Today's successful investigations increasingly rely on public data from the internet, social media, and other sources of information (often referred to as Open Source Intelligence, or OSINT). This class – perfect for the investigator, analyst, or intelligence supervisor – focuses on setting up a powerful toolbox that will empower you to collect, analyze, and act on information from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, and other public sources. The emphasis will be on searching for investigative targets, criminal organizations, or trends while maintaining digital privacy. We will also discuss how to setup an Intel Section that can plan for, monitor, and track information during a major case or incident. We will explore strategies for community policing, partnership, and engagement designed to generate tips and leads. Finally, we will discuss how to prepare and serve follow-up search warrants to service providers, best practices for the handling of digital evidence, and effective court presentation and testimony. Course includes handouts and over 1,500 investigative links.

Topics Covered:

• The hunt for OSINT in real-time
• Learn DIY skills for online searching
• Setting up a "cold" device
• Using Google Chrome and OSINT extensions
• Virtual Mutual Aid and online canvass
• Searching the "Big Two:" Facebook & Google
• Pivoting from data point to data point
• People-finders and public data
• Capturing and preserving online content
• Search warrants and testimony
• Indexing large content for major cases
• Putting it all together