Kornelia’s path into international investigations was shaped by the Arab Spring. As a student in Jordan in 2011, she witnessed mass protests and state responses first-hand. That experience pushed her towards human rights and justice work. Her first role with CIJA focused on documenting atrocities in Syria.

Lynzy’s current work turns to another overlooked cost of war — environmental damage. In both Iraq and Afghanistan, she says, US military bases left toxic legacies: burn pits belching smoke, waste dumped on farmland, rivers contaminated.

“The solution is not just to accept refugees but to restore Afghanistan as a habitable country,” he said. “We must talk about legitimacy. Without it, everything — soft power, diplomacy, economic progress — is cosmetic.”

Social media, often underestimated, has become a useful source in connecting digital footprints. “You might find a company’s Instagram revealing links that no corporate filing ever would.”

Israel's operation targeted multiple nuclear and military installations across Iran, including the Natanz nuclear site, missile storage facilities, and air defence systems. Strikes were also reported in densely populated residential areas of Tehran, resulting in high-profile casualties: top commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, nuclear scientists, and individuals close to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. The Iranian government has confirmed the deaths of at least six nuclear scientists and over 20 mid-ranking military officials.

When asked about the rise of AI in OSINT, she acknowledges its efficiency but warns of risks: “We've caught it hallucinating, we've caught it lying, making up fake legal cases and citations.” While AI can automate tedious tasks, Jenna believes the human element remains irreplaceable.

In the latest episode of The Review Series, Intel Focus co-hosts Qais Alamdar and Rajab Taieb unpacked a development that has gone largely unnoticed in mainstream coverage: the apparent disbanding of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) in Syria, and its fighters’ integration into the country’s newly restructured army.

In a world saturated with conflicting claims, rapid news cycles, and AI-generated media, the truth doesn’t just need defenders — it needs a method. That’s precisely what the Intelligence Spotlight Series tackled in its latest panel featuring Nick Vaughn of Reuters Fact Check and journalist-activist Layla Belhaj Mohammed. From dissecting viral misinformation to the ethics of surveillance, the conversation was both a sobering reality check and a hopeful call for digital responsibility.

Stress, trauma, and anxiety — especially during societal crises — narrow our cognitive flexibility. Under pressure, the brain reverts to old patterns, and misinformation finds its grip. The faster and more emotionally charged our information environments become, the harder it is for people to slow down and critically assess what they’re consuming.

In a world where your source could be a Russian dissident or a soldier in a conflict zone, the rules of engagement have changed. “You can’t just send two lines saying who you are and expect a response. You need to understand who you’re talking to, what motivates them, and whether they can trust you,” Ben explains.

Surprisingly, Sarah admits she wasn't exactly the academic type in high school. “I liked sports more than anything,” she laughs. But her career took a sharp turn when she joined the CIA, initially as an analyst. Just weeks into the job, she knew she wanted to be in operations, not writing reports. She told her boss, who promptly moved her into a targeting officer role.

Neus is passionate about one particular mechanism: access to information laws, sometimes known as Freedom of Information Acts (FOIA).

“These laws exist in over 100 countries. They allow any citizen to request data held by public authorities,” she says. “It could be something as basic as asking for hospital waiting times or data on school closures.”

“We couldn’t go to Afghanistan. The Taliban denied access. So we worked with remote sources, families, survivors, and a network of testimonies,” she says. “We combined personal accounts with visual evidence — sometimes CCTV footage, sometimes injury photos, sometimes images of bodies. And then we verified everything with OSINT methods — using sun shadows, geolocation, building analysis.”

“Don’t try to be the first. Try to be right,” Tal says. And don’t underestimate your own influence. “Each post, each like, each share — that’s power. Use it with care.”

“You’re never the first to tell a story,” she says. “Local journalists, activists, and civil society groups have been navigating these stories long before you arrived. Collaborate.”

Eman explained how visual evidence must be treated with caution—especially when releasing it could expose individuals. “Sometimes, the footage is so unique that it can be traced back to the person who took it.”

From tracing war crimes to unravelling propaganda, OSINT for Ukraine stands as proof that open-source intelligence, when used ethically and persistently, can illuminate even the darkest of wars.