1 definition by Sunshine Amnesia

OSINT is an acronym for Open Source Intelligence. OSINT is not to be confused with Doxxing which is a slang term for a form of harassment done mostly by amateurs, or someone's Fullz which is slang used primarily in the dark web for a document containing privileged information which is illegal to obtain or release such as social security numbers or banking information.

Officially, OSINT is defined as any publicly available information that is collected, exploited, and disseminated in a timely manner to the right people for a specific purpose. OSINT is essentially the digital footprint left behind by a person's online and other public presence and actions. This information is open source, public, and legal to obtain.

Due to the wide overuse of the term Doxxing, it is important to understand that OSINT is a completely different animal. While Doxxes tend to span anywhere from a few lines to a few pages, OSINT dossiers can span hundreds if not thousands of pages depending on the scope of the investigation. OSINT researchers can also specialize in deleting a person's digital trail for the purposes of privacy.
"I'd love to come out tonight, but I've got to run OSINT on this young girl's family to help her get emancipated."
"I'm currently collecting OSINT for a small company that specializes in investigating insurance fraud."
"Don't worry about getting doxxed, our OSINT guy will keep you safe while you peruse your show business career."
by Sunshine Amnesia September 27, 2018
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