Open Source Investigations in the Age of Google

Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements
About the Authors
Part 1: Open Source Investigations in the Age of Google: Introduction, Context and Overview
	1. Open Source Investigations in the Age of Google: How Digital Sleuths Can Strengthen Human Security
		Introduction
		Ethics and Best Practice
		Advantages and Limitations of Open Source Investigations
		Overcoming Challenges: Innovation and Hybrid Approaches
		After Detection,What?
		Overview of the Book
		Summing up and Conclusions
Part 2: Transparency and Accountability
	2.1. Tracking Human Rights Abuses through Online Open Source Research
		Introduction
		Where Did It Happen?
		When Did It Happen?
			Chronolocation using hybrid methods
			Chronolocation using only satellite imagery
		Who Was Responsible?
		Conclusion
	2.2. Open Source Investigations on the Ground: Reflections on Experiences from South Sudan
		Introduction
		Context: The History of Violence in South Sudan
			Legacies of violence
		The South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms (SSANSA)
			Practical challenges and dangers
			Managing risks and ethics
		Beyond Verification
		Conclusion
	2.3. Monitoring Nuclear Weapons Developments with Open Source Intelligence
		Introduction
		The Nuclear Information Project
			Primary sources
			Secondary sources
			Satellite imagery
		A Rapidly Changing Environment for Open Source Research
	2.4. Remote Scrutiny: How Online Information Can Help to Investigate Airstrikes
		Introduction: Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria
		The Five Ws
			What?
			Where?
			When?
			Who?
			Why?
		Case Study 1: Investigating the US Bombing of the Omar ibn al-Khatab Mosque
			What happened, and when?
			Where did the airstrike happen?
			Who conducted the airstrike?
			Filling the gaps: Mosque or meeting hall?
			‘A preventable error’: The US admits they bombed a mosque
		Case Study 2: Investigating the Russian Bombing of theKafr Nabl Surgical Hospital
		Concluding Remarks
	2.5. Links in the Chain: How the Berkeley Protocol Is Strengthening Digital Investigation Standards in International Justice
		Introduction
		Links in the Digital Evidence Chain
		Different Approaches, Same Aims
		A Networked Approach to Syria
		Increasing Acceptance for a Common Standard
		Conclusion
Part 3: Information and Societies
	3.1. Open Source Journalism, Misinformation and the War for Truth in Syria
		Introduction: A Digital Panopticon
		Investigative Journalism: Crises and New Hopes
		OSINT and Investigative Journalism
		Traditional Reporting vs. New Methods
		Community and Cognition
			Standards and ethics
		Conclusion
	3.2. Saviour or Menace? Crowdsourcing Open Source Research and the Rise of QAnon
		Introduction
		Ethical Institutional Crowdsourcing
		Introduction to QAnon
		Crowdsourced Analysis of Q Drops
		QAnon Collective Interpretation
		How QAnon Crowdsourced Disinformation and Harassment
		Pandora’s Box Opened
	3.3. Collecting Conflict Data Worldwide: ACLED’s Contribution
		Introduction
		ACLED’s Process and Methodology
			Data collection and processing
			Information sources
			Dealing with biases
			Transparency
		ACLED Compared to Other Conflict Datasets
		The Use of ACLED Data in Open Source Investigations
			The case of Yemen
			The case of the United States
		Conclusion
	3.4. OSINT and the US Intelligence Community: Is the Past Prologue?
		Introduction
		OSINT
			Definitions and use
			The US history of OSINT
		Intelligence Culture and OSINT
			Persistent challenges
			New challenges
		Conclusion
Part 4: Global Governance
	4.1. Open Source Investigations before the Age of Google: The Harvard Sussex Program
		Introduction: The Harvard Sussex Program, Its Directors, and Their Impact
		HSP’s Open Source Research
		HSP’s Open Source Information Collection Methods
		Open vs. Closed: Types of Information
		Cautionary Lessons, and Best Practice, for Contemporary Open Source Research
		Conclusion
	4.2. The Verification of Dual-Use Chemicals under the Chemical Weapons Convention through Open Source Research: The Pugwash-SIPRI Thiodiglycol Project
		Introduction
		The ChemicalWeapons Convention
		The Pugwash-SIPRI Thiodiglycol Project
			Production and military utility of sulphur mustard
			Commercial applications of TDG
			Lessons from National Trial Inspections (NTIs)
			The global survey of thiodiglycol
			Considering diversion scenarios
			The Pugwash-SIPRI Thiodiglycol Project – Overall findings
		Verifying Thiodiglycol under the CWC – The OPCW Scorecard so Far
		Can CWC Verification Be Enhanced in the ‘Age of Google’?
		Concluding Comments
	4.3. The Role of Open Source Data andMethods in Verifying Compliance with Weapons of Mass Destruction Agreements
		Introduction
		WMD Treaty Verification
		Roles of Open Source Research
			Providing possible indicators of compliance and non-compliance
			Alerting to possible uses of chemical or biological weapons
			Supporting investigations of non-compliance
			Contributing towards accountability
		Users and Producers of Open Source Research
			Civil society
			International organizations
			States
		A Healthy Dose of Realism
			Data authentication
			Corroboration
			Validation of methods
			Data management
			Data security
			Diversifying expertise
		Reflections on WMD Treaty Verification in the Age of Google
	4.4. Current OSINT Applications for Weapons Monitoring and Verification
		Introduction
		Red Flags and Trade Network Analysis to Monitor Proliferation
		Operationalizing Red-Flag Monitoring and Trade Network Analysis in Weapons Treaty Verification: Opportunities and Constraints
			Data availability
			Processing, tooling and workflows
		Experiences of Using OSINT within Treaty Verification
		Operationalizing OSINT as a Treaty Verification Tool
			Option 1: Decentralized model
			Option 2: Building a bureaucracy
		Conclusion
Part 5: Data, Methods and Platforms
	5.1. Identifying and Collecting Public Domain Data for Tracking Cybercrime and Online Extremism
		Introduction
		Ethical Considerations
			Ethical considerations: General population and research subjects
			Ethical considerations: Researchers
		Material Identification
		Data Collection
			Challenges
			Technical solutions
		Data Usability
			Data licensing and accessibility
			Data use by non-technical researchers
			Data preparation
			Data interpretation
		Conclusion
		Acknowledgement
	5.2. Assessing the Relationship between Machine Learning and Open Source Research in International Security
		Introduction
		Definitions
		Processes
			The open source research process
			A machine learning process
		The Intersection of Open Source Research, Machine Learning and International Security
			Data collection
			Data management
			Data analysis
		Wider Understanding of Machine Learning and Open Source Research
		Future Research and Conclusions
	5.3. Shadow World Investigations: Tracking Corruption in the Arms Trade
		Background and Introduction
		Section I: Understanding The Formal Arms Trade
			International data
			USA-specific data
			Useful sources for identifying arms
		Section II: How Corruption Happens and What to Look for in Procurement Processes
			Intermediaries
				Offsets
				Bidding and post-employment
				Monitoring procurement
		Section III: Digging Deeper; Discovering Corruption Using Open Source Investigations
			Corporate registries
			Court records
			Historical deep dives and document aggregators
			Advanced searches
			Visualizing relationships and managing data
		Section IV: A Note on Closed Source Investigations
		Conclusion
	5.4. Democratization of OSINT: The Vision, Purpose, Tools and Development of the Datayo Platform
		Introduction
		Democratizing Open Source Intelligence through Collaboration
			Context and motivation behind collaborative OSINT
			Collaborative OSINT in the nuclear field
		Collaborative OSINT Using Datayo
			Datayo – Idea and development
			Open Nuclear Network’s nuclear risk reduction concept
			Datayo as a platform for risk reduction OSINT
			Datayo tools
		Ethical Considerations for Collaborative OSINT
		Conclusion
Index