What is this community for?
The community is for exploring and learning about OSINT, including various tactics and tools, but not for conducting investigations.
Subreddit guides
r/OSINT rules, stats, and what to post
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/OSINT: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.
Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.
Current public stats
- Members
- 250,641
- Verified
- September 24, 2026
- Minimum post karma
- 20
- Minimum account age
- 180 days
- Category
- Technical product and developer communities
Rules can change, so Rankhog keeps verification dates and the original public Reddit sources visible.
Rule summary
- Reddit Rules: In our discussions, we may delve into complex and sensitive subjects. However, it's important to adhere to all Reddit guidelines and practice good Reddiquette at all times. Let's ensure our conversations remain respectful and within the community standards.
- Doxing & Facial Recognition: Do not engage in efforts to uncover or share the private information of others. Our community is a space for exchanging ideas and knowledge, not for infringing on privacy. Please refrain from making requests that aim to identify individuals on different social media channels or seek facial recognition searches.
- Paywall: Do not submit content that is behind a paywall or registration wall. If necessary use freezepage.com
- Off Topic: Please note that this community values constructive and on-topic discussions. As such, we do not permit jokes, pun threads, off-topic commentary, or any form of disruptive behavior that undermines the quality of our subreddit. Thank you for keeping the discourse respectful and relevant.
- Memes: No Meme submissions.
- Karma and Age minimums: Posts must come from an account that is at least 6 months old and has at least 20 post karma.
- No unethical hacking or illegal activity.: No unethical hacking or illegal activity.
- No Gatekeeping: The aim of this subreddit is to encourage mutual education and information sharing. Gatekeeping is counterproductive to our OSINT community's ethos. It's important to keep our responses to questions public and helpful, as answers given in direct messages could benefit others.
- Low Effort, Duplicate Post or Obsession with People Searches: Low Effort, Duplicate Post or Obsession with People Searches
- Investigations: In this sub as we focus on discussing tactics, not conducting investigations. You might have better luck in these subs: r/RBI r/HelpMeFind r/Cybersecurity
Works well
- A public walkthrough of how a specific OSINT tool works, with screenshots and no paywall
- A comparison of two free OSINT resources, written to help others learn the tactic
- A question about a tactic that invites public, helpful answers from the community
- A text post explaining a method for finding public records, with no request to identify a person
Avoid
- Do not submit content that is behind a paywall or registration wall. If necessary use freezepage.com
- Do not engage in efforts to uncover or share the private information of others
- Do not make requests that aim to identify individuals on different social media channels or seek facial recognition searches
- Do not post jokes, pun threads, off-topic commentary, or any form of disruptive behavior
- Do not submit memes
- Do not post from an account that is not at least six months old and does not have at least twenty post karma
What r/OSINT Is For
This community is for members and visitors to explore and learn about OSINT, including various tactics and tools. The public description says discussions on all aspects of OSINT are encouraged. The community is not for investigating or targeting individuals. It is a space for exchanging ideas and knowledge, and the rule named 'No Gatekeeping' says the aim is mutual education and information sharing.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rule named 'Doxing & Facial Recognition' matters most because it blocks any post that aims to identify individuals, which is the fastest way a marketing-adjacent post can look like targeting. The rule named 'Paywall' matters because it removes any content behind a paywall or registration wall, so a founder linking to a gated resource will not survive. The rule named 'Karma and Age minimums' matters because a new or low-karma account cannot post at all. The rule named 'Off Topic' matters because jokes, pun threads, or off-topic commentary will be removed. The rule named 'Memes' matters because meme submissions are not allowed. The rule named 'Investigations' matters because the community focuses on discussing tactics, not conducting investigations.
What To Post
A good post here is a public, helpful discussion of an OSINT tactic or tool, shared in a way that teaches the room something. The rule named 'No Gatekeeping' says keep responses to questions public and helpful, so a founder who explains how a tool works, in the open, fits the ethos. If the post links to a resource, the resource must not be behind a paywall or registration wall, and the rule named 'Paywall' says if necessary use freezepage.com. The post should not ask the community to identify any individual, and it should not drift into jokes or memes.
What To Avoid
Avoid any post that asks the community to investigate or target individuals, because the public description and the rule named 'Investigations' both forbid that. Avoid sharing private information of others or requesting identification of individuals, because the rule named 'Doxing & Facial Recognition' forbids it. Avoid paywalled or registration-walled content, because the rule named 'Paywall' forbids it. Avoid jokes, pun threads, off-topic commentary, or disruptive behavior, because the rule named 'Off Topic' forbids it. Avoid memes, because the rule named 'Memes' forbids meme submissions. Avoid posting from a new or low-karma account, because the rule named 'Karma and Age minimums' requires an account that is at least six months old and has at least twenty post karma.
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Common questions about r/OSINT
Can I ask the community to investigate or target someone?
No, the rule named 'Investigations' says this sub focuses on discussing tactics, not conducting investigations.
What account requirements must I meet before posting?
The rule named 'Karma and Age minimums' requires an account that is at least six months old and has at least twenty post karma.
Can I share a link to a paywalled article?
The rule named 'Paywall' says do not submit content that is behind a paywall or registration wall, and if necessary use freezepage.com.
Can I answer questions in direct messages instead of in the thread?
The rule named 'No Gatekeeping' says keep responses to questions public and helpful, because answers given in direct messages could benefit others.
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