IntelTechniques

IntelTechniques is Michael Bazzell's one-person operation and the most respected OSINT methodology resource in the English-speaking investigation community. Bazzell spent 18 years as an FBI cyber crimes investigator before leaving to focus on OSINT training and personal privacy consulting. His work sits at the intersection of two concerns that matter deeply to journalists: how to find information about other people online, and how to protect your own information from being found. The core product is a web-based collection of OSINT search tools — structured interfaces that query public records, social media platforms, search engines, archived content, and other open sources. These are not hacking tools or data brokers. They are organized, methodical search interfaces that help researchers exhaust public sources systematically rather than relying on ad hoc Google searches. Categories cover people search, email, username, social media, domain/IP, documents, images, and more. The tools have evolved significantly. Earlier versions linked directly to third-party search engines and databases. Current versions are more cautious about operational security — Bazzell has progressively removed tools that might expose the researcher's identity or search patterns to the target. This privacy-first evolution reflects Bazzell's dual expertise: he teaches both how to investigate and how to avoid being investigated. For journalists, IntelTechniques serves three purposes. First, the tools portal provides structured OSINT workflows — a checklist approach to digital research that ensures you've checked all public sources before concluding someone can't be found online. Second, the books (particularly 'OSINT Techniques,' now in its 10th+ edition, updated annually) provide comprehensive methodology that's applicable to any investigation. Third, the privacy guidance helps journalists protect sources, reduce their own exposure, and understand the same techniques that targets use to hide. The 'Extreme Privacy' book and associated guidance is particularly valuable for journalists in hostile environments. Bazzell covers removing personal information from data brokers, compartmentalizing online identities, securing communications, and reducing physical-world exposure. This is the same tradecraft he teaches to stalking victims, domestic violence survivors, and law enforcement personnel — adapted for anyone whose work creates enemies. The limits: IntelTechniques is one person's operation. When Bazzell updates the tools or books, they're updated. When he doesn't, they age. Some tools break when target platforms change their interfaces or APIs. The subscription tools portal has had periods of being taken offline or restructured as Bazzell rethinks the operational security implications. The content is US-centric in its public records coverage, though the methodology is globally applicable. There is no team, no roadmap, no SLA — this is an expert practitioner sharing his methods, not a software company.