Freelancer - OSINT / WEBINT / Intelligence Researcher
About the Position
The role involves conducting in-depth open-source (OSINT) and web intelligence (WEBINT) research to identify, analyze, and assess a wide range of online threats and harmful activities across platforms. This may include work in Child Safety, focusing on detecting and analyzing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and grooming indicators; Hate Speech and Extremism, involving the tracking of radicalization trends, hate groups, and violent ideologies; Counterterrorism, centered on identifying terrorist propaganda and networks; Organized Crime, which includes investigating illicit trade, fraud, and trafficking operations; and Platform Integrity and Manipulation, aimed at uncovering coordinated inauthentic behavior, influence operations, and misinformation campaigns.
Key Responsibilities
- Conduct end-to-end intelligence research projects across multiple abuse areas (e.g., hate speech, violent extremism, child safety, platform manipulation, organized crime, fraud, and disinformation).
- Collect, analyze, and contextualize data from a variety of open and closed sources, including social media platforms, chat applications, gaming platforms, forums, and AI tools.
- Apply OSINT/WEBINT methodologies (search, dorking, verification, network mapping, and trend analysis) to identify indicators of online threats and harmful behavior.
- Prepare concise analytical reports and datasets, summarizing key findings, insights, and emerging risks.
- Stay up to date on global online threat trends and evolving tactics across different platforms.
- Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., Delivery, Product, and Policy teams) to ensure timely and high-quality outputs.
Requirements
Requirements
- 2+ years of experience conducting online research or intelligence analysis (OSINT/WEBINT, investigations, or Trust & Safety) — required.
- Proven ability to manage and deliver research projects independently, from data collection to reporting — required.
- Fluent or native-level English (both written and spoken) — required.
- Strong analytical and writing skills, with ability to synthesize large volumes of data into clear, actionable insights.
- Familiarity with online platforms and digital ecosystems, including social media, messaging, and content-sharing networks.
- Technical literacy: ability to work with spreadsheets, search operators, data collection tools, and AI-assisted workflows.
- Resilience to sensitive or disturbing content, including exposure to violent, extremist, or sexual materials.
- Additional language skills — an advantage.
- Academic or professional background in international relations, political science, criminology, communication, or related fields — an advantage.
- Experience in one or more domains such as Counterterrorism, Hate Speech, Child Safety, Disinformation, or Organized Crime — an advantage.
Additional Requirements
- Excellent organizational and multitasking abilities; able to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Proactive mindset, curiosity, and eagerness to learn about new digital ecosystems.
- Team-oriented, collaborative, and comfortable working in fast-paced, cross-functional environments.
- Capability to maintain professional boundaries and follow data sensitivity and privacy guidelines.
About Alice
THE CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY
1. Being Both Strategist and Executioner
One of the hardest parts of this role is that you’re both the visionary and the builder; the one drawing the map and paving the road.
That means switching between high-level strategy and hands-on experimentation daily, and doing it while bringing others along with you. There’s no playbook for this kind of work. You’re paving an unpaved road, one small experiment at a time.
2. Balancing Security and Innovation
ActiveFence is the leading provider of security and safety solutions for online experiences, safeguarding more than 3 billion users, top foundation models, and the world’s largest enterprises and tech platforms every day.
As a trusted ally to major technology firms and Fortune 500 brands that build user-generated and GenAI products, ActiveFence empowers security, AI, and policy teams with low-latency Real-Time Guardrails and a continuous Red Teaming program that pressure-tests systems with adversarial prompts and emerging threat techniques. Powered by deep threat intelligence, unmatched harmful-content detection, and coverage of 117+ languages, ActiveFence enables organizations to deliver engaging and trustworthy experiences at global scale while operating safely and responsibly across all threat landscapes.