InQuorigible: Quora in Missing Persons OSINT

We all know Quora - or do we? Like Internet herpes, if you're a Google user, it'll follow you, forever, haunting your inbox with clickbait if you Google while logged into your account.

...But do we REALLY know Quora? Because despite being a pustule on the Internet that exists for the sole purpose of spamming SERPs, you'll be shocked to learn that it's also got - spoiler alert!!! - a dark, seedy underbelly. One that I uncovered while volunteering on an MP investigation. One that can yield surprising, disturbing and useful intelligence.

In this talk, I'll explain:

1. The traces Quora leaves behind when something is "limited," "deleted" or a user is "banned." Because on Quora, 'deleted' just nulls the post body while the API keeps serving the slug and author, and 'limited' barely hides anything at all. On Quora, Limited is UNLIMITED, just like Olive Garden's breadsticks! Except unlike Olive Garden breadsticks, Quora's "limited" option is a fig leaf, and "deleted" content isn't much better: The API doesn't hide it. It coughs up the slug and author fully visible to other accounts and even logged-out strangers.

2. How to use Quora's API hairball to see what a user posted and build a network graph

3. What the disturbing subcultures on Quora mean for OSINT

4. Limitations of approach and ideas for automating OSINT

Trigger warnings: This talk may include mention of disturbing topics, though all information will be anonymized / sanitized and no graphic content shared.