7 Things You Need to Know Before Offering OSINT Services in California

Sam Spade
6 days ago
3 min read

In a world overflowing with digital information, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) has become a powerful tool for investigations, litigation support, and corporate security. But in California, offering OSINT services isn’t as simple as gathering public data and selling it.

If your OSINT work involves researching people, tracking behaviors, or supporting legal claims, you may be operating illegally without a private investigator (PI) license.

Here’s what you need to know — and why businesses, attorneys, and risk managers in the Bay Area trust Spade & Archer® for licensed, legal, and court-defensible OSINT services.

OSINT is a regulated investigative activity — If you are conducting OSINT for private clients, you are likely violating the law.

✅ 1. OSINT Is More Than Googling — It’s Regulated in California

You might think that using public data avoids legal trouble, but in California, what you do with the information determines whether you need a license.

Under Business & Professions Code §7521, anyone who:

“Makes any investigation for the purpose of obtaining information” about a person’s identity, conduct, whereabouts, or history...

…must be licensed as a private investigator.

That includes OSINT investigations used for:

Insurance claims
Lawsuits
Employee disputes
Background reports
Locating people
Online frauds and more

Even if it’s “just from LinkedIn” — if it’s sold as a service, you’re in PI territory.

⚠️ 2. Selling OSINT Reports About People Can Be Illegal Without a PI License

Let’s say you're offering:

Deep-dive social media profiling
Online behavior pattern analysis
Identifying anonymous trolls or harassers
Competitive intelligence on key executives

If you’re selling that to a client — and you're not a licensed California PI — you may be violating state law.

And if your client uses that information in a legal matter? Your work could be inadmissible or even expose them to civil liability.

👩‍⚖️ 3. OSINT for Legal Use Requires a Licensed Investigator

OSINT that supports:

A court case
An HR disciplinary action
A business dispute
An intellectual property claim
A private matter such as infidelity or child custody

…must be gathered by someone legally authorized to investigate under California law.

That means:✅ A licensed California PI✅ An attorney (or someone working under an attorney’s supervision)

🚫 Freelancers, cybersecurity consultants, and researchers operating independently may be breaking the law — even unintentionally.

🔍 4. Not All OSINT Requires a License — But It’s a Narrow Lane

You can still do non-regulated OSINT work if you:

Monitor public chatter about your own brand or company
Track emerging cybersecurity threats in open forums
Use aggregate trends for marketing or reputation management
Conduct journalism or academic research

Just don’t cross the line into:

Profiling individuals for clients
Collecting court-useful intelligence
Investigating employment-related issues
Locating missing or evasive people

⚠️ 5. Violating PI Laws Can Cost You — and Your Client

Operating without a PI license in California is a misdemeanor (BPC §7523–7526) punishable by:

Fines up to $5,000 per incident
Cease-and-desist orders
Potential criminal charges
Evidence being excluded from legal proceedings

Even worse: your client could face consequences for relying on unlicensed investigative work.

🔐 6. Spade & Archer® Provides Licensed, Legal OSINT Services in California

When you need to gather intelligence on a person, company, or situation — and you want to use it legally — trust the licensed professionals at Spade & Archer®.

We provide:

✅ California-compliant OSINT investigations
✅ Background checks & digital footprint analysis
✅ Social media investigations for civil and legal use
✅ Anonymous identity resolution & threat assessments
✅ Forensic-grade documentation and reporting

All of our work is:

Fully court-admissible
Handled with confidentiality
Conducted by licensed investigators

📍 Based in the Bay Area, trusted statewide.

📞 7. Contact Spade & Archer Today for Professional OSINT Support

Don’t risk your case or your business with unlicensed data gathering. Whether you're an attorney, corporate security team, or executive needing quiet intelligence, Spade & Archer® has you covered.