The aim of this article is to present the multifaceted nature of open sources of information (OSINT) – an informational and analytical tool used by both public and private institutions, with a particular emphasis on the potential legal consequences, both in terms of the content conveyed and the methods of utilization. OSINT, also known as open-source intelligence, encompasses both the intelligence-gathering method and the tactics of acquiring information. It conventionally defines all freely accessible information available in the public domain. Its publication is essentially independent of government authority or private institutions. Such information forms the fundamental knowledge about a given entity (state, organization, phenomenon, etc.) and can be, and often is, utilized for criminal purposes. This is evident, for example, in the activities of foreign intelligence services as well as individual perpetrators, both within organized crime and as lone actors.