OSINT in flow – From Discovery to Evidence

Transparency and Evidence Integrity in Open Source Investigations

Yesterday evening, altia hosted the second webinar in our OSINT and financial investigation series on LinkedIn Live, bringing together investigators, researchers, and OSINT practitioners from across the globe. With attendees joining from the US, UK, Canada, and beyond, the session focused on a critical but often overlooked aspect of open source intelligence: building transparent, credible, and court-admissible evidence.

The Foundation: Why Process Matters

Our Head of OSINT, Dave Sampson, opened with a reality check that resonated throughout the session:

“You can go off and find everything, but you store it in a little folder on your desktop. We’ve no idea where you got it from, no idea when you’ve got it, what use it is, how can you use it, how can you have that confidence to rely on it.”

This isn’t the glamorous side of OSINT work, but it’s essential. As Dave emphasized, credible evidence is transparent evidence. Without robust processes for capture, storage, and handling of open source data, even the most brilliant investigative work can crumble under scrutiny.

Demonstrating Transparency in Action

The webinar featured live demonstrations of the Altia OSINT Investigator tool, showcasing how proper evidence management works in practice:

Evidence Capture & Chain of Custody

• Automated timestamping: Every investigation session is logged with precise start times
• Complete audit trails: The system maintains a record of every page visited during an investigation
• Multi-format capture: Snapshots, full page captures, video recording, and even redaction capabilities
• Hash verification: Mathematical algorithms ensure captured content hasn’t been altered
• Raw HTML storage: Beyond screenshots, the system preserves the underlying page code

Security & Data Governance

Dave walked through how investigations can be locked down at multiple levels:

• Security classifications by department or individual assignment
• Data governance levels appropriate to investigation sensitivity
• Granular user permissions controlling who can access, edit, or close cases
• Cloud-based infrastructure (Microsoft Azure) with additional VPN options for anonymity

Collaboration: Breaking the “Hooded Investigator” Myth

One of the most engaging discussions centered on whether OSINT is truly a solitary pursuit. The answer? It shouldn’t be.

As Dave noted,

“We’ve got a lot of armchair investigators who think, oh, I’ve got a phone. I can do the investigation myself.” But professional OSINT work requires collaboration, especially given the volume of available data.

Modern investigations benefit from:

• Team-based approaches: Multiple investigators working different angles simultaneously
• Shared case access: Real-time collaboration on the same investigation
• Intelligent matching: Systems that identify when different investigators are examining related content
• Link analysis: Automated connections between data points across investigations

The Patience Factor

Dave shared a compelling example from his law enforcement days: catching a thief through his reflection in a product photo on eBay. The lesson?

“You have to be patient. We quite often fall down because we’re like, nope, nothing there, move on.”

This led to discussion of monitoring capabilities – setting up automated watches on web pages to capture new content as it appears, rather than conducting one-time searches.

Looking Ahead: AI in Evidence

The session closed with a thoughtful discussion about artificial intelligence in investigations. The consensus? AI is a powerful tool, but it must be:

• Used responsibly within secure, enterprise-grade systems
• Subject to human validation at input and output stages
• Transparent in its application (maintaining that crucial audit trail)

As Dave put it: “AI isn’t gonna be Stan in the witness box. It’s gonna be me. It’s gonna be Stan, and we need that confidence around that.”

Key Takeaways

1. Process before tools: Establish robust evidence handling procedures before diving into investigations
2. Transparency builds credibility: Every step of your investigation should be traceable and defensible
3. Collaboration amplifies results: Modern OSINT benefits from team approaches and shared intelligence
4. Patience pays off: The information you need may not be available immediately—monitoring and persistence matter
5. Standardize your workflow: Consistent processes across investigations ensure nothing falls through the cracks

What’s Next?

This webinar laid the foundation – the “morning one” of a training course, as Dave described it. Future sessions will dive into more advanced techniques including:

• Geolocation and mapping
• Social media intelligence
• Photograph analysis
• Bulk location identification
• The new standalone OSINT Investigator platform

Join the Conversation

The series continues to grow as a community hub for practitioners across sectors. Whether you’re in law enforcement, private investigation, corporate due diligence, or academic research, we’d love to hear from you.

Interested in learning more about Altia’s solutions or joining future webinars? Connect with us on LinkedIn or reach out to discuss how transparent, defensible OSINT can strengthen your investigations.