What is SOCMINT (social media intelligence)?
SOCMINT defined:
Social media intelligence, or SOCMINT, is a process of gathering, analyzing and applying information from various social media platforms to gain insights into individuals’ or organizations’ actions, movements and behaviors. Data collected from social media can be correlated with information from other sources to identify patterns, monitor trends, track emerging issues and validate certain facts and assumptions. SOCMINT is an important open-source intelligence (OSINT) gathering method which can help to create actionable intelligence for decision makers, build law enforcement cases and protect public safety during large events and times of conflict. SOCMINT is also occasionally abbreviated as SMI.
Social media has become an indispensable part of our everyday lives, shaping how people communicate, share information and engage with one another. In this constantly evolving landscape of posts, shares and likes lies a treasure trove of valuable data that can be used for anything from targeted advertising and market research to crime investigations and military intelligence gathering.
SOCMINT is a sub-discipline of OSINT which leverages social media platforms to collect data, such as Facebook, X (formally Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, TikTok, Telegram, Discord and many others. This data can include text, images, videos, geolocation information and metadata, providing a multidimensional view of online activities and interactions.
Why is SOCMINT important?
SOCMINT plays a crucial role in many functions that rely on information and intelligence:
- Risk management and security: Risk management analysts can monitor social media for potential security threats, brand reputation risks or news that might impact their company’s operations. It can also be leveraged in executive protection strategies.
- Law enforcement and intelligence: Local and federal enforcement agencies use SOCMINT to gather intelligence, track criminal activities, identify suspects and spot potential threats. An experienced analyst can use social media to gather information on organized crime, track extremist groups that utilize the supposed anonymity of the dark web and follow the trail of criminals involved in illicit activities such as drug dealing or human trafficking.
- News reporting and online investigations: Journalists, investigative reporters and analysts rely on social media to get first-hand accounts about the situation in conflict zones, natural disaster areas or other locations where events are unfolding rapidly. Social media posts from eyewitnesses have helped reporters bring many stories to the public, especially in areas where information flow is tightly controlled by authoritarian governments.
- Military intelligence: Images, geolocation information and videos posted on social media have proven to be an asset to military intelligence analysts, who can garner insights into the enemy’s capabilities, monitor troops’ movements, or pinpoint locations of their installations by carefully analyzing social media posts and cross-referencing them with intelligence from other channels.
- Market research and competitive analysis: Businesses across all industries leverage SOCMINT to better understand consumer needs and preferences, monitor market trends, assess competitors' strategies, and track overall market sentiment. By analyzing social media conversations and feedback from customers, companies can better target their product offerings, enhance customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the competition.
- Public relations and crisis management: SOCMINT enables organizations to monitor public opinion and effectively manage crises situations. By listening to social media conversations, company SOCMINT analysts can identify emerging issues, spot problems before they can damage brand credibility and respond promptly as needed.
- Disaster response, war zone humanitarian aid and more: During war or any other humanitarian crises, SOCMINT has been helpful in facilitating emergency response efforts. Social media platforms have acted as both communication channels for affected communities and valuable sources for aid agencies to prioritize their efforts in the most affected areas.
How is SOCMINT different from OSINT?
SOCMINT is a subset of OSINT. The two approaches share similarities, but are somewhat different in scope, sources and methodologies:
- Scope and Sources: SOCMINT focuses explicitly on social media platforms, whereas OSINT encompasses a broader range of publicly available information beyond social media, including eyewitness accounts, websites, news articles, other traditional media, government reports, academic publications and public databases.
- Methodologies: SOCMINT analysts use specialized tools and techniques tailored for exploring social media content, analyzing mentions, creating reports and tracking trends. OSINT methodologies are more diverse and may include web scraping, data mining, satellite imagery analysis and human intelligence gathering.
What are some commonly used SOCMINT tools?
SOCMINT analysts have several specialized tools available to them to help collect, analyze and interpret social media data. Some focus on image collection, while others help interpret metadata, cross-reference identities or determine website ownership. Here’s a sample of tools that can help a SOCMINT analyst do their job:
- EXIF viewer tools: The Chrome store offers multiple extensions to view EXIF data — the metadata behind images that includes GPS coordinates, date of capture, camera make and model, etc. It's important to remember, however, that EXIF data can be manipulated or removed entirely by the uploader or platform (many social media sites automatically remove EXIF data due to user privacy concerns). Like any data collected for OSINT, EXIF data should always be corroborated and verified.
- Screenshot tools like Single File or the Silo for Research Screenshot and Annotation tool allow you to screenshot entire pages, including URL links, to create important paper trails, audit-friendly case files and capture social media posts while they are still live.
- Social Bearing is an open search and statistics tool. It can analyze X (Twitter) mentions, find top topics, hashtags, trends and conversations, as well as show the most popular tweets containing specific pictures or links. The tool can also help find geolocated tweets and analyze any user’s timeline.
- Account mapping tools like What’sMyName App and Epieos allow you to search usernames and email addresses to find associated social media profiles and accounts held by a single user to find connections and gain leads.
- Video downloaders allow you to capture videos from social media profiles for more in-depth analysis and case building.
Best practices for collecting SOCMINT:
SOCMINT is a valuable tool for harnessing publicly available information (PAI) and gaining intel on targets, groups and investigations. Analysts hoping to harness social media to geolocate photos, identify persons of interest, collect contact information or analyze and verify imagery need to follow best practices to avoid common pitfalls in social media research.
To harness the full potential of SOCMINT effectively, organizations should adhere to best practices in data collection, analysis and interpretation. Most importantly, they need to focus on adopting safe and secure online investigation practices that are not going to jeopardize their mission success or alert the adversary of an ongoing inquiry.
- Always practice good operational security (OPSEC) when operating on social media: Avoid detection by managing your digital fingerprint and never using personal accounts for collecting data. Analysts can tip off their targets or even be personally exposed by not practicing good OPSEC. Lingering on a profile can result in a friend “suggestion” on some apps and make it clear to the target you are investigating.
- Capture, capture, capture: Posts are constantly being deleted or taken down due to community standards. It’s important for analysts to capture what they need during an investigation as soon as possible to avoid crucial evidence disappearing. Automated collection tools can help assist in making sure no target post gets missed.
- Cast a wide net across social media platforms: X (formally Twitter) has been the go-to resource for many SOCMINT researchers, but many other social media platforms are equally content-rich and can be used for intelligence gathering. TikTok has surpassed Google as the most frequented site worldwide. Other social sites like Discord and Telegram not only have great potential for evidence gathering, but they also host vital communities where researchers can share tools and collaborate. Understanding each social media site, how it's being used and who is using it can help researchers get to the source of what they’re looking for.
- Ensure Compliance with Data Privacy Regulations: Adhere to data privacy regulations, local laws and guidelines when collecting and analyzing social media data. Analysts should obtain consent, when necessary, anonymize sensitive information and implement robust data security measures to protect personal privacy and mitigate legal risks.
- Integrate SOCMINT with other intelligence sources: For best results, it is essential to combine information collected from social media research with data gathered from other OSINT sources and, when appropriate, dark web analysis to enhance the comprehensiveness and accuracy of intelligence.
How does Silo for Research support SOCMINT?
Silo for Research offers the most secure and cost-effective way to do social media research without endangering the researcher’s mission.
Silo’s virtual browser allows SOCMINT collectors and analysts to fully control their digital fingerprint by customizing their browser settings, changing time zone and keyboard configurations to blend in with local traffic and not arouse suspicion. SOCMINT investigators can choose their network address to appear to be accessing the internet from any place around the globe, as well disassociate their internet provider and subscriber information from their organization to make location truly untraceable.
Silo for Research is the leading managed attribution platform used by thousands of organizations and government agencies around the world. With complete control over the digital fingerprint and an isolated browsing session, analysts are protected from bad actors as they gather crucial intel on their targets. All web code is rendered in the cloud and converted into a high-fidelity remote display of the isolated session, protecting endpoints from malware, spyware and drive-by downloads. Automated collection features allow analysts to quickly gather daily information, capture posts and videos before they’re deleted, while annotating and translating each piece of evidence. Encrypted audit logs and a secure data storage manager help maintain the integrity of research and meet chain-of-custody evidentiary policy compliance.
You can learn more about Silo for Research here or sign up for a free trial to start conducting safe and anonymous SOCMINT investigations.
