CSINT and commercially available information

Commercially sourced intelligence (CSINT) represents an attractive path for the intelligence community due to attributes such as variety, ease of access, flexibility, and potentially low cost. However, while its use is well documented, to our knowledge this is the first systematic study of CSINT within an academic context.

The research project explores where CSINT is today, highlighting its use within three important domains: satellite imagery, personal information, and geolocation data. It finds that four trends accelerate CSINT’s future position alongside established intelligence practices and capabilities adoption: privatization of security, proliferation of cyber power, multinationalism, and artificial intelligence. Therefore, CSINT’s relevance will likely only increase and profoundly contribute to the liquidity of digitalized state surveillance.  We argue that CSINT likely present unique challenges the intelligence services' democratic legitimacy and accountability.

The project is a collaboration with Tor E. Bjørstad at Mnemonic.