Collecting Information
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Intelligence means at a glance
Only very few entities, all of them government authorities, are allowed to spy, i.e. use intelligence methods. When foreign countries are concerned, it is the BND that uses these intelligence methods to fulfil its statutory mission:
IMINT: Imagery Intelligence
When analysts want to know things such as how much the construction of a foreign nuclear power plant has progressed, or whether social media gossip on military troop movements is true, satellite and aerial images are often a very good point to start.
Specifically trained BND experts can often glean a surprising amount of details from such images.
OSINT: Open Source Intelligence
Information freely accessible to anyone – be it printed or digital – is also often where our analysts start with their research. However, the BND’s OSINT specialists are capable of much more.
For example, they gather information from areas of the internet where access is restricted. By using special research tools, they filter out the information relevant to our work from the flood of open-source material. Moreover, they can analyse content in foreign languages and make it available in no time at all.
SIGINT: Signals Intelligence
Be it communication via satellite or landline, e-mails or Voice over IP: The spectrum of electronic communication is large and constantly changing.
But cutting-edge interception and filter technology for data streams worldwide ensures that we get exactly the information we need to fulfil our mission.
HUMINT: Human Intelligence
People with access to interesting information are critical to all intelligence services. Managing such sources is considered the »ultimate challenge« of intelligence work. HUMINT work often bears high personal risk both for our staff and our sources.
We thus carry a great responsibility, which we take very seriously. So not only do our operatives need expertise in their respective fields, comprehensive operative training and different language skills, but they also need to bring with them »soft skills«, above all intercultural competence and psychological sensibility.
In addition to these »classic« intelligence methods, specialist literature also distinguishes between special and mixed forms of gathering information that are not unique to intelligence services. Examples include:
SOCMINT: Social Media Intelligence
Social media often is by far the fastest way of getting open source information. However, in terms of security policy, they are also interesting for other aspects: For example, terrorist groups use social media as an interface between distant crisis regions and radicalized groups in Germany and Europe.
They also play an important role in the targeted dissemination of fake news, which need to be treated accordingly.
GEOINT: Geospatial Intelligence
Similar to photos on a smartphone, a wide range of other data can also be georeferenced, i.e. attributed to a geographic location. Satellite images, intelligence information and open source information can thus be combined in a completely new way.
This makes it possible, for example, to relate migration movements to climatic changes or local trouble spots of specific regions.
