Open source intelligence (OSINT) isn’t just Google searches and social media sleuthing. For OSINT professionals like Nico Dekens, also known as Dutch OSINT Guy, it’s a disciplined, analytical process rooted in critical thinking and data validation.
Nico’s work spans law enforcement, government, commercial, and due diligence investigations. But at the core of it all is one guiding principle: “You should always challenge the outcome and be your own devil’s advocate,” he says.
OSINT starts with an answerable question
So what exactly is OSINT?
“OSINT is publicly available information that anyone can access,” Nico explains. “I always make the analogy that my mother should be able to access the information. The hard part is knowing how and where to find it.”
That information might come from the internet, but it could just as easily come from TV, radio, or public records. The key, Nico says, is turning that raw data into something useful.
“The next step is what you do with it. How do you add context to it? How do you turn that into actionable intelligence?” he says. “Someone comes to you with a research question and your job is to collect the right data and process it in a way that helps them make a decision.”
Why tooling and data source knowledge matter
To collect that information, OSINT professionals rely on a growing arsenal of platforms and tools. That includes social media, discussion forums, company registries, financial records, sanctions databases and more.
“Google is nothing more than a door,” Nico says. “Now you have to visit all those results to see if they may contain information that is valuable or not.”
He uses repositories like the OSINT Framework and technisette.com to track different types of searchable information, known in OSINT as ‘pivot points.’ These are identifiers like email addresses, phone numbers, or usernames that can lead you to more data if you know where to look.
And because the internet moves fast, OSINT workflows are increasingly powered by automation.
“Python communicates well with APIs, and that’s what we do a lot,” Nico says. “We have repetitive tasks. So scripting something saves you time. You build it once and use it for different cases.”
See how CloverDX keeps data secure when using AI for data transformations
Using AI without losing sight of security
While Nico is optimistic about using AI to accelerate his work, he’s cautious about how much to trust it.
“In one of my recent investigations, I spent three days building code to analyze shadows in video footage,” he says. “Then I asked Claude to review my code. It gave me suggestions, told me where I’d gone wrong, and I fixed it. That was a huge eye-opener.”
But he warns against using AI blindly.
“People use scripts from GitHub or let AI write code, but if you’re not able to read it, there might be something in there that creates an operational risk,” he says. “It might communicate with a server in another country or access your whole hard drive.”
That’s why human review is essential. “They are super powerful. But I think it’s mandatory that someone reviews what the AI produces and makes sure there's nothing in there that makes you or your company uncomfortable,” he advises.
A mindset of critical thinking
“OSINT is a state of mind,” Nico says. And for him, that mindset revolves around constantly questioning your data and your assumptions.
“People tend to jump to conclusions too fast,” he says. “They don’t grant themselves enough time to thoroughly look at the information they’ve collected. That’s why I use the 5Ws and 1H: Who, what, where, when, why, and how. Ask those questions of every single data point.”
This approach helps analysts avoid confirmation bias and poor conclusions.
“Let someone else review your findings, ideally someone who has little knowledge about your work. They’ll ask the tough questions, like how you got to that conclusion and what facts back it up,” he says.
Don’t overlook the basics
Despite the growing sophistication of OSINT tooling, Nico believes strong fundamentals will always matter most.
“It’s about reasoning with your own data,” he says. “Validation, validation and more validation. That’s what I think is so important for everyone working with data.”
For more OSINT insights, watch the full Behind the Data episode with Nico.
Learn more about data validation in CloverDX
Share
