ABSTRACT
Planning is essential to success in all intelligence and investigative collection. Exploitation of the vast quantities of data on the Internet potentially relevant to any topic can be greatly enhanced by preparation, some of which may consist of a group of queries from a list of URLs normally used for the type of subject being searched (e.g., people, businesses), and some preparation that will be done just before and during searching.1 First, frame the question: What is known about the person, entity, or topic? Next, the search should be based on the following:
• Nature of the data needed • Purpose of the search (including potential uses of results) • Best sources, including standard search engines and Web sites • Geographical location • Government jurisdiction(s) • Resources available • Time available (deadline)
After deciding on an initial search strategy, keyword choices should be made. Keywords should include all logical and likely variations of the name, nicknames, email addresses, and other identiers that potentially could appear in Internet postings. Reverse directories can be consulted for coinhabitants, signicant others, and relatives. Sometimes, postings by people or entities close to a subject can include items containing important information about the person or entity of interest. It may be desirable to combine keywords and use Boolean operators (and, not, or) to home in on the data specically sought, and perhaps nd leads to further
information. More about search strategy appears below, but it is important not to underestimate the value of preplanning.
