Research methods
Define a question, select open sources and maintain a clear process.
Learn morePRACTICAL RESOURCES
Document the method before automating the task.
Clear guidance on tool usage, known limitations, privacy and sound working practices.
Separate source material, interpretation and evidence
Effective open-source research begins with a transparent method. What is the lawful purpose? Where did a claim originate? Can it be independently corroborated? What are the limits of confidence?
Pacta Cyber Lab documentation focuses on technical concepts, responsible handling of information and tool limitations. It supports practical training rather than promising access to restricted data.
TOPICS
Practical documentation themes
Detailed how-to resources can be added to these sections over time.
Capture & preservation
Understand formats, source links and technical traceability.
Learn morePrivacy and compliance
Collect only what is needed and assess applicable obligations.
Learn moreResponsible automation
Understand APIs, platform restrictions and collection limits.
Learn moreMetadata & validation
Review dates, file attributes and inconsistencies in source material.
Learn moreContinuous learning
Build skills with safe exercises and anonymised examples.
Learn moreUse synthetic examples or lawfully accessible data in demonstrations. Unauthorised access, evasion and inappropriate data collection are not encouraged.
Tell us about your software or OSINT project
Planning a software tool, training programme, white-label platform or technical workflow? Describe your requirements by email.