While you may be unfamiliar with the term OSINT (open source intelligence), you’re likely already aware of how it’s used. It’s collecting and analyzing data gathered from open source, publicly available information to produce actionable intelligence. It’s the stuff that makes a great spy or detective movie.
Local newsrooms and publishers are discovering how OSINT improves journalism and business intelligence. Once accessible only to government agencies, law enforcement, military intelligence and enterprise investigative journalists, OSINT has evolved into an essential toolkit for media organizations of all sizes.
The convergence of artificial intelligence, free tools and public databases has democratized investigative techniques once reserved for intelligence agencies. Local media can now:
Bellingcat, founded by British journalist Eliot Higgens in 2014, has pioneered many OSINT methodologies and trained practitioners worldwide. Bellingcat is considered a leader in OSINT tools and techniques.
You are not alone if you are unaware of the OSINT industry or techniques. In early February this year, USC Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism hosted the Inaugural Open Source Journalism Conference. You are getting in on the ground floor. Many OSINT thought leaders come from a journalism background.
OSINT techniques have already proven their worth in journalism. When Bellingcat investigators identified Russian intelligence officers involved in the 2018 Salisbury poisoning, they used many of the same tools available to local newsrooms today.
Closer to home, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel used public records and social media analysis to track COVID-19 spread patterns.
OSINT can enhance virtually every department in a local media organization, from editorial to sales to audience development. While many organizations have been using these tools individually, the OSINT community has created great methodologies and workflows that are documented and shared.
For Editorial:
Google Dorking (Advanced Search) — I'm not kidding — utilizes many tools within Google Search to gain insights. See intro guide in the article below.
Social Media Monitoring
Document Analysis
Image Analysis
Enterprise Investigative Tools
For Business:
Company Research
Market Analysis
Begin with these simple steps:
Master Google Dorking — we are all familiar with using Google to find things. Google Dorking gives the OSINT practitioner far more control over searching specific sites for not easily accessible PDFs, docs and xls files. It also allows for searching exact terms and date ranges. I’ve included a Google Dorking intro guide. (See article below.)
Best practices:
Over the past two years, I’ve written about a lot of concepts, tools and business models that were new to many in local media. As I learned more about OSINT and spent hours and days going down rabbit holes of the tools and possibilities, I realized our industry has far greater investigative minds than mine. The best thing I could do is turn you loose on the tools and step back. So here are several resources to introduce the tools.
These tools range from free and browser-based to freemium, with free access to basic functions and a paid level. Some require some technological savvy to install “self-hosted” versions on a local or cloud server.
As you look at some of the tools listed above, you’ll notice they are simultaneously amazing and scary. You’ll want to use them but fear clicking on a link that might load malware onto your computer. You’ll wonder if your information and location are private. Most OSINT journalists and investigators need to think about this.
There are several tools to isolate your browsing away from your company networks and computers. One of the tools recommended for OSINT pros is Kasm Workspaces. Kasm is free and open source. You can self-host it on your own servers or on cloud services like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or DigitalOcean. You can also use Kasm Workspace Cloud, which takes care of the hosting.
What is Kasm? It’s a virtual computer that runs inside of a web browser. You can go to any site, click any link and not worry about anything malicious ending up on your computer or network. In addition, it offers the privacy of not passing geolocation or any other identifiable data. When you are done, you will close the Kasm instance, and all your history will disappear unless you choose to store downloaded files and bookmark them in external persistent storage.
You’ve probably been using OSINT tools for a long time but didn’t realize it. It has become an entire movement and community. The explosion of AI-based tools, falling prices of cloud storage and computing and digital records make OSINT a high-value tool and skill.
Just a warning: once you know about some of these tools, you won’t be able to “unknow” them. Stay safe, stay curious!
Guy Tasaka is a seasoned media professional with a 35-year track record of leading change in the industry. He has collaborated with renowned organizations such as Macworld Magazine, Ziff-Davis and The New York Times, where he honed his expertise in research, strategy, marketing and product management. As the former chief digital officer at Calkins Media, Guy was acknowledged as the Local Media Association’s Innovator of the Year for his work in advancing OTT and digital video platforms for local news organizations. He is also the founder and managing partner of Tasaka Digital, specializing in helping media and technology companies navigate business transformations using his extensive experience and forward-thinking approach. Guy can be reached at guy@tasakadigital.com.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here