The Ethical Spy: Why "Ethics First" Isn't Just a Tagline
Every industry has its disreputable corners, and the intelligence and investigation world is no exception. I built Marie Landry's Spy Shop on a different foundation: the belief that intelligence without accountability is just surveillance.
Here is how we define "Ethics First" in our daily operations.
We Only Work With Public Information
Every piece of data in every report we produce comes from publicly available sources. We don't access private accounts, and we don't purchase data from brokers who operate in the "gray market" of hacked or leaked data. If a piece of information can only be obtained through illegal access or deception, we don't touch it.
We Screen Every Request
I don't take every case that comes my way. I wish I could say every potential client has noble intentions, but that isn't the reality of this field.
- Refusing Harmful Cases: We will not help someone locate an ex-partner who has a restraining order against them or who has clearly moved to escape an abusive situation.
- Protecting Privacy: We decline requests from business competitors looking for exhaustive personal information on a rival that has no bearing on professional due diligence.
- Integrity Over Revenue: Turning down these cases costs us revenue, but I am at peace with that.
We're Transparent About AI
Artificial intelligence is woven into much of the research work I do because it helps process data at scale. However, AI is not infallible, and I never pretend it is.
- Clear Labeling: When AI-assisted analysis appears in a deliverable, it is explicitly labeled.
- Avoiding Hallucinations: AI systems can be "confidently wrong"—a phenomenon known as hallucination.
- The Human Standard: I maintain a hallucination-free research standard, meaning every fact is human-verified before it reaches you.
We Hold the Tension Between Information and Privacy
Ethical OSINT practice is often messier than people realize. Navigating the tension between a legitimate interest in information and an individual's right to privacy requires judgment developed over years of practice. There is no algorithm for ethics.
We Believe in Epistemic Integrity
I don't publish what I can't source.
- Verified Claims: Every claim in our reports is sourced and every source is cited.
- Distinguishing Facts: Every inference is labeled as an inference, not a hard fact.
- Quality Over Sensation: This makes our work slower and sometimes less sensational, but it also makes it defensible.
Why Does This Matter to You?
When you hire someone to do research on your behalf, you are trusting them with your reputation. You deserve a practitioner who takes that responsibility seriously. That’s what "Ethics First" means to us.
- Marie Landry, OSINT Investigator & Founder, Marie Landry's Spy Shop
Comments
Post a Comment