The popular perception of the world of intelligence gathering is shaped by the shadowy world of espionage, inspired by movies like James Bond and Mission Impossible. However, many practitioners from the Intelligence Community and academics claim that as much as 80 per cent of the overall intelligence gathered by various agencies comes from open sources.
When publicly available information is collected and analysed to produce actionable intelligence, it is known as Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT). The sources for collecting such information are wide-ranging, including, but not limited to, media outlets, social media, commercial satellite imagery, academic and grey literature, commercial aviation and shipping data, as well as the deep and dark web.
Before the digital revolution, intelligence gathering was primarily dependent on human intelligence and signals intelligence, and field agents, informants, and intercepted communications played central roles. Analysts would painstakingly sift through intercepted radio transmissions, diplomatic cables, and satellite imagery to extract information. The process was slow, labour-intensive, and limited in scope. The game has now been changed altogether. According to the International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency for digital technologies, 5.5 billion people, or 68 per cent of the global population, were online in 2024, compared to just 1 billion (16 per cent) in 2005.
Democratised intelligence
With more individuals and organisations actively engaging in digital platforms, the intelligence community found itself with a new and vast resource of publicly available information, allowing analysts to monitor digital resources for gaining insights into strategic and tactical events. In recent years, commercial satellite companies like Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies have launched fleets of high-resolution imaging satellites, making geospatial data publicly available.
This ability, earlier available only to government agencies, has democratised geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) and brought forward a new generation of open-source GEOINT analysts. The Russia-Ukraine war proved to be a watershed moment in the evolution of OSINT and its application in modern warfare. It showcased how publicly available intelligence could rival, and in some cases surpass classified government intelligence. Months before the war, various open-source analysts detected and reported Russian military buildups along the Ukrainian border by analysing information from social media, satellite imagery, and Google Maps. OSINT allowed analysts to track battlefield developments during the war, too.
Many countries, including the US, the UK, Israel and France, have taken significant steps to institutionalise OSINT within their intelligence and national security frameworks. For instance, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency of the US have released the ‘IC OSINT Strategy 2024-2026’ to comprehensively integrate OSINT into their intelligence ecosystem. Similarly, the UK has been investing in standardising OSINT support structures with a focus on integrated systems and processes. Going one step further, Israel is integrating its already mature OSINT frameworks with Artificial Intelligence tools, thus automating intelligence gathering and analysis. The French military intelligence agency is also using OSINT to monitor foreign electronic warfare systems.
Also read: Russia-Ukraine conflict is a masterclass in 21st-century warfare
Modernising India’s OSINT Framework
Despite its growing importance, the OSINT ecosystem in India remains fragile. No public or private university in India offering courses in Political Science, International Relations (IR), Defence, or Security Studies has included Intelligence Studies in their curricula.
As a result, most Indian students graduate without even a basic understanding of the intelligence framework. Meanwhile, intelligence agencies in the country primarily recruit candidates either through dedicated examinations such as the Intelligence Bureau – Assistant Central Intelligence Officer (IB-ACIO) or by deputing officers from police and defence services, who were originally selected through broader civil or defence examinations. These recruitment exams are not intelligence-specific, leading to challenges in finding individuals with the right mindset and skills necessary for effective intelligence work. Corporate risk intelligence firms are using OSINT and often recruit graduates and postgraduates from Indian universities. These firms must invest in training to prepare them for the demands of the industry.
Interestingly, there exists a significant pool of young analysts on platforms like Telegram and X, most of them in their early 20s, who, despite lacking formal degrees in IR or Defence Studies, are efficiently monitoring and analysing security developments in Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir. They have been monitoring the terrorist outfits and have identified the infiltration routes in J&K using social media intelligence and GEOINT. On various occasions, they have exposed anti-India disinformation campaigns run by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations-affiliated social media accounts, and multiple national media houses have used these analyses in their breaking stories.
On 4 April, a channel named OSINT TV posted a video of Hafiz Saeed roaming freely somewhere in the Kasur district of Punjab, Pakistan, in a convoy of luxury SUVs. This video was then run by India’s Republic TV and Zee TV.
Foundational reforms aimed at bridging the institutional-academic gap are essential to strengthen India’s OSINT ecosystem. The universities should include dedicated courses on intelligence theory, OSINT methodologies, satellite imagery, social media monitoring, geolocation, etc in their curricula to cultivate a new generation of trained analysts.
Indian intelligence agencies should establish dedicated OSINT units and allow the lateral entry of experts in the domain. The growing community of self-taught youth on social media platforms should be recognised and harnessed through fellowships and training. There is a need to foster public-private partnerships to enhance collaboration between the IC, academic institutions, and corporate firms.
Finally, the government should make strategic investments in AI-powered OSINT tools to reduce the time spent by analysts gathering information from open sources. As the digital space grows, the need of the hour is to democratise the intelligence domain. Leveraging individuals and organisations with skillsets in OSINT will enhance national security and foster an informed and resilient society.
Mohit Vashisth is a doctoral candidate at JSIA, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat and a freelance OSINT researcher. Nikita Vats is a doctoral candidate at JSIA, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)