Blackdot Solutions

Vetting is crucial for organisations across private and public sectors, allowing them to uphold a trustworthy reputation and minimise insider threat. But for vetting to be effective, it needs to go beyond surface-level checks of curated databases. This is where OSINT comes in, adding important context to enable organisations to make more informed decisions. Before you implement OSINT into your vetting process, here are some key points you’ll need to consider: 1. Proportionality: OSINT is drawn from publicly available data, but privacy and proportionality are still concerns. Estimate an appropriate scope for your investigation based on the responsibilities of an individual’s role and be as targeted as possible when collecting data – gathering data indiscriminately could breach data protection regulations. 2. Repeatability: To ensure effective vetting processes are in place, don’t just vet new hires. Instead, vetting should be conducted on existing staff on a regular basis to reinforce security – clear, repeatable workflows are needed to facilitate this. 3. Efficiency: Likewise, when establishing processes you should consider how you can ensure that vetting has a minimum impact on the functioning of the organisation more widely. Vetting needs to be undertaken quickly in order to be truly effective. What would you view as key considerations when using OSINT for vetting? Let us know in the comments. #OSINT #Vetting #BackgroundChecks

Have you had the chance to read the OSINT Handbook yet? If not, we’ve included a sample below so you can take a look inside. Download it now to get insights on current OSINT best practices and unlock better investigations: https://lnkd.in/eCT4RdCw #OSINT #OSINTTechniques #Investigations

This article from GIJN is a great summary of how money launderers are operating in 2024, and what can be done to counter this activity. We’re proud to partner with some of the organisations mentioned in this article, such as OpenCorporates and ICIJ, and we're committed to continuing to support the fight against money laundering and financial crime. https://hubs.li/Q02Gy9gV0 #AML #MoneyLaundering #FinCrime

Because it deals with publicly available, unregulated sources, OSINT is often criticised as being unreliable. But does this criticism have any truth to it? Without knowledge of techniques and best practices, the outcomes of OSINT might well be unreliable – but when practiced correctly, OSINT is a important source of intelligence that shouldn’t be overlooked. Read more below: https://hubs.li/Q02Gy6ZH0 #OSINT #OSINTTechniques #OpenSourceIntelligence

We’re delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for the 2024 Business Weekly Awards. These prestigious awards recognise innovators in the East of England and we’re excited that our dedication to technological transformation within the OSINT space has been acknowledged by this year’s nominations. You can read our full announcement below: https://hubs.li/Q02G918c0 #OSINT #Innovation #BusinessWeeklyAwards

From vetting to counter-terrorism, OSINT has an important role to play in aiding public sector investigators within national security use cases. Discover why it’s so crucial in these use cases by reading our latest blog post, where we also explore what public sector bodies can do to improve the outcomes of OSINT investigations: https://hubs.li/Q02Fv-7d0 #OSINT #PublicSector #NationalSecurity

Did you enjoy last week's post on how OSINT can be used to strengthen border security? This week, we're sharing a longer blog post on this topic. We cover OSINT for border security in more depth, including how OSINT can be deployed to enhance current processes without causing additional disruption: https://hubs.li/Q02DXmpn0 #BorderSecurity #BorderCrime #OrganisedCrime

If you missed our webinar on changing EU AML regulations, don’t worry – it’s now available to watch on demand. Led by anti-financial crime expert Matthew Redhead, this webinar unpacks the implications of the upcoming EU AML package and what you can do to prepare: https://hubs.ly/Q02DW_Fh0 #AML #AMLCompliance #FinancialCrime

Have you ever considered the role OSINT could play in facilitating productive whistleblowing? Whistleblowing contributes to greater accountability and transparency, and OSINT is also often used to achieve these goals. In this article, we discuss how OSINT can contribute to whistleblowing investigations and play a part in the policies that allow whistleblowers’ concerns to be taken seriously: https://hubs.li/Q02CXkf-0 #Whistleblowing #OSINT #Transparency

June marks Pride Month: an opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, as well as discuss and make progress on issues they are currently facing. We’d like to use our platform here to share some recent statistics on LGBTQ+ experiences in the workplace. These statistics demonstrate the progress that still needs to be made, and the importance of not becoming complacent when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusion: ➡️ Less than half of LGBTQ+ employees feel comfortable being out with all of their colleagues. ➡️ Roughly one third of LGBTQ+ employees who aren’t out at work worry that being out would affect their career opportunities. So what can you do to help improve LGBTQ+ inclusion in your workplace? Organisational change is an important step, but individual action can be very effective too. If you’re not part of the LGBTQ+ community, being an active ally in the workplace can help your LGBTQ+ colleagues feel safer and more comfortable at work. This includes sharing your pronouns, using the correct pronouns for others, and calling out non-inclusive and discriminatory behaviour and language if it occurs. Stonewall have a good guide on being an ally at work, which we’ve shared below: https://hubs.li/Q02CXl3f0 #Pride2024 #PrideMonth #LGBTQInclusion