Course
Open-source Intelligence (Basel LEARN)
Basel Institute on Governance, International Centre for Asset Recovery
A free, case-based course built around one simulated investigation, ending with a written OSINT report. The best free option for anti-corruption, compliance, and public-sector learners.
Instead of a tool tour, this course puts you inside one case: a fishing vessel seized on suspicion of illegal fishing and wildlife trafficking. You gather evidence from websites, open databases, social media, forums, the dark web, and the Bitcoin blockchain, then write the report. It was launched in 2022 by an institute that trains investigators and prosecutors.
Worth it if
- You work in anti-corruption, asset recovery, compliance, or a public agency
- You want to practise writing an OSINT report, not just collecting
- You prefer one coherent case to a list of disconnected techniques
- You need a free certificate for a training record
Skip it if
- You want platform-specific social media techniques; the case is broader than that
- You dislike registration walls
What is inside
- 01
OSINT and the intelligence cycle
Framing the task before any searching happens.
- 02
Preparing the research environment
Safe browser settings, privacy add-ons, and separating research from personal accounts.
- 03
Open web, deep web, and domain records
Databases, cached and archived content, and what WHOIS and DNS can tell you.
- 04
Social media and imagery
Accounts, posts, and the visual and metadata clues inside images.
- 05
Communities, dark web, and Bitcoin
Forums, onion services, and following a transaction on a public blockchain.
- 06
Writing the OSINT report
Turning the evidence into a document a prosecutor or investigator could act on.
What you will be able to do
- Run one investigation from tasking to written report
- Set up a research environment that does not leak your identity
- Trace a simple Bitcoin transaction on a public explorer
- Explain what an OSINT report must contain to be useful to a decision-maker
How current it is
Launched in January 2022 and still offered in the institute's 2026 catalogue, which reports tens of thousands of registered platform users. We found no record of a content refresh, so expect some screenshots and tools to have drifted. The case structure and the reporting lesson age well.
- Updated
- Launched 2022; still listed in 2026
- Maintained
- Updated now and then
How to get the most from it
- 01
Keep your own evidence log alongside the course
The course asks for a report at the end. A log of every source and timestamp makes that report credible.
- 02
Write the report as if a prosecutor will read it
Separate what you found from what you infer. That habit is the real certificate.
- 03
Replay one module on a real public case
Pick a published court judgment or news investigation and rerun the domain and imagery modules on it.
Strengths
- One coherent case instead of a tool list
- Ends with a report, which most free courses skip
- From an institute that trains real investigators and prosecutors
Limitations
- Registration required
- No published hour count or update history
- Less depth on social platforms than practitioner courses
Pair it with
- ReadEbookFreeIntermediate
Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations
The evidence standard the report-writing lesson is reaching toward.
- ReadBookPaidIntermediate
There's No Such Thing as Crypto Crime
When the Bitcoin module leaves you wanting the full method.
- ReadCourseFreeBeginner
OSINT Dojo
A structure for what to do after the certificate.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is it really free?
Yes. The platform states that all its self-paced courses are free. You need to register with an email or a Google, Microsoft, or Facebook login to open the course.
Who is it designed for?
Investigators, prosecutors, analysts, and anyone using open sources in anti-corruption or environmental-crime work. It suits anyone who wants a case-based introduction.
Learned the method? Practise it on real data
The resources above teach the craft. When you want to run real lookups across breach, people, domain, and crypto sources without opening a dozen vendor accounts, that is what SearchIn is for.
- Free account, no card
- Credits never expire
- Refund unused balance in 7 days