Open Source Intelligence - Competitive Intelligence

Competitive Intelligence

In the private sector, competitive intelligence has become a tool for marketing strategies that focus on strategically prepared information under the direction of private companies or individuals who sell organized information to specific security, law enforcement and military industries, amongst other strategic applications, often on a contractual basis. Governments and civilians both use open source intelligence, both legitimately and illegitimately, the latter being the case with criminals who use information to gain an edge in planning and conducting criminal activities.

There are still opportunities for small and medium businesses to compete in niche markets, but this too is being consolidated by major information providers (e.g.?). OSINT is not a novel concept in media where everyday operations of traditional newsroom methods of operations engage in useful strategies towards obtaining information for unique and original content through investigations of story leads, absent of reliance on formal methods of obtaining inside information through legal documents or basic interview techniques. Investigative journalists use searches, databases, primary interviews, original sources, and leaks (informants/witnesses) who come forward either anonymously or openly, as direct contributors of inside information for journalists. Investigative journalists use specific strategies to obtain information. Sometimes informants come forward on their own to contribute original information that might not otherwise be made available, which often directly contributes to the publication of original feature stories. Such has been the case with regard to many whistle blowers in politics, government, law enforcement and also in commercial, financial and private sectors.