New technologies are constantly changing the role of information in society by enabling people to receive and create large amounts of information which can influence events. Social networking platforms, smartphones and Internet of Things devices have increased the variety of information available. This provides data for use in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). OSINT has traditionally been used by governments, especially military agencies, to supplement covert intelligence-gathering. However, in recent years OSINT has become an important tool for businesses and similar organizations, in terms of contributing to information security. This new use of OSINT by private actors has contributed to the significant expansion of private intelligence companies (PIC).
The Institute, as part of an ongoing 6‑year full-scale study of OSINT, is beginning to examine the impact of OSINT development on the formation of new PICs (read more about this here).
In addition, the Institute plans this year to conduct further specialized research in the field of OSINT. Today, we can already say that the knowledge gained from the research conducted by the Institute has been successfully applied by the partners of the institute and by other friendly organizations for the development of methods to counteract information attacks and minimize their consequences during periods of information warfare and hostile campaigns on the territory of Ukraine, the USA, Canada, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, South Africa, Italy, and Australia. The results of the Institute’s OSINT research have contributed to the development and implementation of the Kavalyer technology (link). OSINT tools developed by the institute have helped to detect religious extremist groups (link) engaging in unfair competition in Ukraine, the USA, Italy, and Russia.
The testing of tools and approval of methods takes place with the participation of experts and specialists from different countries of the world. Like all other research at the Institute, this study has an interdisciplinary and applied approach.
At the current time, this area of research is related to:
- improving the methodology and tools used in OSINT-based investigations and incidents
- updating techniques for working with open data sources
- creating products to solve multidisciplinary business problems
- implementing OSINT tools and methods to identify potential risks for both individuals and organizations