Choosing the Right Open Source Investigation Software: A Guide to 5 Critical Features

Open source investigation is an increasingly important method for individuals and organizations, public or private, seeking to understand the world around them and affect positive change. It has become an essential tool for investigative journalism, law enforcement, and intelligence gathering for both enterprise security management and national security.

However, carrying out an open source investigation can be daunting, time-consuming, and challenging as it involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting publicly available information (PAI) to produce insights and uncover hidden patterns. Processes that can only be effective with the right toolkit. 

In this article, we will explore the five key features to look for in open source investigation software.

Feature #1: Data Aggregation and Analysis 

An open source investigation involves leveraging data from different sources, including  Open source Intelligence (OSINT), like social media platforms, news websites, web traffic data, search engines, and other public and private data feeds that inform events and phenomena occurring in both physical and virtual environments. The software your team uses should be able to aggregate vast amounts of data from various sources and analyze them efficiently and effectively. Once the data is collected, the software should be able to efficiently process and analyze it to uncover patterns and insights that warrant further investigations.

The importance of having software that can aggregate and analyze large amounts of data cannot be overstated. Investigators need to have the ability to sift through large amounts of information to ensure they have the best odds of success when studying complex phenomena. It is, however, equally important that they don’t get drowned in data to the point of paralysis, leveraging technology that helps them deal with high data volume by facilitating the discovery of previously unknown patterns that call for further research. The software your team uses should also be able to perform advanced analytics, such as sentiment analysis, topic modeling, and network analysis, to uncover hidden connections and save you precious time on otherwise heavily manual work.

Feature #2: Security and Privacy

Open source investigations on sensitive issues, by definition, involve sensitive information. The software you invest in should have robust security and privacy features to protect this information and, by extension, your organization. It should have multi-factor user authentication and role-based access control features to ensure that only authorized users can access the data they need to perform their duties, not exposing data to unnecessary risk.

Encryption is also essential in open source investigation software. The software should encrypt data both in transit and at rest to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, the software should have features that allow users to archive and delete data securely, especially if it contains sensitive information.

Feature #3: Flexibility and Adaptability

Open source investigation often involves rapidly changing circumstances. The software should have the flexibility and adaptability to respond to these changes effectively and adapt. For example, investigators may need to change their search parameters or data sources based on new information. Their research questions will likely evolve over time, affecting the data architecture they maintain to answer such questions. The software should allow users to easily modify search criteria, add or remove data sources, and adjust evidence-gathering protocols and analytical parameters to suit the changing context without generating more costs.

Customizability is also essential in open source investigation software. The software you choose should allow analysts and investigators to create and easily iterate custom workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and integrate with other tools and systems to increase efficiency.

Feature #4: Collaboration

Collaboration is critical in an open source investigation as the issues worked on usually require a collective effort. The software should allow investigators to work together seamlessly and securely. Collaboration features include sharing data sets, annotations, tags, and analytical results with collaborators. Collaboration features like those can improve the quality of the investigation by allowing team members to share knowledge and insights where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Feature #5: User-friendly Interface

Another critical feature to consider when selecting open source investigation software is how user-friendly the platform is for your analysts. Let’s be honest here, open source investigators will spend a lot of time reviewing data. The least we can do is ensure that the tools they use save them time and are enjoyable to operate. You may also work with key informants with different levels of technical expertise, for whom an easy-to-use system will be paramount. Overall, a user-friendly interface can help increase productivity and efficiency by allowing investigators to focus on the task and facilitate quality assurance, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of your team’s research work and rendering it more defensible when communicated with external stakeholders.

A user-friendly interface should also have a clean and intuitive design that allows users to navigate the software effortlessly at various levels of the evidence-gathering and communication lifecycle, including your end customers. 

Conclusion

Open source investigation is a critical tool for journalists, law enforcement agencies, and intelligence organizations around the globe. However, the process of open-source investigation can be challenging, time-consuming, and overwhelming. The right set of tools is essential to make the investigation process resource-efficient and effective in delivering the desired outcomes.

Flexible, user-friendly tools like AKTEK iO can help research and investigation organizations securely collaborate on complex data-driven investigations.