The Use of Publicly Available Electronic Information for Insider Threat Monitoring

Publicly available electronic information (PAEI), defined as information that is available to the public on an electronic platform such as a website, social media, or database (whether for a fee or not), can provide insight into an individual’s perceptions, plans, intentions, associations, and actions. Proper use of PAEI can help employers examine, on a continual basis, whether an employee poses a potential threat to the organization’s information, assets, people, or facilities, as well as to themselves. Continuous evaluation of PAEI is especially valuable for assessing employees working within the growing “perimeter-less workspace” (at client locations, at home or from the road) where abnormal or atypical behavior, both in-person and on an organization’s networks, may be less visible to colleagues and managers. PAEI can also be used to initiate or provide context to an internal investigation into insider threats.