📄 What Is the Twitter URL Collector?
The Twitter URL Collector is a GUI-based forensic utility built by Digital Shield Inc. to automate the collection of tweet URLs from a specified X.com (formerly Twitter) profile. Designed for investigators, litigation teams, and OSINT analysts, the tool enables authenticated collection of authored tweets, ensuring defensibility and auditability during review and production.
⚙️ How It Works
1. GUI Interface
The tool launches a desktop application that allows the examiner to:
– Input a target Twitter handle (e.g., TheFive)
– Choose a destination folder for URL output
– Launch Chrome and log in manually for authenticated capture
2. Authenticated Collection
After logging into Twitter:
– The script navigates to the target user’s profile
– Scrolls the timeline up to 1,500 times (configurable)
– Detects and logs each tweet URL authored by the user
– Ignores retweets and external content
3. Forensic Logging
Captured tweet URLs are:
– Logged in real-time to tweet_urls.txt
– Finalized into tweet_urls.csv with timestamps
– Supplemented by a debug log for validation and review
📁 Output Artifacts
URLS/
├── tweet_urls.txt # Real-time log of collected URLs
├── tweet_urls.csv # Final structured export
├── debug_log.txt # Diagnostic and status messages
📌 Features
– GUI Simplicity: No coding required; click-and-capture interface
– Defensible Audit Trail: Includes debug logs and structured output
– Author Filtering: Only tweets from the specified handle are collected
– Dual Format Export: CSV for structured review, TXT for quick logs
– Manual Login Support: Compatible with 2FA and session-based access
✅ Requirements
– Python 3.10+
– Google Chrome (latest version)
– ChromeDriver (must be installed and in system PATH)
pip install selenium
▶️ Usage Instructions
1. Run launch.bat or python twitter_url_collector.py
2. Enter the Twitter handle (without @) and choose an output folder
3. Click “Sign into Twitter”
4. Log into the opened Chrome window
5. Once authenticated, click “Start URL Capture”
6. The tool will scroll and collect all tweet URLs authored by the user
🛡️ Why It Matters
The Twitter URL Collector ensures legally defensible tweet acquisition in scenarios such as:
– Civil litigation involving online harassment
– Public records monitoring for compliance
– Election and misinformation investigations
– OSINT collection for cybersecurity and fraud analysis
All actions are logged, structured, and stored in industry-standard formats to support forensic workflows and eDiscovery production.
🧠 Pro Tips
– For large accounts, increase MAX_SCROLLS in the script (default = 1500)
– The tool automatically pauses between scrolls to avoid detection or rate limiting
– Use the resulting CSV as input for full tweet collection or screenshot workflows
🛡️ Developed by Digital Shield Inc.
At Digital Shield Inc., we specialize in building defensible, scalable, and user-friendly digital investigation tools for forensic and legal professionals.
For licensing, customization, or training:
📧 consulting@digitalshield.net | 🌐 www.digitalshield.net