X, formerly known as Twitter, is a social media platform where users post and interact with short messages called “tweets” or “posts”. It serves as a powerful tool for real-time information sharing and public discourse, allowing users to follow topics, trends, and individuals worldwide.
Investigating on X is useful to OSINT investigators because the platform provides real-time updates and a wealth of publicly available information on trending topics and events. By analyzing tweets, hashtags, and user interactions, investigators can track the spread of information, gauge public sentiment, and identify key influencers.
Open Source Intelligence is popular on Twitter due to its real-time updates and vast user-generated content, making it a valuable resource for gathering timely information and insights. The platform’s ability to aggregate diverse perspectives and rapid dissemination of news makes it particularly appealing for those seeking up-to-date and varied sources of intelligence.
To search on Twitter/X, use the search bar located at the top of the Twitter website or app. Enter keywords, hashtags, or usernames to find relevant tweets, profiles, and trending topics. For detailed instructions on using Twitter’s search function, visit their Help Center: https://help.twitter.com/en/using-x/x-search
While logged out of X, users can see public profiles, tweets, and media posted by accounts that have not set their profiles to private. They can also view trending topics, hashtags, tweets or accounts. However, they cannot interact with content (like, retweet, or reply), follow accounts, view detailed profiles of private accounts, or access direct messages. We have also witnessed a limited ability to view replies to tweets without an account.
To sign up for X, visit https://x.com/ and click on the “Create account” button to create an account by following the on-screen instructions. You’ll need either a mobile phone number or an email address to complete the account creation process.
To conduct an advanced search on Twitter/X, you can access a page that appears similar to the advanced search page on Google. Researchers must now create an account to conduct advanced searches on Twitter/X. The instructions for using the tool are here: https://help.twitter.com/en/using-x/x-advanced-search
Like Facebook, creating a fake account on X is against the platform’s terms of service, which explicitly prohibits impersonation, misrepresentation, or the use of false information when creating an account. For detailed information, refer to the X Terms of Service here: https://x.com/en/tos
Finally, X’s privacy policy explains how the platform handles user data, including the collection, use, sharing, and protection of personal information. For a comprehensive understanding, you can review the full policy on their website: https://x.com/en/privacy
