What Is OSINT?

Open-Source Intelligence as a public right, not a private privilege.

Definition

OSINT — Open-Source Intelligence — refers to the collection and analysis of information drawn entirely from publicly available sources. It includes news archives, court filings, government databases, academic research, and even social or technical metadata. When analyzed responsibly, OSINT transforms scattered data into verified knowledge.

Purpose in This Archive

Within the Onion Madder network, OSINT is not espionage — it is accountability. This project uses open data to map institutional behavior, trace public records, and document evidence of systemic failure in a way that is visible, verifiable, and admissible.

OSINT here functions as both a civic and ethical discipline: an intersection of journalism, accessibility, and documentation designed to protect the public from opacity.

Methods

The archive uses a combination of manual verification and AI-assisted indexing to:

• Cross-reference legal filings, orders, and exhibits across jurisdictions.
• Verify authenticity of public documents using metadata and version history.
• Summarize complex legal or administrative text into accessible language.
• Preserve disappearing online records before alteration or deletion.
• Build transparent, searchable timelines for ongoing investigations.

Ethical Framework

All OSINT work in this archive adheres to the principles of transparency, accessibility, and consent. Information gathered from public sources is used solely for documentation, education, and civil rights advocacy. Private or non-public data is never solicited or published.

In this context, “intelligence” does not mean secrecy — it means clarity. OSINT becomes ethical when it serves the public record instead of obscuring it.

AI and Open Data

Artificial intelligence assists the OSINT process by recognizing patterns across thousands of pages that would otherwise overwhelm a single researcher. Summaries, cross-links, and entity maps are all generated with human review, ensuring accuracy without exploitation.

The same tools that can enable surveillance can also enable self-defense — when they are turned toward transparency.

Why It Matters

OSINT is a form of digital civil rights work. It empowers ordinary people to challenge institutional narratives, demand documentation, and hold systems accountable through verifiable recordkeeping.

When public data is siloed, inaccessible, or buried behind bureaucratic walls, open-source investigation becomes a form of resistance — a way to make the truth legible.

Contribute or Learn More

If you wish to contribute to ongoing investigations, provide open records, or learn how to conduct ethical OSINT for accessibility or legal documentation, contact: contact@onionmadder.com.

OSINT is not about intrusion. It is about restoring the public’s right to know.