About OSINT Academy

Who runs OSINT Academy, why it exists, and how it fits inside the Subthesis ecosystem.

OSINT Academy is a free, structured curriculum in open-source intelligence methodology, tools, and ethics. It exists because the discipline is fragmented across Twitter threads, Discord servers, and paywalled courses, and because the people most likely to benefit — journalists, academic researchers, civic investigators, compliance staff — do not always have the time or budget to assemble a coherent learning path from that sprawl. This site puts the pieces in order, teaches the methodology before the tooling, and insists on the legal and ethical framework that the field sometimes skips.

Who runs this site

OSINT Academy is written and maintained by Angel Reyes, founder of Subthesis, and published as part of the Subthesis ecosystem. Angel's background spans investigative research, structured document analysis, and open-source methodology, with work applied across legal, journalistic, and civic contexts. The editorial voice across the site — precise, methodical, ethically grounded — reflects the practice he and his collaborators use day-to-day.

The Subthesis ecosystem

OSINT Academy is one of several properties in a connected ecosystem. Each property has a distinct focus and cross-links to the others where the content warrants.

  • Subthesis — the parent brand. Research methodology, structured analysis, and the Subthesis legal document analysis tool, which appears in several of this site's workflows.
  • Epstein Revealed — long-form investigative journalism applying OSINT methodology to a complex public-records-heavy subject. The site operates as a running case study for the techniques taught here.
  • ICE Encounter — constitutional-rights guidance for individuals encountering immigration enforcement. Relevant to OSINT investigators working on immigration-related subjects and to anyone documenting rights-sensitive situations.
  • Grant Writing Consultant — funding resources for investigative research and nonprofit accountability work, for readers whose OSINT work is not already institutionally supported.

The ecosystem exists because the properties serve adjacent audiences. A reader learning OSINT methodology here may need the Subthesis legal document analysis tool for a dossier, a real investigation to study at Epstein Revealed, or rights context from ICE Encounter for a sensitive matter. Cross-linking reflects practice; it is not an afterthought.

What this site is not

  • Not affiliated with any government agency, law enforcement body, or intelligence organisation. "OSINT" is a term of art that pre-dates the commercial and academic use of the technique; this site is concerned with the civilian practice.
  • Not a vendor of investigative services. The curriculum is free and educational; investigative work is done elsewhere, by others, under their own professional responsibility.
  • Not a replacement for counsel. The ethics and legal framework is orientation, not advice. Specific situations should be reviewed with a qualified professional in the relevant jurisdiction.
  • Not a newsletter — at least not yet. If one launches later, it will be announced on site. Nothing on the site collects email addresses today.

How the site is organised

  • Methodology — the four-phase framework every other page builds on.
  • Tools — individual tutorials for specific OSINT tools, plus a filterable directory.
  • Domains — field-specific translations of the methodology for journalism, academic research, financial, corporate, and legal work.
  • Case studies — worked examples of open-source investigation.
  • Ethics — legal boundaries, ethical frameworks, and responsible disclosure.
  • Blog — articles on methodology, specific techniques, and the state of the field.
  • Resources — downloadable templates, checklists, and evidence logs.

Contact and contributions

Editorial contact, correction requests, and topic suggestions are welcome through the channels listed at Subthesis. This site does not currently accept unsolicited guest contributions; if that changes, guidelines will appear here.

Credits and attribution

All content is copyright Angel Reyes / Subthesis. Linked external resources are the property of their respective owners. Where case studies draw on published investigations, the original publishers are cited in the individual pages.