The (Intelligence) Times are Changing
It used to be a private investigator assigned to a case would jump in his moderately priced nondescript vehicle and venture out to find and document information about a particular subject. Surveillance rates can run from $60.00/hour upwards of $120.00/hour. This costly, gas sucking, surveillance wouldn't guarantee any results.
Changes were needed as Human Resource and Investigation managers constantly struggle to reduce these operational costs.
It only makes sense to have someone who can search the deep web and data mine information that is available before a private Investigations firm starts an investigation.
These people are usually called Opens Source Intelligence Analysts but there are so few of them a proper name is still up for debate. The web does not contain
"intelligence", per se, it contains raw data that when subjected to the intelligence process can be turned into intelligence. From a law enforcement perspective information must be collected, processed, analyzed and disseminated before it can be called Intelligence. Once this is done law enforcement can classify it as Intelligence and then restrict its availability. It is not subject to Freedom of Information requests and generally speaking it is not admitted in court as it usually contains some information from confidential sources.
But what about us in the Private Investigations industry? Can we protect it? My first guess would be "no" we can't. But that doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't use it.
I have seen people wanted on arrest warrants copy their published arrest warrant and post their mugshots on their Facebook page. I have seen people identified holding stolen hockey tickets. It never ceases to amaze me what someone will post on the web. Social media tools make it easy for these criminals to boast and many of them just can't help themselves.
It only makes sense for Private Investigators to access and leverage this information by using an Open Source Intelligence Analyst.
This is so much more than just a "Google" Search". A qualified Open Source Intelligence Analyst can use over a dozen websites and apps to search out information previously thought to be archived and inaccessible. They can access archived information that you won't find using a basic search.
A Google search doesn't reach the majority of content that's on investigation software the web.
Usually law enforcement trained,the analysts goal is to develop actionable intelligence and solve cases using advanced searching methods-sometimes without the need for costly surveillance operations.
I know of one PI firm that had a client who wanted their teenage son followed as they believed him to be involved in criminal activity and drugs. As the youth drove at high rates of speed and very erratically,surveillance was almost impossible. Two days of surveillance resulted in a hefty bill to the client with no results. They contracted an analyst who spent 2 hours on the case and discovered a photo implicating the youth in criminal activity. They did this without ever leaving their chair.
Where to obtain this information is not a trade secret. The secret is- how to access and mine through billions of pieces of data and sort out the relevant information. This is why only a qualified analyst needs to be used.
We in the Private Investigative field should mirror law enforcement and provide a product that is full, frank and fair.
The good and the bad. Complete disclosure for our clients. Its up to us to provide all relevant information so our clients can make informed decisions.
Using an Open Source Intelligence Analyst will give you a comprehensive, detailed investigative report that is more thorough, more professional and specifically designed to withstand the scrutiny of any court or tribunal.
With rising labour and fuel costs this is the future. The information is already out there and it's waiting for you. Lets go get it.
One Canadian Private Investigation firm that uses open source analysts is Investigative Intelligence Solutions Ontario (iiso). They use technology and innovation to change the field of private investigations and surveillance.
They have police trained open source analysts that utilize over a dozen different private intelligence web scraping tools to develop critical information needed to solve your case while increasing investigative success and reducing costs.