What OSINT means
OSINT is intelligence work done with publicly available information: anything anyone can legally see, download or buy. In conflict monitoring that usually means social media posts, photos and video, commercial satellite imagery, aircraft and ship tracking data, official statements, local news and public datasets.
The point of OSINT is not secret knowledge. It is careful, checkable reasoning with material that is already out there, done in a way that others can repeat.
What it is built from
- Imagery from the ground. Videos and photos posted by soldiers, residents, journalists and official channels.
- Imagery from above. Satellite images, including free imagery from programs such as Copernicus Sentinel, at resolutions that show burn scars, craters, vehicles in the open and changes to buildings.
- Sensor data. Satellite fire detections, aircraft transponder broadcasts, ship tracking signals and seismic records.
- Statements and documents. Official briefings, military claims, court records, budgets and procurement notices.
- Local reporting. Regional outlets and community channels that report events national media never pick up.
Four habits that matter most
Find the original. A video reposted by a large account is often cropped, re-captioned or years old. Look for the first upload and the person who made it.
Check the date. Old footage resurfaces in every new crisis. Ask when it was first posted, and whether the weather, season and light fit the claimed date.
Check the place. Match what you can see, such as buildings, roads, terrain and signs, against maps and satellite imagery. If you cannot place it, say so.
Ask who benefits. Every party in a war publishes material to persuade. That does not make it false, but it means it needs independent support before you treat it as fact.
Confidence, not certainty
Good OSINT states how sure it is. One unverified post is a lead. Two independent reports are stronger. A geolocated video matched to satellite imagery is stronger still. BattleBytes shows this as a confidence ring on every pin, and the same idea works for anything you read: ask what the claim rests on and how many independent pieces of evidence agree.
Ethics and safety
Conflict OSINT can hurt people. A geolocated video can reveal where a unit is right now; an identified face can expose a civilian to reprisal.
- Do not publish the current position of military units, or anything that could be used to target people.
- Do not identify private individuals, including prisoners and the dead, unless there is a clear public interest and it causes no further harm.
- Do not harass people whose posts you analyze, and do not contact people in danger in ways that put them at further risk.
- When you are wrong, correct it publicly. Mistakes in conflict reporting spread fast and do real damage.