# What open-source intelligence (OSINT) is

OSINT is a vast concept, and can effectively apply to *any* publicly accessible information contained within a computer, context-depending:

- All social media, organization websites available to the public, or public directories.
- Any software that can sift through [data](database.md).
- Any software that designs or modifies [visual information](engineering-graphics.md), [auditory information](engineering-audio.md), or [text information](cs-ocr.md).
- Records of any sort, including government archives or public filings.
- Any information a person volunteers freely on the internet.
- Customized dashboards or search engines that more quickly work through the information.

Most of the time, OSINT runs parallel to the concept of [forensics](safety-security-forensics.md) within the domain of computers.