The Value of Open Source Intelligence
In an increasingly digitized world, the landscape of human rights documentation has been fundamentally transformed. Information regarding war, displacement, and human rights abuses is now accessible to and curatable by a global audience. VALOSINT examines Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) as a growing field at the intersection of academia, journalism, and activism. As this field professionalizes, shared - and sometimes conflicting - understandings of what constitutes valuable or "good" OSINT are beginning to emerge.
Research questions
The project sets out to study the daily work of those who produce and use OSINT in human rights contexts. It asks:
- 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?
A valuographic approach
Methodologically, VALOSINT is designed as a valuographic study. Rather than taking the worth of OSINT as a given, this approach focuses on the social and technical practices of (e)valuation through which openly accessible data is turned into evidence or intelligence. The project traces how practitioners navigate various institutional requirements - legal, journalistic, and ethical - to produce and stabilize authoritative knowledge from fragmented digital traces.
Methodical approach
This research employs a qualitative sociological framework to capture the experiences and specialized know-how of those at the forefront of the field. Importantly, the project does not seek access to ongoing investigation details or sensitive data collected during prior investigations. The focus is on the work process, not any confidential investigative content.
The study is structured across three pillars:
- Semi-structured interviews with OSINT practitioners and institutional decision-makers
- Qualitative analysis of international "best-practice" OSINT protocols and manuals
- Building on the qualitative findings, a global survey of OSINT practitioners is scheduled for 2027.