Open-source intelligence (OSINT) provides a toolkit for answering election-related questions using publicly available information — responsibly and within legal limits.
Common applications
- Verifying viral images and videos
- Investigating political advertising and its funding
- Documenting incidents during election observation
- Mapping influence operations through network analysis
A responsible method
- Define a clear research question.
- Collect public evidence and preserve it (archive early).
- Verify authenticity and provenance.
- Cross-reference multiple independent sources.
- Document your process so others can reproduce it.
Ethics first
OSINT can affect real people. Weigh privacy and safety, avoid amplifying harm, and comply with applicable laws and platform terms. Methodology and transparency matter more than any single tool.
#osint#verification#research