including data organization, team collaboration tools, and public-facing data showcases. Development of monitoring dashboards and analysis tools for clients.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Check First OY product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CheckFirst develops proprietary software platforms, OSINT methodologies, and professional services that enable institutions, media organizations, fact-checkers, and civil society to detect, investigate, and counter online disinformation and information manipulation. Core deliverables include algorithmic content monitoring (CrossOver), OSINT training simulation (Tutki), DSA compliance tracking (RADAR), Russian disinformation network dashboards (Pravda), political advertising monitoring (22vlalapub), and French-language initiative cataloging (ODIL), complemented by custom OSINT investigations, training programs, and methodology consulting.
Product overview
Check First OY is a Finnish software and methodologies company specializing in counter-disinformation tools and services. The product portfolio centers on monitoring and analyzing online information manipulation: CrossOver monitors content recommendation algorithms across major platforms; Tutki provides OSINT training simulation; RADAR tracks DSA compliance violations; Pravda Dashboard monitors Russian state media networks; 22vlalapub tracks political advertising; and ODIL catalogs French-speaking anti-disinformation initiatives. These tools are complemented by research projects like COM-PRESS (image forensics) and the FACT blockchain initiative. The company also offers professional services including OSINT training, open source investigations, software development, research, monitoring, and methodology consulting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RADAR: Regulatory Assessment for Digital Services Act Risks - an open-source framework providing standardized way to identify, document, and report DSA violations.
- Tutki
- CrossOver Monitoring
- ODIL
- 22vlalapub
- FACT Network
- ObSINT
Products and services
- CrossOver Monitoring Algorithmic content recommendation monitoring tool that tracks and measures how content algorithms on TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky, Amazon, Google Search, and Bing contribute to mis- and disinformation, using user-simulation and official APIs across approximately 15 countries in Europe and Africa.
- Tutki Specialized OSINT training platform that simulates social media environments to teach organizations how platforms get weaponized for foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) operations.
- RADAR Framework Open-source framework providing standardized methodology to identify, document, and report Digital Services Act (DSA) violations for researchers, regulators, and compliance teams.
Quantifiable outcome
- Tracked pro-Russian ads reaching 3,075,063 accounts across Italy, France, Germany, and Poland ahead of EU elections
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Check First OY
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Check First OY technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability3 records
Feature9 records
Check First OY partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- EU DisinfoLabcoreCore collaborative partner in multiple projects including joint creation of the IMS (Information Manipulation Set) framework with Viginum, Cassini, Auswärtiges Amt, EEAS, and DFRLab. CheckFirst participates in EU DisinfoLab annual conferences and contributes to working committees. Long-standing partnership since 2021.
- Internet Watch FoundationcoreCheckFirst joined as member to undertake research on sensitive topics while preserving dignity of children and ensuring safety of researchers. Partnership enables collaborative work on protecting vulnerable populations from online harms.
- FiligrancorePartnership to launch CheckFirst Import Connector on OpenCTI, providing researchers with ready-to-use dashboard to monitor articles from the Pravda network (Portal Kombat) in real-time.
- Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)coreInternational body gathering 88 governments and states chose CheckFirst to operate ODIL platform and create engaging content for fact-checkers, researchers, and public bodies. Funded platform development since December 2020 and renewed contract in November 2022.
- AI ForensicscoreCooperative investigation to detect pro-Russian ads on Meta platforms. Partnership enabled discovery of ads reaching 3+ million accounts. Also collaborated on 'The Amazing Library' Amazon algorithms investigation.
- DFRLab (Digital Forensic Research Lab)coreAtlantic Council unit co-published Pravda network investigations (February-March 2025) and jointly created IMS framework. Long-standing collaboration in disinformation research and documentation.
- ViginummajorFrench government agency for vigilance against foreign digital interference. Joint creator of IMS framework for documenting, attributing, and responding to coordinated disinformation campaigns.
- CassinimajorEuropean security and defense think tank; joint creator of IMS framework for documenting disinformation supply chain.
- Auswärtiges AmtmajorGerman Federal Foreign Office; joint creator of IMS framework for documenting disinformation campaigns.
- EEAS (European External Action Service)majorEU diplomatic service; joint creator of IMS framework for documenting disinformation supply chain across European partners.
- SamsaminorFrench training organization collaborated with CheckFirst to immerse French journalists in virtual foreign interference campaigns using the Tutki training platform.
- Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA)majorSwedish government agency for peace, security and development. Partnership for OSINT training for Armenian civil society organizations and journalists to protect election integrity.
- FaktabaaricoreFinnish fact-checking and media education nonprofit. Partnered with CheckFirst for CrossOver Finland project to monitor algorithmic recommendations ahead of 2024 Finnish presidential and EU elections.
- Reset.TechcoreUK-based nonprofit working on platform accountability. Supported Operation Overload investigation and provided access to data for research on disinformation campaigns.
- EU DisinfoLab (CrossOver Coordinator)coreEU DisinfoLab leads CrossOver project consortium with CheckFirst, Apache, and Savoir*Devenir. Project monitors algorithmic content recommendation across European and African countries since December 2021.
- IDLab-MEDIA (imec-UGent)majorResearch lab from Ghent University and imec. Partnership in COM-PRESS project developing image manipulation detection methods for journalists. CheckFirst implements analysis system into CrossOver dashboards.
- Apache (De Werktitel)coreBelgian media organization. Core partner in CrossOver project and collaborative OSINT investigations. Serves as media partner for COM-PRESS project.
- ObSINT (European OSINT Organizations Observatory)coreCheckFirst is founding member of ObSINT alongside EU DisinfoLab, DFRLab, OSINT Curious, Centre for Information Resilience, OpenFacto, and Logically. Established as Finnish NGO in July 2025 to foster responsible OSINT investigation practices.
- Mozilla FoundationcoreCollaborated on advocacy for DSA public data sharing scheme. CheckFirst joined civil society experts in Brussels to discuss implementation and suggest recommendations for data access for public interest research.
- AdvensminorCybersecurity company. Partnership through Advens' Cyber for Good Media programme where CheckFirst trained French journalists as part of Tutki platform demonstrations.
- EDMO/EDMO BELUXcoreEuropean Digital Media Observatory network. CheckFirst participates in EDMO events, uses OKSA tool by EDMO Belux researchers, and co-organizes webinars on disinformation research findings.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Check First OY competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Filigran: Cybersecurity threat-intelligence software vendor behind the OpenCTI platform; CheckFirst built the Pravda Import Connector on OpenCTI. Adjacent ecosystem player that distributes CheckFirst's data feeds to enterprise threat-intel users.
Broad incumbents
- Viginum: French state agency for vigilance against foreign digital interference; co-author of the IMS framework with CheckFirst. Operates with broader national-security mandate and government budget — an institutional partner that can also absorb counter-disinformation engagements.
Direct peers
- Logically: AI-augmented fact-checking and disinformation intelligence platform; co-founding ObSINT member with CheckFirst and competes for the same government and platform-accountability engagements.
- ISD (Institute for Strategic Dialogue): Counter-extremism and disinformation think tank that operates in the same European institutional ecosystem (cited as CheckFirst trusted partner) and produces comparable research on FIMI and platform accountability.
- EU DisinfoLab: European disinformation research NGO and CrossOver consortium lead; works on the same counter-disinformation investigations, IMS framework, and OSINT tooling with overlapping European institutional clients and fact-checking partners.
- AI Forensics: European nonprofit investigating platform algorithms and political advertising; direct collaborator with CheckFirst on Meta pro-Russian ad investigations and The Amazing Library Amazon study.
- OpenFacto: French fact-checking and OSINT investigations startup, co-founding ObSINT member with CheckFirst, addressing the same French and Francophone disinformation market.
- DFRLab (Atlantic Council): Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab is a co-author of the IMS framework and Pravda network investigations with CheckFirst, serving governments, media, and NGOs on disinformation analysis and OSINT.
- Centre for Information Resilience: OSINT and open-source investigations organisation and co-founding ObSINT member, working on foreign information manipulation and war-crimes/diaspora disinformation — overlapping with CheckFirst's OSINT methodology focus.
- Reset.Tech: UK-based nonprofit focused on platform accountability and disinformation research, co-investigating Operation Overload with CheckFirst and sharing the EU regulatory-advocacy mission.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Check First OY social profiles
Digital presenceCheck First OY compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Check First OY financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Check First OY leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Check First OY subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Check First OY funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Check First OY M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Check First OY
What does Check First OY do?
CheckFirst develops proprietary software platforms, OSINT methodologies, and professional services that enable institutions, media organizations, fact-checkers, and civil society to detect, investigate, and counter online disinformation and information manipulation. Core deliverables include algorithmic content monitoring (CrossOver), OSINT training simulation (Tutki), DSA compliance tracking (RADAR), Russian disinformation network dashboards (Pravda), political advertising monitoring (22vlalapub), and French-language initiative cataloging (ODIL), complemented by custom OSINT investigations, training programs, and methodology consulting.
Is Check First OY a public or private company?
Check First OY is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Check First OY founded?
Check First OY was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Check First OY based?
Check First OY is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, in the Europe region.
How does Check First OY make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. EU Project Grants and Funding is the primary driver. The others are government and Institutional Contracts, training and Capacity Building Services, research and Investigation Services and software Development and Tools.
Who are Check First OY's main competitors?
Filigran is listed as an others. Viginum is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Logically, ISD (Institute for Strategic Dialogue), EU DisinfoLab, AI Forensics, OpenFacto, DFRLab (Atlantic Council), Centre for Information Resilience and Reset.Tech.
Does Check First OY have an API?
No public API is recorded for Check First OY.
What industry is Check First OY in?
Check First OY's product category is Counter-Disinformation Software & Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMADAJ, App Security, Compliance & Review Automation Platforms. Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7372.