The OSINT4Fun project aims to fight against disinformation through an educational and playful approach. Composed of academics and members of civil society, OSINT4Fun seeks to popularize the methods and tools commonly used in OSINT to encourage their adoption by citizens.
The main objectives are:
- Offer educational resources: the platform produces and provides royalty-free, reusable content adapted to different audiences. This is aimed at individuals but also at teachers or popular education associations, for example within the framework of media and information literacy. These resources include:
- Tutorials on OSINT tools and methodologies.
- In-depth dossiers on specific topics.
- Educational and playful challenges.
- Encourage collaboration: OSINT4Fun is a multidisciplinary project involving various skills. It brings together academics and civil society members, while collaborating with national and international partners who jointly explore societal or general interest topics.
- Promote critical thinking: by teaching these techniques, OSINT4Fun aims to strengthen citizens' ability to evaluate and interpret information, thereby contributing to the fight against disinformation, which is perhaps one of the greatest scourges threatening democracies. The manipulation of information blurs the lines between true and false, reinforces polarization, and has serious social, economic, and health consequences.
All productions are royalty-free, with the goal of creating a common public and reusable fund. We have chosen the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC 4.0.
A Discord server is available for people wishing to discuss our projects: https://discord.gg/fWpMTvVZjC
History
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The OSINT4Fun project is the continuation of the OSINT advent calendar imagined and launched at the end of 2023 by Céline Girardeau and Alain Godon. The story is told in this article from Ouest France.
This first 2023 edition was a huge success, as evidenced by visitor feedback and site statistics. Indeed, in just one month:
- more than 15,000 visits, about 800 players
- visitors from around the world and dozens of messages of support
- Top 5 countries: France, Germany, Poland, United States, Spain
The project perfectly fulfilled its role of introducing information research on the internet. OSINT professionals appreciated the “relaxing” nature of the small challenges we presented, while less experienced users discovered tools, techniques, and gained rigor in their information searches.
Steering Committee
After the first experiment with the OSINT advent calendar 2023 and its success, various colleagues and students from the University of Angers decided to collaborate to continue this initiation work, preliminary and/or ancillary to OSINT work, and to go further in training and education.
We formed the steering committee of the project in January 2024, and it is gradually expanding with the arrival of new talents. The committee works on various projects:
- Creating resources such as dossiers and tutorials.
- Designing educational challenges.
- Organizing conferences open to all (academics, students, general public).
- Annual organization of the #adventofosint advent calendar with the development of a network of national and international partners.
Scientific and Ethics Committee
To ensure the quality and scientific rigor of our work, we have set up a scientific and ethics committee. It is composed of respected figures in their fields, whose work is related to our missions.
This committee can be consulted by the steering committee to give its opinion prior to the publication of a dossier. It can also be seized by anyone questioning the work of the steering committee.
OSINT Communities
There are many platforms and communities for French speakers around OSINT, often with a specialized focus. Some offer tools, publications, training, exercises, etc. We have established collaborations and wish to develop this further.
Here is a - non-exhaustive - list of the main associations:
- Bellingcat is an international group investigating all kinds of topics, even sensitive ones: Mexican drug traffickers, crimes against humanity, monitoring the use of chemical weapons, etc.
- OpenFacto is an association aiming to federate and promote the French-speaking OSINT scene and offers publications, training, and support to NGOs.
- Oscar Zulu is a group of enthusiasts offering thematic challenges and CTFs to make OSINT fun and educational.
- OSINT-FR is the oldest French community with the goal of democratizing OSINT.
- OSINTOPIA is a French community offering numerous OSINT challenges for all levels.
- Projet FOX is a group promoting OSINT and its applications to crises and armed conflicts.
Our visitors can approach the platforms or communities that suit them best to truly understand OSINT well beyond what we currently offer.