HUMINT
Information obtained from people: industry specialists, former employees, market participants. In corporate practice - lawful interviews and expert conversations that supplement documentary sources.
Practical significance
Documents show what happened formally, people show how it worked in practice. HUMINT helps to understand a counterparty's reputation in the industry, a person's actual role in a company, and context that does not appear in registries. Each such piece of information remains one party's account and requires confirmation.
Where it is used
- corporate and competitive analysis
- industry reputation checks
- team assessment before investment
- reconstructing the context of corporate disputes
What the term does not mean
Does not mean recruitment, pressure, deception of the interlocutor, or obtaining information constituting a trade secret. Conversations are conducted openly and voluntarily.
How it differs from «OSINT»
OSINT works with recorded sources, HUMINT - with people. The former can be verified by reference, the latter requires cross-checking against documents. More about this term
Illustrative example
Before a company acquisition, conversations with market participants showed that the claimed "largest supplier" in fact worked with only one client - the target of the transaction itself.
Related terms, services and guides
Definition verified 3 August 2026
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