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OSINT Blog
Reflecting on 2024: Our Continued Journey of Growth and Innovation
It’s time to reflect on another productive year for Skopenow. Over the past twelve months, we stayed true to our mission of modernizing investigations through scalable open-source intelligence, marking a period of exciting growth, innovation, and deepened engagement with the OSINT community. From launching new capabilities to expanding our impact in…
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How to Tackle the $110 Billion Shoplifting Problem with OSINT
Retail shrinkage, the loss of inventory due to theft, fraud, and administrative errors, has become an increasingly complex challenge for retailers, with losses spiking during peak shopping seasons.
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AI for the IC: Why the Intelligence Community is Turning to Automation to Navigate Modern Data Challenges
The Intelligence Community (IC) has been contending with the growth of publicly available data for decades. However, it has recently embraced more advanced technology—specifically artificial intelligence—to effectively manage this volume of data. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) recently outlined its "Vision for the IC…
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How New National Intelligence Standards Can Professionalize OSINT for the Whole Community
The release of the updated Intelligence Community Standard 206-01 by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) earlier this week marks a significant milestone in the standardization of open-source intelligence (OSINT) across the Intelligence Community (IC). These new standards set the stage for greater transparency, accountability, and…
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Antiques and OSINT - Investigating the Trafficking of Valuables
Criminal trafficking can call to mind the widely recognized and destructive trade of narcotics or people, but there’s a different kind of illegal trade that’s less visible: the illicit trafficking of antiques and other cultural treasures. Protecting historical relics and art is a global issue that continues to gain attention, highlighted by the United…
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OSINT for Critical Infrastructure Protection: Identifying and Mitigating Threats to National Security and Stability
The stability of critical infrastructure—from public utilities to transportation networks and computer networks—is fundamental to the basic function of society, not to mention national security and public safety. The government agencies responsible for protecting these essential assets face ever-evolving threats originating both online and in the…
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How Answer Engines Are Changing OSINT (Plus 5 Tips to Leverage Them)
The methods for gathering online information are constantly shifting, but a new player has emerged that's entirely reshaping how we access and process data: answer engines. These AI-powered platforms are revolutionizing the search experience, offering direct answers to queries instead of a list of links. For OSINT professionals, this shift presents…
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Navigating the Maze of False Information during OSINT Investigations
At this year’s OSMOSISCon, Skopenow’s digital investigations expert, Steve Adams, took the stage to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing OSINT practitioners today: how to navigate the murky waters of false information in search of the truth. Here, we’ll review his session’s key takeaways and the strategies he covered, which offer insights…
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OSINT Live 2024 Recap: Top Takeaways
Our third annual OSINT Live event has officially wrapped. Like in previous years, the sessions delivered a wealth of actionable insights and vital knowledge for OSINT practitioners across industries. If you missed it or want to revisit the highlights, we’ve compiled takeaways from each of the sessions that we felt particularly stood out.
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The ROI of Automated OSINT, Part III: Investigating Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking
Law enforcement agencies—from local police departments to federal task forces—are under mounting pressure to combat organized crime groups (OCGs) involved in the trafficking and manufacture of deadly drugs like fentanyl. These criminal networks operate across state lines and international borders, making disruption difficult yet critical—in 2023,…
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