Mindset, Not Major: The Skills Truly Needed for OSINT By Jay Heisler and Jake Robinson Open-source intelligence (OSINT) has been a critical source of information for decades. The US government’s Foreign Broadcast Information Service predates the CIA itself. Still, the practice of OSINT research…

Mindset, Not Major: The Skills Truly Needed for OSINT

By Jay Heisler and Jake Robinson Open-source intelligence (OSINT) has been a critical source of information for decades. The US government’s Foreign Broadcast Information Service predates the CIA itself. Still, the practice of OSINT research and analysis has changed dramatically throughout the IT and AI explosions, and despite the IC’s recent focus on OSINT as […]

theosintoutput.com

Happy to have coauthored this piece with former CIA officer Jake Robinson in The OSINT Output blog. Thanks Tim Farmer and Chris St. Germain as always…….. And apologies for the dead link in my first post. My editors take the blame……… Link: theosintoutput.com/2026/08/02/m...

Mindset, Not Major: The Skills Truly Needed for OSINT

By Jay Heisler and Jake Robinson Open-source intelligence (OSINT) has been a critical source of information for decades. The US government’s Foreign Broadcast Information Service predates the CIA i…

theosintoutput.com

If you need to get something atrocious off the top of your LinkedIn newsfeed as fast as possible, you can go to your notifications and click on the first post that's recommended to you in your notifications. That resets your newsfeed with the recommended post at the top of the newsfeed………

If you look closely you’ll see my friend Philippe Mineau thanked me in his new novel, a novel which made CBC’s recommended reading list, and was recommended in the press materials by the drummer for Blue Rodeo……….. Here’s us at Phil’s book signing tonight………..

Having fun with free access to OSINT software company Rolli...... I searched on Rolli for analytics on my own Facebook page! I've attached here the results. And anyone who says they saw this post can contact Rolli and get a discount on Rolli services (you'll have to ask them how much).

Today my art college course I teach had an amazing guest speaker. Thanks are owed to Meadhbh Park for speaking with my students. Meadhbh is one of the world's top experts on violent misogyny. You can find her book "Blackpilled: Masculinity, Media and Incels." I have ordered a copy myself!

Fun with friends at the multicultural festival!!!!

The Nova Scotia Guard have a booth at Nova Multifest, which is Halifax’s multicultural festival. Took a break from churros, Philippines quail eggs and a mangonada drink, to chat up the Nova Scotia Guard booth because I’m a Nova Scotia Guard volunteer. I encouraged my friends to sign up……..

Embarking on a new journalism project, that I’m pitching to a reputable advocacy magazine. Students without driver’s licenses wanted to know what it’s like for me being 40 and still not having a driver’s license. So I’m writing a tell-all.…….

I patented some jargon today: LAZINT. It means one Google search (Lazy-OSINT).

Attending a Green Party trivia night with Elizabeth May attending as well. I used to have Elizabeth May on Facebook. She just explained that “slogan” is a Gaelic slogan meaning “war cry.” Jo-Ann Roberts said hi when I arrived and I’m sitting with my invite, the co-director of the Green Party of NS.

On August 10 at 5pm, we're hosting our biggest-ever guest speaker in our speaker series we have been organizing monthly since June 2025. Our speaker is a former NDP politician in the Nova Scotia legislature who went on to be a UN aid worker. Location is CoWork Halifax on Quinpool Road.

Again, check out my in-person lecture to DEFCON Halifax from two weeks ago. Connect with me if you’re in #OSINT #Geopolitics or in #Halifax #NovaScotia

Higher Education in the OSINT Field: Never Necessary But Always Helpful

YouTube video by DEFCON Halifax

m.youtube.com

Getting a free look inside an exciting OSINT software. Rolli is founded by a former CNN journalist, who connected with me because we both used to work for Voice of America. I can say that Rolli do offer discount codes for organizations who say they heard about Rolli through my posts.

Enjoy my latest interview I did for the OSINT Output, about the Venezuela earthquake response………..

The OSINT Output@theosintoutput.com · 2w ago

Jay Heisler Interviews Amy Sins, a Chef, Entrepreneur, and Disaster Response Leader! By Jay Heisler, Freelance Canadian Journalist Biography: Amy Sins (LinkedIn Profile) is a New Orleans chef, entrepreneur, speaker, and disaster-response leader, and the founder of Fill the Needs, a 501(c)(3)…

A final reminder that you can check out the YouTube video of my in-person lecture to DEFCON Halifax from two weeks ago. The YouTube video functions as a quick way to figure out what the heck is going on with my career and also to figure out what OSINT means, the two questions I get the most.........

Higher Education in the OSINT Field: Never Necessary But Always Helpful

YouTube video by DEFCON Halifax

youtube.com

Greetings from tiny Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where I bought my friend Matt Zalot a beer because he just switched from being a Canadian military officer to being a Canadian military reservist. Matt didn’t know what his future held after the military but now his future holds more military life.…….

Happy to say that, with the permission of the Nova Scotia Guard, I have added the Nova Scotia Guard to my LinkedIn page under "volunteering." The Nova Scotia Guard is the provincial government's volunteer corps for natural disasters. Some of my students were interested in signing up to volunteer too

LatinFax may be affected by rain, in which case seven of us will stick around Afri-fest under the tent!!

Anyone looking for us at Afri-fest, we’re the three people pictured here closest to the stage, plus me with this tasty bag of African donut puffs to share……….. Watching Ifo Ikede leading the drum circle with storytelling………

Networking with Generation Z at the Third Wednesday tech and media happy hour tonight…….. Well, my friends I showed up with and met here are all Millennials and Generation X but…….. Today’s networking haul were Generation Z. Invited them to my in-person discussion group…………

I befriended a Canadian military chaplain at the event today at the military base downtown. He’s agreed to be my September guest speaker in my in-person speaker series I’ve been organizing monthly since June 2025. I have a non-alcoholic beer in this photo as I teach in 30 minutes………..

Hey everyone! A reminder that you can check out the YouTube video of my in-person lecture to DEFCON Halifax from Thursday night. It's a good introduction to my work, and what OSINT means, and one of the most common questions I get is "what does OSINT mean." Check it out.............

Higher Education in the OSINT Field: Never Necessary But Always Helpful

YouTube video by DEFCON Halifax

youtube.com

The YouTube video from my in-person talk on higher education and OSINT for DEFCON Halifax........ Check it out!

Higher Education in the OSINT Field: Never Necessary But Always Helpful

YouTube video by DEFCON Halifax

youtube.com

Me today giving a talk in-person about higher education and OSINT, through DEFCON Halifax at the Volta co-working space. Almost 20 people showed up and it’ll be on YouTube. My last DEFCON Halifax talk, in February, about anti-hate OSINT, got over 200 views on YouTube………

A friend just sent me this on Signal: I’m featured prominently in Melanie Joly’s Facebook video of Monday’s event………. Proof I write my own posts………. “ www.facebook.com/share/r/1DS4.... @Jay Heisler your on the spot. Melanie Joly post on Carney's announcement.”

Me hanging out with the other journalists waiting for PM Mark Carney to arrive. Talked to the local newspaper and Globe and Mail lots (the other writers), but met CBC and Global. Mélanie Joly is here. PM Carney arrives soon! Also talked to the US military guy here. He’s from Virginia………

Check out my latest writing credit…….. A UK report on soccer hooligans!

The Coalition of Cyber Investigators@coalitionci.bsky.social · last mo.

⚽ OSINT 1 – Hooligans 0 ⚽ Our latest piece examines how #OSINT tools & #tradecraft can help improve football intelligence - from countering black OSINT to standardisation Authored by cofounders @londoncity325.bsky.social & @nealysart.bsky.social & guest contributions from @jayheisler.bsky.social

⚽ OSINT 1 – Hooligans 0 ⚽ Our latest piece examines how #OSINT tools & #tradecraft can help improve football intelligence - from countering black OSINT to standardisation Authored by cofounders @londoncity325.bsky.social & @nealysart.bsky.social & guest contributions from @jayheisler.bsky.social

OSINT 1 - Hooligans 0 The Future of Football Intelligence: How OSINT Can Help Tackle Football Hooliganism

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 unfolds, football hooliganism has evolved from a localised menace into a digitally coordinated threat. This article examines how OSINT tools and tradecraft can transform foo...

coalitioncyber.com

A huge networking win this year was I met a Good Robot manager at an international trade conference…… Months later, a mentor messaged me yesterday with a photo of Good Robot’s newest non-alcoholic option, an IPA. So today I filled a reusable grocery bag with eight of the new non-alcoholic beer.…….