OSINT is not "hacking". OSINT-trained analysts never invade secure areas to find information; they don't steal passwords or circumvent firewalls. Instead, they use advanced search techniques and research skills to find information freely available to anyone who knows where and how to look. Because OSINT only searches publicly available resources, the information obtained is, by definition, "publicly available." Even if an individual or company expected the data to remain confidential or private, the OSINT analyst did not violate any technical (e.g., "hacking" an account) or legal barriers to obtaining the information. Thus there are no known privacy or other legal violations inherent in the OSINT process.