2024/12/24 by Vivi Ringnes Berrefjord, Tor E. Bjørstad · 3 voices
Business, Management and Accounting · #Competitive and Knowledge Intelligence
paper · doi:10.1080/02684527.2024.2437955
openalex publication_date 2024/12/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/07
Commercially sourced intelligence (CSINT) is rapidly gaining importance due to attributes such as variety, availability, flexibility, and cost. While its usage is well-documented, this article offers the first systematic academic study of CSINT. We highlight its usability across three vital domains: satellite imagery, personal information, and geolocation, and identify four driving trends that reshape the relationship between state and commercial entities: privatization ofsecurity, proliferation of cyber power, multinationalism, and artificial intelligence. As CSINT’s relevance grows, it is likely to profoundly contribute to digitalized state surveillance, but increased adoption also presents challenges to intelligence services’ democratic legitimacy and accountability.