Page 27 - Understandinging Forensic Technology Landscape

Public information can be best gathered by fee-based Resources include the following:
sources, often called “social monitors”, such as: • Google Alerts
• Echosec • Biznar
• Liferaft Navigator • SearchTempest

• Media Sonar • Claz
• Voyager Analytics • TweetDeck
• Dataminr • Hootsuite
• Babelstreet • IFTTT

• Cybertoolbelt
Ideally, the investigator locates an online profile,
• Skopenow monitors the activity, captures the key elements and then
• Cision verifies the statements made through other sources.

• DarkOwl

These products range widely in price and provide access Common uses for BI and open
to varying venues, languages, platforms, and outputs. source research
The best tools can be tailored to the specific need. For
example, multiple products can search with specificity, One common approach is to start with a straightforward
such as a specific mention of a topic within a two-mile background check, such as the following:
radius of Tel Aviv in Spanish. DarkOwl and several of the • Locating the subject company or individual by name
social monitors can focus a search on the Dark Web, and locality
an area of the internet still difficult to research. Many • Identify the business documents and public records
vendors will allow sample searches against their system. for the company

These resources do not gain special access into closed • Locate the online presence, including websites and
and protected accounts, but gather their information social media
from open and shared profiles, such as Twitter, • Gather news and media on the company in news and
Instagram or Flickr.
other non-social media sites
Free social media and open source monitoring • Set up google.com/alerts on the subject company
There are several free and relatively convenient sources
for social media monitoring, but they are most effective Researchers should contemporaneously document
for occasional searches or tracking of a specific topic. their search process and related findings. It is equally
Some monitor a specific brand or product; others focus important to clearly document when no information is
on social media accounts and others may capture available. After all, the absence of information can also
keywords. be relevant.

Free sources are often the first step. However, It is common to combine the professional use tools,
professional sources should be implemented when it such as Thomson Reuters CLEAR with social media
is feasible and legally possible. Most professionals use searching to narrow down the key content. The
both approaches. statements made on social media accounts can often
be validated by public records. Before the invention of

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