In this blog, our experienced Fivecast Tradecraft Team draws on their expertise in the Intelligence sector to discuss the crucial right to protest and the role of OSINT in managing violent protests.
In recent years, the world has witnessed an increase in violent protests. These events can result in the injury or death of protesters, counter-protesters, innocent bystanders, and authorities. They can also massively disrupt critical resources and infrastructure, costing governments millions of dollars. Open-source intelligence (OSINT) can be a valuable tool used by authorities to help inform and understand protest events and can help to prevent violence and harm from occurring.
The History and Importance of Protesting
Protesting has been around for centuries and is typically a public act of disapproval, disagreement, or opposition towards something, usually to publicize the issue and influence public opinion and/or government policies. Many historic protests have influenced change, such as the 1978 Australian first gay Mardi Gras, the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the 2013 Euromaidan Ukraine protests, and the 1930 Salt March led by Mahatma Gandhi in Colonial India. Protesting is an important form of expression in a democracy. It’s an extension of a person’s freedom of speech, and protesting is a right in many free countries.
It’s important to note that OSINT should not be used by authorities to prevent, inhibit, or restrict peaceful protesting.
However, the authorities have a responsibility to understand, plan, and respond to protest activities, and this is where OSINT can be helpful to authorities to prevent violence, harm, or major disruptions from occurring.
Understanding Violent Protests and Their Impact
It’s important to note that not all protests become violent, and even when they do, it’s usually due to a small minority. Violent protesters can be a small few who use violence to promote their beliefs. These fringe groups can sometimes disrupt the overall goal of the protest, causing harm and drawing negative attention from the press and public. Violent protests can also lead to significant disruptions to critical services. For example, emergency and critical services may be cut off from helping people in need. In 2021, several climate protesters used a truck to block three lanes on the Melbourne West Gate Bridge, causing major disruptions during morning city peak hour traffic. Such actions can have far-reaching consequences, affecting not just the immediate area but also the broader community. This can impact critical services, potentially costing lives, and can also result in significant financial losses for businesses and individuals.
The Role of OSINT in Managing and Preventing Violence
OSINT can play a crucial role in understanding and preparing for protest activity. By monitoring social media, news reports, and other open sources, authorities can gain insights into the size, location, and nature of protest activities. This information can help them plan and respond appropriately, ensuring that they are prepared for any potential violence or disruptions. Authorities can also monitor for violent rhetoric prior to a protest event to inform their assessment. Information from social media, news websites, public records, and more can be combined and used to inform an overall assessment. OSINT can be used to monitor the buildup to a protest, track the movements and activities of protest groups, and identify potential flashpoints for violence.
Request our Industry Brief: UK Riots: Social Media’s Role in Misinformation and Violence
Ethical Considerations and the Future of OSINT
While OSINT can be a powerful tool for managing protests and preventing violence, it is important to use it ethically. Authorities must respect the privacy and rights of individuals and ensure that their use of OSINT does not infringe on these rights. This includes avoiding the use of OSINT to monitor peaceful protests or to target individuals based on their political beliefs or affiliations. One of the key challenges in using OSINT is balancing the need for security with the need to respect privacy. Authorities must be careful not to overstep their bounds and infringe on the rights of individuals. This means using OSINT in a targeted and proportionate manner and ensuring that any information collected is used solely to maintain public safety.
Request our Industry Brief: Ethics and OSINT: Navigating Publicly Available Information
How can Fivecast help?
Violent protests present significant challenges for authorities and communities. While the right to protest is a fundamental aspect of democracy, it is essential to manage these events to prevent violence and harm. OSINT can be a valuable tool in this effort, providing insights that help authorities plan and respond effectively. By understanding the dynamics of protests and using intelligence wisely, it is possible to protect both the right to protest and the safety of the public.
However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to discover, collect, and analyze massive amounts of information regarding protest groups and events, particularly as they continue to evolve. Fivecast ONYX can enable an intelligence analyst with the correct tools to discovery, collect, analyse and report on large amounts of open-source information from the Surface, Deep, and Dark Web. An analyst can utilize augmented intelligence, machine learning, risk detection, and a range of other filters to help cut through the noise and identify actionable intelligence that can be used to support decision-making.
