Authored by Jonathon Keymer and Sumedha Senanayake
In today’s social media-rich environment, vast amounts of information about incidents and events worldwide are readily available. Through social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, Telegram, and the like, individuals have become eyewitnesses and reporters with the tap of a send button.
For risk and security companies tasked with gathering intelligence about crisis points and incidents for their globally dispersed clients, that information, known as Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), can be a boon — but only if vetted expertly to make sure that what is reported is accurate, timely, and actionable.
“We rely on OSINT to inform our clients about events or incidents that may potentially impact their personnel, travelers, and assets,” says US-based Director of Intelligence Sumedha Senanayake.
The issue with regard to open source information is verification – finding out what is accurate –because there are no checks and balances. In other words, there is no overseer of all this information. OSINT is only as useful as the verification and analytical process behind it.
“Social media is like fire, it’s incredibly useful, but it can burn your house down if you’re not careful,” notes UK-based Director of Intelligence Jonathon Keymer. With such a vast amount of information, companies need to be able to sift through it to verify what is accurate. Risk management organizations have the expertise to efficiently vet information, analyze it, and provide guidance to clients to mitigate any risks.
“OSINT sources that we have historically found to be neutral and accurate are the ones we use. At the same time, with the rise of citizen journalists and organizations that sprout up [on social media], we’re always searching for new sources to verify information so clients can protect their assets, make informed decisions, and remain resilient through a crisis,” says Senanayake.
Taking care of the “fire” of social media includes separating accurate reports from inaccurate ones, but
also distinguishing between misinformation — cases where reports are simply inaccurate or wrong, from disinformation — cases where the inaccuracy is deliberate and intentional.
Yet even disinformation can provide useful data and insights. Keymer notes that there is usefulness even with unreliable sources, “by accurately identifying the bias or motivation behind disinformation, even misleading information can be a powerful tool for clients.”
In addition to carefully vetting the influx of data across channels, the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools has proven to further elevate the faster, more accurate analysis of incoming reports. AI can seek out the corroborating sources that make OSINT work, which becomes most useful when you’re working with multiple independent sources. AI can also aid in determining how reliable a given source is, and by speeding up the process of confirming multiple reliable sources, intelligence and guidance can be delivered to clients more quickly.
A business’s ability to make quick informed decisions is critical to avoiding, mitigating, and responding to potential risks. Harnessing the power of OSINT responsibly can be among the sharpest tools to avoiding the twin roadblocks of misinformation and disinformation and producing timely, accurate intelligence.
