OSINT (open-source intelligence) is intelligence produced from publicly or commercially available information to answer a specific question. The information is open to anyone. What turns it into intelligence is the disciplined process applied to it: identifying what is relevant, collecting and preserving it, verifying it, and analyzing it against a defined requirement.
§01What is OSINT?
In its 2024–2026 OSINT strategy, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence describes OSINT as intelligence derived exclusively from publicly or commercially available information that addresses specific intelligence priorities, requirements, or gaps.1Source 1 · Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2024The IC OSINT Strategy 2024–2026archive.dni.gov Two parts of that definition matter. Source: only open or purchasable information, never covert collection. Purpose: the work answers a question someone actually needs answered. A spreadsheet of public flight positions is open data. A sourced, verified assessment of unusual holding patterns over a region that day is OSINT.
§02How is OSINT done well?
The Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations, published by UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, sets minimum professional standards for this work.2Source 2 · Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law, with OHCHR, 2020Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigationshumanrights.berkeley.edu Its phases map neatly onto a data pipeline:
| Phase | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Identification | Decide which sources can answer the requirement and why they are credible |
| Collection | Capture the item with its URL, timestamp and the collector’s identity |
| Preservation | Store an unaltered copy with a hash so it can be re-checked later |
| Verification | Corroborate with independent sources; check time, place and origin |
| Analysis | Draw conclusions, state confidence, and separate fact from inference |
§03Example: open data in air and maritime awareness
Research networks such as OpenSky collect ADS-B broadcasts through volunteer-run receivers and make them available for research.3Source 3 · Schäfer, Strohmeier, Lenders, Martinovic, Wilhelm (IPSN 2014), 2014Bringing up OpenSky: A Large-scale ADS-B Sensor Network for Researchcs.ox.ac.uk An analyst can combine those tracks with AIS ship positions, NOTAMs and news reports to explain a disruption. Responsible practice still sets limits. The FAA, for example, runs a Privacy ICAO Address program for operators who want to limit the real-time availability of their aircraft’s ADS-B position and identity,4Source 4 · Federal Aviation AdministrationADS-B Privacy: Privacy ICAO Address (PIA) programfaa.gov and good OSINT work respects the protections such programs exist to provide.
§04Common misconceptions
- “OSINT means searching social media.” Social posts are one source among many: registries, sensor data, satellite imagery, filings and academic data sets.
- “If it is public, it is true.” Open sources are easy to fake or take out of context. Verification is the core of the discipline.
- “If it is public, anything goes.” Licenses, platform terms and data protection law still apply, and so do ethical limits on targeting individuals.
§05How Kimo supports OSINT work
Kimo Defense Intelligence stores provenance with every record: source, collection time, collector and verification status. An analyst can always trace a claim back to its evidence. Connectors include OSINT feeds, OpenSky, AIS and Telegram. Raw collections can stay on your own servers through Kimo Bridge. Demo data in Kimo is simulated.
§06Related terms
- Data fusion: combining open sources into one assessed picture.
- ADS-B and AIS: the two largest open, broadcast tracking sources.
- Data residency: where collected material is stored.
Frequently asked questions
Is OSINT legal?
What is the difference between OSINT and open data?
How do you verify open-source information?
Sources
4 references- The IC OSINT Strategy 2024–2026 (opens in a new tab)Office of the Director of National Intelligence2024archive.dni.gov
Definition of OSINT (published March 8, 2024).
- Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations (opens in a new tab)Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law, with OHCHR2020humanrights.berkeley.edu
Launched December 2020; minimum professional standards for identification, collection, preservation, verification and analysis.
- Bringing up OpenSky: A Large-scale ADS-B Sensor Network for Research (opens in a new tab)Schäfer, Strohmeier, Lenders, Martinovic, Wilhelm (IPSN 2014)2014cs.ox.ac.uk
Volunteer-hosted ADS-B sensor network for research.
- ADS-B Privacy: Privacy ICAO Address (PIA) program (opens in a new tab)Federal Aviation Administrationfaa.gov
Limiting real-time availability of ADS-B position and identification; alternate, temporary ICAO addresses for eligible aircraft.
External sources were accessed at the time of writing. Kimo product details, customers and figures in examples are illustrative unless a source is cited.
