FAQ
Questions, answered.
What Open HUMINT is, how we work, and how we differ from other firms.
01How we compare
Where we sit among the firms you might call.
| Compare | Humint Solutions | Strategy consultancies | Expert networks | Operational intelligence firms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who they talk to | Overlooked people close to the problem | Management, data and known experts | Recognised specialists on a panel | Sources recruited for their access |
| How | Open, consent-based interviews | Desk research, workshops, interviews | Paid one-to-one calls you run | Often covert: surveillance, undisclosed sources |
| You get | The missing first-hand input, verified | Analysis and recommendations | Access to the call; you do the analysis | Intelligence for disputes and security |
| Best when | The answer was never written down | You need a strategy designed and run | You know which specialist you need | People will not share willingly |
Each serves a legitimate need. We work only at the open end, and often alongside the others.
How we compare, in detail02Questions
Common questions.
Open HUMINT
What is Open HUMINT?
Human intelligence gathered openly: identified experts, consent-based interviews, nothing collected without people's knowledge. It is the open end of a field that also includes covert work.
Why would people talk to you?
Because sharing what they know raises their standing. They are asked as experts, often for the first time, and they choose what to share.
Is it legal and ethical?
Yes. Every participant knows who we are and why we are asking, and takes part by choice. We do not use covert sources, surveillance or pretexting.
How we differ
How are you different from an intelligence or investigations firm?
Those firms are built for situations where people will not share, so they rely on covert sources and surveillance. We work where people are willing to share, openly and on the record.
How are you different from a strategy consultancy?
Consultancies analyse and recommend, mostly from data and management interviews. We bring the input they rarely reach: first-hand knowledge from people below or outside the org chart. Many clients use both.
How are you different from an expert network?
Expert networks sell calls with recognised specialists, and you do the work. We start from your question, find who actually holds the knowledge, often with no expert title, run the interviews and verify the findings.
Working with us
How long does a project take?
It depends on the question. We agree the scope and the timeline with you before we start.
Is our question kept confidential?
Yes. What the people we interview are told about the question and the client is agreed with you before any interview starts.
Do you work with the public sector?
Yes. Clients include ministries, provinces and public agencies, alongside companies in banking, retail, infrastructure and industry.
TINO software
Do we need TINO to work with you?
No. We use it in our own research. Your team can use it to run Open HUMINT in-house.
Can our own team learn the method?
Yes, through workshops, training programs and the TINO software.
Still have a question?
Ask us directly.