The global open-source intelligence market was valued at Euro 3,422.74 million in 2021 and is projected to reach Euro 10,858.24 million by 2028; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.9% from 2021 to 2028.

Over a few years, social media has gained momentum across the world. More than 80% of the global population has at least one social media account. Apart from using social media account for communication, individuals are using it for earning. Social media has also become a marketing platform for both individuals and businesses. Social media networks provide several options for internet investigations because a large amount of important information is available at one location. For example, any personal information can be obtained from anywhere across the world by checking a person's Facebook profile. The information gathered from social media websites is referred to as social media intelligence (SOCMINT), which is a subbranch of open-source intelligence (OSINT). Social media platforms can have both public posts and private posts. Without the creator's consent, private information-such as materials shared with friend circles-cannot be accessed. However, with the rise in the use of social media, content and data theft have also experienced a surge over the years. Therefore, the adoption of social media intelligence is increasing across businesses to protect every data published on their social media pages. For instance, MEDUSA offers a platform to analyze digital data from social media, dark web, forums, and closed databases to help organizations fight against serious crimes. Thus, the above-mentioned factors are expected to fuel the growth of the open-source intelligence market in the future.

The global open-source intelligence market is segmented on the basis of technique, end user, and geography. Based on technique, the market is segmented into text analytics, video analytics, social media analytics, geospatial analytics, security analytics, and others. Based on end user, the open-source intelligence market is segmented into government intelligence agencies, military and defense intelligence agencies, cyber security organizations, law enforcement agencies, private specialized business, financial services, and others. Geographically, the market is segmented into North America (the US, Canada, and Mexico), Europe (France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Russia, and the Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the Rest of APAC), Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the UAE, and the Rest of MEA), and South America (Brazil, Argentina, and the Rest of SAM).

In Europe, the COVID-19 pandemic has a different impact on different countries, as only selective countries have witnessed the rise in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and subsequently imposed strict and prolonged lockdown periods or social isolation norms. However, Western European countries such as Germany, France, Russia, and the UK have seen a comparatively modest decrease in the growth activities because of the robust healthcare systems. The sudden COVID-19 outbreak pandemic across the region has led to the standstill situation in business operations and the closure of small and medium enterprises in Europe. In the initial three to four months of 2020, the region experienced a dip in technological investments across the country. However, the region rapidly adopted remote working culture, thereby utilizing digital platforms for business operations. The rapid shift in a complete digital phase created data security issues across the organizations in Europe. For instance, in December 2020, an unspecified number of Spotify (Headquartered in Sweden) members reported change of passwords due to a software flaw that exposed account information to the public. Similarly, in July 2020, an unprotected server exposed the personal information of 60,000 users of Ancestry.com, a family history search software company. Thus, the increase in the data breaching cases have influenced the adoption of open-source intelligence solutions, thereby positively impacting the growth of the market.

The overall open-source intelligence market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining an overview and forecast for the open-source intelligence market with respect to all the segments. It also provides the overview and forecast for the market based on all the segmentation provided with respect to five major regions-North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America. Also, primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate data and gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants of this process include industry experts such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders, specializing in the open-source intelligence market.

A few key players operating in the global open-source intelligence market are Digital Clues; Alfresco Software, Inc.; EXPERT SYSTEM S.P.A.; Palantir Technologies; Thales Group; Maltego Technologies.; NetSentries Technologies FZCO; IPS S.p.A.; Google LLC; and Recorded Future, Inc. Several other players are also functioning in the market worldwide, contributing significant revenue shares year-on-year.