OSCE organizes training course on internet investigations and open source intelligence in Central Asia

A five-day OSCE-supported training course on internet investigations and open source intelligence gathering (OSINT) for criminal justice practitioners from the five Central Asian OSCE participating States concluded on 10 December 2021.

The training course was based on materials developed by the European Cybercrime Training and Education Group (ECTEG), and focused on countering terrorism reflected in case studies and practical exercises. It covered topics such as open source intelligence gathering methodology and tradecraft, social network investigations, search and collection of intelligence for countering terrorism online, and human rights compliance in cybercrime investigations.

The training course was delivered as part of the OSCE project, ‘Capacity-building on combating cybercrime in Central Asia,’ implemented by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department in close co-operation with OSCE field operations in the region. The aim of the project is to build sustainable national training capacities for police officers and prosecutors on combating cybercrime. The project is financially supported by the United States and the Republic of Korea.

This year, the project delivered two train-the-trainers courses and thematic training courses on handling digital evidence by first responders, as well as investigating crimes facilitated by the use of Dark Web and virtual currencies. The aim is to equip the criminal justice practitioners appointed as ‘national trainers’ for this project with the knowledge and skills necessary for developing and delivering their own courses on combating cybercrime. Next year, they will develop and deliver a first round of pilot training activities at the national level, with support from the OSCE.