D
espite a gradual increase in the recognition of the importance of Open
Source Intelligence (OSINT), it is still viewed by many in security and intelligence circles as a supplementary discipline: a form of information gathering and analysis whose reach is limited to provide context or supporting background detail, only ever complementing the output of other, covert collection methods.
This implied inferiority, however, has been markedly eroded in the past half a decade, during which time the immense growth of publicly available information has both coalesced with and induced a genuine shift in how people generate and make use of information.
OSINT has by now established itself on its own merits to be an indispensable, if not predominant, tool in understanding all but the most secretive aspects of the modern threat landscape.
Information overload
The rapid transformation giving rise to OSINT’s significance has two main facets: those of volume and quality.
T h e R i s e o f t h e O p e n S o u r c e I n t e l l i g e n c e r
Staggering figures underline the exponential expansion of the public information domain; at present:
• there are more Internet-enabled devices than there are people on Earth;
• the size of the Web extends to more than 8 billion pages;
• an estimated 571 websites are brought online every minute;
• 100,000 messages are published on Twitter in the same time period;
• the active number of Facebook users has reportedly exceeded the one billion mark.
Although not all this information is openly or readily accessible, in light of these figures one can hardly dismiss the relevance of OSINT in today’s information environment.
Society 2.0
The most momentous consequence of the information boom, however, lies not in the sheer volume of data, but in its nature; more precisely, in the way society adopts and puts to use the different technologies that enable the mass-publication of data on an individual level.
What we are currently witnessing in terms of the dynamics surrounding the ever-increasing popularity of Web 2.0 platforms (social media and networking sites, blogs, micro-blogs, forums, peer-to-peer file-sharing networks etc.) is more than the simple creation of new mediums for communication; rather, it is the emergence of new types of social interaction, new ways of sharing knowledge, influencing opinions, leveraging power, creating competition and waging conflict.
www.olton.co.uk 0330 002 0011
info@olton.co.uk
BETTER INFORMATION BETTER ANALYSIS BETTER DECISIONS
Olton is a corporate intelligence consultancy. We specialise in the tradecraft of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). This involves the collection and analysis of publicly available information to create an intelligence product that enables our clients to make timely, actionable decisions.
Olton’s research is supported by cutting edge technology, utilising an intelligence platform called ORA to process the vast amounts of data available on the internet, including new and emerging social media sites. This technology helps our analysts make sense of the data landscape in real-time, and to use it to inform current and future thinking on a range of issues.
We provide intelligence for decision makers in business, for strategic communication planning, and for protective security operations. We perform these services for a diverse client base including global multi-nationals, high-net worth individuals and UK law enforcement agencies.
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“In the time I have worked with Olton I have been increasingly impressed by the exact match between Olton’s unique capability and the diverse range of requirements set by our clients. This suggests that Olton’s expertise in producing actionable intelligence from vast quantities of open source data is precisely the service companies are seeking to meet their security, reputational and business development needs, in today’s dynamic risk environment.”
Ian Priest Managing Partner at Olton
OSINT
Photography by Stephanie Klocke
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