Who is OH SHINT! It's A Blog! written for?

Updated

OH SHINT! It's A Blog! is written for people who want practical, practitioner-style material on open-source intelligence (OSINT), operational security, anonymity, surveillance and counter-surveillance, tradecraft, and related cyber-security topics. It is a personal OSINT blog by a licensed private investigator, not a news outlet or a corporate vendor site. If you are looking for step-by-step investigation techniques, resource and tool lists, and write-ups of actual research rather than headlines, this site is aimed at you.

Who will get the most out of it

The author describes the blog as articles, write-ups, and "ramblings" about intelligence and counter-intelligence subjects. Based on the site's own description, the intended audience includes:

  • OSINT practitioners and learners — people interested in OSINT investigations, intelligence discovery, and intelligence collection, including resource and tool lists, research write-ups, and guides on investigating many different platforms and subjects.
  • Privacy and OPSEC-focused readers — those looking for OPSEC and privacy research, guides, and anonymity material.
  • Tradecraft and spy-craft enthusiasts — readers interested in general tradecraft techniques.
  • Surveillance and counter-surveillance readers — people curious about surveillance tactics and techniques.
  • Cyber-security-adjacent readers — the author lists cyber-security among the topics and personal interests.

Who it is probably not for

  • Readers who want breaking news or daily coverage. The site is framed as articles, write-ups, and guides, not a news feed.
  • People seeking vendor product documentation or official standards. The author states he and any contributors are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any companies that may be listed on the site.
  • Anyone looking for a guaranteed publishing schedule. The author originally planned a new article every week "if time permits," then directly notes, "Well, this was a lie.." — so treat posting frequency as irregular.

What kind of content to expect

Dimension What the site says
Format Articles, write-ups, guides, resource and tool lists
Core subjects OSINT investigations, intelligence discovery and collection; OPSEC, privacy, anonymity; tradecraft; surveillance and counter-surveillance; some cyber-security
Author background Licensed private investigator specializing in intelligence collection, surveillance, and counter-surveillance operations
Other stated interests Cyber-security, internet culture, firearms technology, forensic document examination, spy-craft
Update cadence Planned weekly, but the author acknowledges this did not hold

Practical notes before you rely on it

  • Reuse is explicitly allowed. The site says you may save, download, archive, copy, share, edit, re-post, and re-upload its content. Credit is preferred but not required, and the author asks that people not claim the content as their own.
  • Check the disclaimer. The site carries an "obligatory disclaimer" stating the author and contributors are not responsible for end users' actions — in other words, the material is presented for legitimate use, and misuse is on the reader.
  • Use it as a reference library, not a single source of truth. Because the content is personal write-ups and resource lists, verify tools and techniques against current sources before applying them in real work.

If your interest is hands-on OSINT methodology, privacy and anonymity practice, or surveillance tradecraft from a working investigator's perspective, this blog is written for you. If you need timely news, official guidance, or a predictable publishing schedule, look elsewhere.