Transforming Modern Intelligence with Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)

The growing importance of OSINT

The modern intelligence landscape demands more than secrecy — it demands clarity. Open-source intelligence (OSINT) has emerged as a foundational tool for navigating today’s risks with speed, transparency, and credibility. In an era of real-time information, digital disinformation, and geopolitical uncertainty, OSINT provides decision-makers with the verifiable, timely insights they need — without relying solely on classified sources.

Defense and legislative bodies are recognizing this shift. Recent U.S. policy proposals[1] emphasize the need for standardized, scalable OSINT capabilities across national security organizations. In Congress, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence announced a new OSINT subcommittee in 2025.[2]

Not just data collection: The true value of OSINT

OSINT is far more than the passive collection of publicly and commercially available information (PAI/CAI). It represents the sophisticated validation and analysis of open-source data through rigorous methodologies, transforming raw inputs into actionable intelligence.

What sets OSINT apart is its potential for verifiability. Because OSINT is derived from PAI and CAI, its findings can be cross-referenced or corroborated by outside stakeholders, such as journalists, researchers, and analysts. This transparency provides a unique opportunity to build trust. During Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for example, OSINT enabled analysts to verify troop movements and counter disinformation campaigns in real-time, often providing critical insights days ahead of traditional classified reporting.

This transparency is more than a feature — it’s a strategic advantage that strengthens decision-making confidence, operational agility, and public credibility in an era of misinformation.

Open-source data is also relatively inexpensive, making OSINT tools extremely cost effective. In a recent Federal Tech podcast, Babel Street VP Jason English remarked, “Open source intelligence is the lowest cost of all intelligence disciplines. Compare it with human intelligence (HUMINT), which is the process of collecting information from people. There’s a large cost associated with tradecraft training and recruiting, protecting, and maintaining confidential sources. Also consider the cost of covert infrastructure and it’s easy to see that OSINT tools can offer high returns.”

The complete intelligence picture

Traditional approaches have treated OSINT and classified intelligence as separate or competing domains. A modern intelligence perspective bridges this gap by recognizing that integrated solutions can help:

• Enrich classified sources with rapid, transparent open-source context
• Provide broader situational awareness while maintaining security protocols
• Enable smooth transitions between unclassified and classified workflows
• Maximize information sharing without compromising sensitive data

The most effective OSINT strategies also balance the need for the human element as they combine the speed and precision of AI with the contextual insight of human analysts to:

• Process vast volumes of multilingual data
• Detect subtle signals, patterns, and anomalies
• Surface hidden risks and early warning indicators
• Identify and verify individuals and entities at speed and scale
• Accelerate mission-critical insights  

AI is only one part of the equation. Organizations adopting AI-powered OSINT solutions — like those offered by Babel Street — must ensure the role of human analysts remains central. Modern OSINT tools must be designed to enhance, not replace, expert intuition and ensure intelligence is contextual, culturally informed, and ethically sound.

This human-AI partnership aligns with the growing realization among defense and intelligence leaders: AI must empower — not obscure — the decisions being made.

A trusted OSINT partner

Today’s intelligence landscape demands new levels of collaboration between governments and the private sector. This approach reflects the shift happening across modern defense communities — from transactional procurement to strategic, trusted partnerships that accelerate mission outcomes.

As the global leader in OSINT solutions, Babel Street has defined the gold standard for responsible, transparent, and trustworthy intelligence with:

• Comprehensive source validation — Every data source is evaluated for reliability, origin, and potential bias. Full source citation enables end-to-end auditability.
• Privacy-preserving analysis — Advanced anonymization techniques protect individual identities. Our compliance-first approach meets global regulatory requirements.
• Transparent methodology — Clear separation between raw data and analyzed intelligence. Explicit confidence levels and uncertainty flags accompany all outputs.

These principles mirror emerging standards being considered by national security agencies and policymakers — ensuring that OSINT is not just scalable, but also defensible.

OSINT is no longer a supplementary capability — it’s the foundation of modern intelligence. With Babel Street, organizations are:

• Making faster, smarter decisions based on transparent, verifiable insights  
• Countering disinformation in real time  
• Detecting threats before they surface in traditional channels  
• Building trust with stakeholders through ethical, defensible intelligence

Babel Street is transforming the way the world accesses, understands, and acts on intelligence — with solutions that are sophisticated, ethical, and built for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Real-world use cases: OSINT in action

Babel Street solutions are actively powering intelligence missions across industries and sectors:

National security and threat detection — Defense and intelligence agencies rely on Babel Street to identify emerging threats, monitor adversarial narratives, and enhance situational awareness. From tracking military activity in contested regions to identifying early indicators of conflict or disruption, OSINT enables faster, verifiable insights that support critical national security missions.

Event and venue protection — Law enforcement agencies use Babel Street to monitor threats to large-scale events in real time — surfacing early indicators from public chatter, news, and regional social platforms to proactively secure venues and public gatherings.

Market sentiment and brand monitoring — Commercial organizations leverage our OSINT capabilities to track global market sentiment, detect reputational risks, and gain a deeper understanding of how customer behavior and public narratives are shifting across regions and languages.

Geopolitical strategy analysis — Analysts use Babel Street to investigate state-sponsored influence campaigns and global strategy — such as tracking how China shapes international perception and policy through open-source narratives and digital diplomacy efforts.

Supply chain risk intelligence — Governments and critical infrastructure providers use OSINT to identify disruptions, vendor risks, and geopolitical vulnerabilities in global supply chains — enhancing resilience and proactive threat response.

Employee and executive threat protection — Security teams detect and assess digital threats to employees, such as doxxing, impersonation, or targeted campaigns, allowing organizations to protect personnel with precision and speed.

End Notes

1. Federal News Network, Apr 24, 2024, “Intel Community Seeks to Centralize OSINT Under New Strategy,” https://federalnewsnetwork.com/inside-ic/2024/04/intel-community-seeks-to-centralize-osint-under-new-strategy/

2. Federal News Network, Feb 11, 2025, “OSINT Gets Its Own Subcommittee on House Intelligence Panel,” https://federalnewsnetwork.com/intelligence-community/2025/02/osint-gets-its-own-subcommittee-on-house-intelligence-panel/