What does your neighbor do for a living? Was that guy that cut you off on the high way a criminal? Who was emailing me spam? Open-source intelligence means collecting information through various public means. In other words, you can find an answer one way or another. Now the world is connected through internet advancement in technology everywhere; every person uses the social app, and data extraction can be easy now.
In this modern era, people kept memories. At each function, when they visit after Photoshoot, they upload on social media, and all information is stored on that media, which is easily accessible to people either based on cell numbers or others. In this way there all info is gathered collected within a few hours.
It can be collected through various social means like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, or any purchasing websites any marketing website. Their IP address, their search history, their area number, or maybe by their location or by code of that specific area are all included in this.
And suppose you want to gather information about the country. In that case, it may be collected by televisions radio from their books traditionally; employees profiles resume company information from website employees' information by their portfolios, including photos and videos.
As the world is making more progress now, a way of war is changed hot wars to cold war's now people don't directly fight. Instead, they use tactics to fight and gather information either of a person or a specific area.
And information can also be collected by judging the need of people. It can also use positively and can also be used for business companies. Their strategies for success and information of their employees can also be seen in this perspective.so it's up to people either use in the right way or wrong way. They have both options.
Open-source information is getting information for intelligence basis from publically to the things public used mostly.it can be used for positive mean as well and negative as well. Positively it can be used in the way that we can find the need of some people their deficiencies and can provide to them, and other is used for intelligence purpose to get trace record of someone.
It can also use to gather information to trace some people and for competition purposes also to get the record, so preparation is more.
It can also be used by armies of different countries to get the social and military records of other countries because all data are available mostly on the internet, and we can easily find the track records of persons.
Now satellites are used, and even their location can be traced due to this. Drones use this technology to locate and attack.
Books can found most of the information, articles, newspapers, and documentaries now a day's media have much much more exposure and they try to expose everything, so this can also be used in this.
A lot of information can now be extracted by unknown sources basically purpose of this is to get information for intelligence purposes .it can be used for security purpose national security or business purposes or intelligence purposes.
Background
Data collection for intelligence purposes. Before years ago, different intelligence agencies invested millions of dollars for enemy purposes. They send spy or intelligence officers for this purpose. It was a deal of danger because any time your spy can be caught and all your information will be dusted. Your respect will be exposed, but now the world is making progress way is changed.
Revolution in the industry has changed since we are now in the digital age.
Google showing pictures that people upload has been changed by advancement in technology. Possibilities are many due to any crime gather all information regarding this collection of clues getting information wastage of time and money now mobile can be traced we can use CCTV footages all can be done within no time.
Before centuries of information detection, separate persons sent there, but now, with the help of pictures videos determined from where the location is, one can quickly identify all this.
None can be determined previous years ago, but now in the modern world, one can quickly learn what is going on in another country, so it's a great revolution.
Open-source intelligence techniques
- Pictorial analysis
Now you can do the analysis of this where this happens.
What's around there how the land looks? What's the model of missile and firing launcher now efficiently? Everything can be coded time location etc.
- Video analysis
- Area code
- Phone number research
- Linking social media account
- History tracer
- Online communities
- Social networking
Example
Above shows an intelligence cycle in which to achieve a targeted plan is set all requirements. The next step is collection of data, and it may be through any procedure discuss above then after collection of data analysis happened, then further processing production and dissemination of an intelligence cycle consist of these steps.
All are pre-planned, and using modern tools information is gathered.
Data collection is the central part, and it's up to you which process you choose in data collection. Open-source information is the collection of data publicaly from public sources.
It's up to agencies they using for positive purposes or other purposes.
Tips and tricks
Open-source information can also be used to find threats or to expose rumors. If anyone gives warning by tracing, we can easily see who the person is and what he wants, but it is the most misused and misunderstood people might take in negative.
It can find by
- Videos
- Audios
- Pictures
- Cctv cameras
- Social networking
- By id card no
- Newspaper
- Television
- Radio
- By vehicle number
- By relatives
- Ethical hacking
Ethical hacking sometimes, agencies use to protect people from illegal hacking by hacking their devices, so it is useful. For example, if someone blackmails another person or illegally harass then by ethical hacking, we can save other people from the discomfort it's a valuable tool if people use it positively.
- Identifying external threads
If threats are not discovered and minimized, it can lead to a big disaster, so to avoid this, our external threads uncoded things can be encoded.
- The negative side of open source information
Another example is pictures that can be used for blackmail purposes or editing to harm others' reputations. This is a negative side of open source information where people attack others.
- Safety
- use authentic apps
- privacy policy
- less giving information
- online shopping with an alias
- privacy policies on pics
Conclusion
Every technology has its side's effect, and advantages as well. To remain aside from disadvantages, do not upload your things personal information without reading anything and use a high privacy policy on that. Before years ago, the spy was sent to detect information that requires a lot of money, but now, with advancements in technology, everything can be easily found. People themselves upload their things, which making it easy to find the information on everything open-source information is used for intelligence purposes mostly. Still, people can use this ethically wrong, so try to make yourself secure and don't use local apps to use high privacy policy to restrict the app not to use your information.
References
William Donovan
John Antal