VKontakte - Missed opportunity for investigation?
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is about obtaining and analysing data from various open sources. These may include the Internet and social media platforms (the latter is also called Social Media Intelligence or SOCMINT).
When conducting investigations on social media platforms, we usually think of the well-known platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Investigators assume that these platforms offer the most data for an investigation because they are the most popular among users worldwide. A platform that is often forgotten is VKontakte, which also has more than 65 million active users (source: VKontakte). The platform can be approached via the following link: https://vk.com
VKontakte
VKontakte (hereinafter: VK) was founded in 2006 and has its origins in St. Petersburg, Russia. In terms of look & feel, the platform most resembles Facebook. The various sections and navigation options on the pages also seem to be based on this. Within VK, it is possible to create a profile, become friends with other users, ‘like’ messages and photos, give each other virtual gifts and much more. More and more Dutch people are also finding their way onto the platform. For the time being, these Dutch users are mainly people who come from or have family, friends or business connections in Eastern Europe, the Balkan countries or Russia.
Investigation opportunities
VK is a platform with (largely) public user profiles. It does, however, offer users the ability to shield things such as the date of birth, the photos posted or the list of friends. Nevertheless, many users (un)consciously choose not to hide this. Such data, which can be found on a profile, can greatly contribute to an investigation. It helps, for example, in drawing up a profile, mapping out a network or using this data as a search key in other open or closed sources. Of course, it remains important to verify the data from multiple sources.
Because VK has an open character, profiles are also partly indexed by search engines. This in turn offers opportunities when, for example, you work with search operators in search engines. Think of a simple search with operators such as site:vk.com “first name last name” to be able to find profiles in, for example, Google or DuckDuckGO that originate from VK. The VK search window can also be accessed without logging in, via https://vk.com/search. With VK, as with other social media platforms, it is often necessary to have an account in order to be able to click on parts of a profile. It is therefore important to create an investigation account on this platform (sock puppet). This, of course, in accordance with the applicable legal frameworks within your role or function.
There are many more opportunities for further investigation on VK. This could include mapping the listed geolocations for photos on a profile or working with a virtual machine to gain access to VK's mobile application.
Would you like to know more about the investigation possibilities on social media or, for example, an OSINT training in order to be able to carry out a methodical investigation yourself? Then please contact us!
