"Like organizing your browser bookmarks, but for the entire internet"
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) can be categorized in various ways based on the source, medium, or type of information. Understanding these categories helps analysts choose the right sources and methods for their intelligence needs.
"Traditional media, but with more fact-checking"
Information from mass media sources including newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.
"The entire internet is your research library"
Information collected from online sources including websites, blogs, social media, forums, and other online platforms.
"When bureaucracy becomes your best friend"
Information released by government agencies, including reports, budgets, hearings, telephone directories, press conferences, websites, and speeches.
"Where peer review meets intelligence gathering"
Information from journals, conferences, symposia, academic papers, dissertations, and theses.
"Following the money trail, legally"
Commercial imagery, financial and industrial assessments, and databases.
"The stuff that's published but not quite published"
Technical reports, preprints, patents, working papers, business documents, unpublished works, and newsletters.
The key to effective OSINT is knowing which category to search first. Start broad with media and internet sources, then narrow down to specific academic or government publications for detailed information.
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