Human intelligence sourcing is the process of identifying individuals with direct knowledge of an investigation target and establishing a first contact pathway that does not compromise the source or the investigation. It combines open-source identification of potential witnesses with secure, low-exposure outreach. The determining factor is not how many people can be found, but whether the individual identified holds professional or experiential proximity to the matter under investigation.
The technique applies when documentary evidence requires corroboration through firsthand testimony, when a geographic or organisational network must be mapped before contact is attempted, or when a technical witness is needed to interpret specialised material. A job title in a directory is a lead, not a source. A willingness to speak is an opportunity, not a verification. Each data point, taken alone, establishes only possibility. The pattern, corroborated across sources, establishes proximity.
HUM-001 sets out the methodology for identifying, verifying, and making initial contact with human sources to evidentiary standard.
Eight workflow steps, six tooling sources, five false-positive checks, five chain-of-custody requirements.
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01
Required Tools
Six platforms covering identification, encrypted contact, and email verification.
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02
OPSEC
Channel selection, account separation, and jurisdiction assessment before contact.
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03
Workflow
Eight-step sequence from knowledge-gap definition to documented exchange.
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04
False Positives
Title-role gaps, unverified endorsements, motivation distortion, and probabilistic email matches.
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05
Chain of Custody
Contact logging, exchange archiving, risk documentation, and confidentiality records.
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06
Key Queries
Six operator patterns across LinkedIn, Google, Hunter.io, and Maltego.
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A PDF version of HUM-001 is available below for Signal subscribers.
