Michael Brooks
SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) and OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) are entering a new position within the public sphere in 2019. Watershed events in 2018 have finalized a long, slow transition from the monopoly of shadowy intelligence agencies and the occasional investigative journalist into a space fully accessible and contestable by anybody with an internet connection. An analysis of a case from 2018 highlights some of the emerging characteristics and actors.
“Anatomy of a Killing”
Soldiers in uniform lead two women and two young children along a dusty footpath. They are blindfolded, instructed to kneel, and then riddled with bullets as onlookers gape and the soldiers jeer. A cell phone video containing this scene went viral on social media pages across West Africa and beyond this summer. Different versions accused soldiers from several Sahel countries, all succeeding in causing outrage against the accused.
The video lent itself to multiple interpretations. As soon as it became the cause of public outrage in Cameroon, the government dismissed it as fake news or as having originated elsewhere in the Sahel. The nondescript landscape, the lack of unique markers on the faded uniforms of the soldiers, and the poor audio quality of the video strengthened both the deniability and the power of framing statements.
The video footage, viewed by unknown thousands from West Africa to Washington DC and beyond, is clear enough. Removing the most graphic footage, the team published their OSINT journey in tracking down the actors behind the killings.
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