VALOSINT
Valuing Open-Source Intelligence and Evidence in Human Rights Contexts
Ivan Josipovic - Research project funded
by FWF Austrian Science Fund
About the Project
As OSINT work on human rights violations becomes increasingly professionalized in the fields of criminal investigations, journalism and public advocacy, the project VALOSINT conducts a politico-sociological study of the work of OSINT professionals and those who use open-source investigations. It aims to answer three key questions:
- What makes open data count as valuable intelligence or evidence among OSINT practitioners, technicians, and institutional decision makers?
- How do their evaluative frameworks align and what value conflicts do they encounter?
- What could data solidarity look like in the context of OSINT work?
The project is led by Dr. Ivan Josipovic (University of Zurich) and funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), starting in February 2026.
Call for participation
Are you involved in open source investigations? Do you produce OSINT tools? Or do you use OSINT reports in your organization?
Join the conversation! By participating through interviews or workshops, you can help us jointly reflect on the OSINT community and what constitutes "good" open source investigations.
Funding and co-operation partners
This research project is funded by the FWF- Austrian Science Fund under the Erwin Schrödinger Program. It is conducted in co-operation with the Research Area for Digital Public Goverance at the IPZ-University of Zurich (February 2026 - August 2027) and the University of Vienna (September 2027 until May 2028).