OSINT (open-source intelligence)

OSINT, or open-source intelligence, is information gathered from sources that are public and legal to access: social media posts, photos, websites, news, online reviews, job profiles, public records, maps and satellite images. "Open source" here means openly available, not the software meaning. Journalists, researchers and investigators use OSINT to verify videos, track scams and map criminal networks. Criminals use the same techniques to research targets before scams, for example learning someone's role, manager and travel plans. For ordinary people, the lesson is that small public details add up. For investigators, OSINT must be done carefully and ethically, with good OPSEC, so the research does not expose the investigator or alert the people being studied.