Open-source and social media review

An inquiry may involve steps such as • interviewing the reporting party, • interviewing the individual of concern, • conducting a corroborative interview with someone who knows the individual well, • conducting a criminal records check, and • conducting a preliminary review of publicly available online activity (e.g., social media).

A full assessment should involve an extensive interview with the individual of concern, multiple corroborative interviews (e.g., family, friends, neighbors, employers, and classmates), records checks (e.g., criminal, employment, educational, and mental health), reviews of online activity (e.g., social media and personal websites), and physical searches.

Online activity represents another informal system from which to obtain information to guide a behavioral threat assessment.

BTAUs should have protocols in place for evaluating open-source online information, including publicly available social media and other publicly available information (e.g., posted pictures, videos, communications, or shared files).

If visible, social media content may provide insight into an individual’s behavior, mindset, interests, and activities, all of which are useful when assessing an individual’s risk of engaging in violence.

BTAUs should also establish protocols for information gathering using popular search engines, which can reveal things such as personal websites and instances when an individual appeared in media coverage.

Partner agencies and fusion centers may employ specialized analysts who can assist BTAUs in open-source information gathering.

For example, BTAUs could identify a history of stalking and harassment both through an examination of criminal records and interviews with people who know the individual of concern. Similarly, BTAUs could identify concerning communications both through interviews and through an examination of the individual’s open-source social media posts.

monitoring open-source social media activity;