Open-source intelligence (OSINT) hit a tipping point in 2025. From a support function that was once the domain of a few specialists, it is now at the center of risk work for governments, enterprises, and investigative teams. This shift happened as teams began to treat open-source data as operational intelligence rather than background research.
The volume of public data grew massively, from social networks to decentralized platforms, blockchain transactions, and more. At the same time, global risk increased, driven by:
- Elections
- Disinformation
- Transnational crime
- Corporate espionage
OSINT became a necessity to stay ahead of risks.
The market shifted to reflect that need. The OSINT market surpassed $4.5 billion in a strong year for enterprise adoption. Fortune 100 companies standardized OSINT into their fraud teams, while teams across trust and safety, M&A, supply chain, brand protection, and more saw widespread adoption.
Governance and auditability took center stage, as legal and compliance teams required answers that they can defend.
By the end of 2025, OSINT was no longer optional. It’s become a core component of the infrastructure to understand risk in highly uncertain environments.
In our OSINT Year in Review report, we look at what changed, why it changed, and what that means for teams in the future. In this post, we summarize the high-level themes and key findings from the report. You can download the full report for data and details behind the analysis of how open-source intelligence shifted from a nice-to-have capability to the critical infrastructure for operating in an uncertain and complex world.
Key Highlights
OSINT became operational
2025 marked the year OSINT became a core intelligence function. Teams used OSINT in corporate security, fraud, compliance, trust and safety, and mergers and acquisitions. Open-source signals became part of normal workflows rather than a side capability.
Enterprise adoption accelerated
Large enterprises deployed OSINT across departments, including cyber teams, investigators, legal teams, procurement teams, and brand protection. Fortune 100 adoption increased as both public- and private-sector organizations relied on OSINT to reduce blind spots. The market grew past $4.5 billion as demand expanded.
Data volume outgrew manual workflows
Public data continued to grow faster than teams could process manually across social platforms, decentralized networks, and blockchain activity. Manual workflows broke under scale, and teams needed automation to keep up with volume and speed.
AI became practical
Large language models (LLMs) supported real investigative tasks, helping analysts summarize cases, connect identities, and flag patterns. Multimodal analysis became common, including text, images, video, geospatial data, and blockchain signals, all analyzed together in active investigations.
Unified platforms replaced tool sprawl
Enterprises favored consolidated investigative environments with fewer tools and shared context that supported faster triage and better collaboration. Fragmented workflows slowed response and increased operational risk.
Key Findings
Governance mattered as much as speed
Legal and compliance teams required audit trails. Data provenance and ethical controls became critical as OSINT outputs needed to withstand scrutiny in courtrooms, boardrooms, and regulatory reviews. Speed alone was not enough.
Verification mattered more than discovery
Finding data was no longer the problem; trust was. Source validation, reliability scoring, and defensible conclusions shaped how teams measured success going forward.
OSINT matured into a core intelligence discipline
By the end of 2025, OSINT was no longer optional. It became part of the enterprise risk infrastructure, integrated, scalable, and governed. OSINT was now used to understand uncertainty rather than react to it.
For the full analysis and data behind these findings, download the complete OSINT Year in Review report here.
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