Private Sector

In January 2026, Business Insider published an investigation detailing how a viral Reddit post alleging systemic exploitation inside a major food delivery platform was, in fact, an AI-driven hoax (Parmar, 2026). The anonymous poster claimed to be a whistleblower bound by a non-disclosure...

As 2025 draws to a close, one truth has become clear over the last 12 months: the need for open-source intelligence (OSINT) expertise and tradecraft only continues to grow. This year, Hetherington Group’s HG Training saw a record number of professionals trained in open-source...

The fear of physical violence is the main reason Executive Protection (EP) teams and Physical Security specialists reach out to Hg. As referenced in my previous two blogs, most people use our Digital Vulnerability Program because of fear of physical harm to themselves or their family....

In my previous blog, we covered the importance of a comprehensive strategy for Digital Executive Protection (DEP) that goes beyond Personally Identifiable Information (PII) removal. In this second blog in the series, I want to address the role of social media data in DEP and how a comprehensive...

It’s time we had a real discussion about what Digital Executive Protection actually is and what it is currently lacking today. Personally, I’ve only been in the Digital Executive Protection (DEP) space while working at Hetherington Group, however I’ve been in the OSINT world for...

The personal security of high-profile executives is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. Between an increasingly divided political landscape, rising civil unrest, and a federal government shutdown that threatens to disrupt commerce and destabilize public confidence, corporate leaders are...

In this series, OSINT professionals ask Cynthia their most pressing questions regarding open-source intelligence. Cynthia provides candid answers with some professional feedback to help professionals develop their tradecraft. Problem: A new OSINT professional just graduated the HG Training’s...

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) has become one of the most powerful tools in modern law enforcement. Nearly 90% of actionable intelligence now originates from publicly available information. That intelligence is derived from digital breadcrumbs left across the internet, social media platforms,...

Our series, Ask Cynthia, dives into pressing OSINT-related questions from professionals in the field. The Problem: An OSINT professional thinks that if they find a list of country-specific links and know a few “dorks”, they can run off to the Internet and start conducting OSINT. ...