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OSINT Part 1 - The Digital Lens Into Personal Security with Jon Blake

In the first part of this podcast, Philip Grindell interviews Jon Blake, a former Metropolitan Police Detective who has become an expert in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).

They discuss:
- Jon's background as a career detective who moved into cyber investigations, worked in covert operations, and eventually became a national internet investigation coordinator before entering the private sector in 2015.

What OSINT is: Open-source intelligence refers to gathering publicly available information and processing it for reliability and assessment. Jon notes that in policing, they've moved away from the term "OSINT" to "triple I" (internet investigation and intelligence).

- The difference between the surface web (indexed by search engines), the deep web (content not indexed by search engines, such as commercial databases), and the dark web (accessible only through specific tools like Tor).

- The distinction between open source (publicly available information) and closed source (information from private systems).

- The importance of treating digital evidence properly, including creating audit trails, capturing evidence methodically, and preserving digital material to maintain its integrity.

- How investigators must approach OSINT with the mindset that any information gathered could potentially become evidence, so proper documentation and verification are essential.

The experts emphasise that OSINT is a powerful investigation tool but should be part of a comprehensive approach rather than relied upon exclusively.

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