The missives are undersigned by firms such as Babel Street and ANDECO, which sell risk and threat intelligence services derived from commercially or publicly available information that’s not necessarily gathered through more covert means available to spy agencies. Graphika, which performs social media network analysis to identify disinformation campaigns, is also a signatory.
The measures, housed in Title 6 of the House Intelligence Committee’s version of the fiscal year 2026 Intelligence Authorization Act, are also supported by the OSINT Foundation, a professional association of open-source practitioners in the U.S. intelligence community. Former officials are also signatories, including Kristin Wood, who served as a deputy director in the CIA’s Open Source Center.
Open-source intelligence—OSINT for short—is the collection and analysis of publicly available data such as social media posts, news reports or satellite imagery.
The Title 6 measures aim to further legitimize the use of OSINT in day-to-day intelligence work; among other steps, they would require spy agencies to appoint senior officials responsible for managing and coordinating their OSINT activities.
“The arrival of mission-relevant artificial intelligence (AI) systems within the past two years means the [U.S. intelligence community] is, for the first time, able to make use of large unclassified datasets at scale to deliver decision advantage to U.S. policymakers and warfighters,” one of the letters says.
The House intelligence panel has zeroed in on OSINT this year, forming an open-source subcommittee. Last year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, under then-director Avril Haines, released an OSINT strategy that called for using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The missives are addressed to the Republican and Democratic leaders on the congressional intelligence panels. The sweeping intel bill is considered annually to authorize funding, programs and oversight of the U.S. spy community.
The letters come as the Senate and House are negotiating compromises over differences in the houses' legislation. The Senate’s version does not have the same OSINT provisions as the lower chamber's.
The letters aim to motivate both chambers to keep the House measures, though not all elements of the U.S. intelligence enterprise are on board. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which uses satellites and imagery analysis to track targets from space, is looking for a carve-out, according to Brandon McKee, the senior director for government affairs at the Special Competitive Studies Project’s Action Program, which backs the OSINT language.
A second person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, also confirmed that NGA is not backing the measures at this time.
“They were not an entity that I believed would have been against a provision like this,” McKee said in an interview with Nextgov/FCW. “This is something that would greatly benefit the agency.”
He argued that open-source intelligence can produce high-quality analysis for U.S. decisionmakers, often rivaling or complementing classified intelligence, while being faster to deliver and more affordable than other means.
“If you’re looking to provide the best intelligence to policymakers and decisionmakers…this is another area that has to be there," he said.
There may be broader opposition. A Senate aide, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said the Defense Department writ large is also opposed, as well as some other IC components. The aide did not name those agencies. The DOD houses NGA, as well as other intelligence giants such as the National Security Agency and National Reconnaissance Office.
It’s not entirely clear why these spy agencies aren’t on board, though the hesitancy could stem from institutional concerns about losing control over their traditional mission space, budgets, or legal authorities.
Nextgov/FCW has asked ODNI for comment.
“In the digital age, OSINT plays a critical role in real-time analysis, strategic warning and supporting tactical operations. We are proud that the HPSCI FY26 IAA, with the inclusion of the first-ever OSINT title, passed out of Committee overwhelmingly on a bipartisan basis,” a House Intelligence Committee spokesperson said. “Furthermore, we appreciate the letters of support from the nonprofit organizations and their recognition that the IC can more effectively and efficiently use open-source data.”
Spy agencies aren’t new to the use of OSINT, and many are predominant users of open-source means. Still, the acquisition and use of such data has been deemed controversial in the past.
Personal information on digital marketplaces like social media platforms is frequently packaged by data brokers, and spy agencies are among their customers. The dynamic has put the intelligence community on thin ice with some lawmakers and privacy advocates who call it an end-run around the Fourth Amendment, which bars unreasonable searches and seizures.
Last year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued new policies that aim to guide spy agencies on best practices for ethically using commercial data. But agencies were not mandated to obtain a warrant before procuring or searching through datasets, a requirement that civil liberties groups have long advocated for.
OSINT has played a major role in recent armed conflicts, especially those in Gaza and Ukraine. Some groups argue that while open-source analysis has helped expose atrocities and verify battlefield developments, it also risks crossing ethical lines like revealing civilian locations, spreading unvetted or unverified data and operating in legal gray zones that aren’t immediately addressable under current humanitarian law.
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