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ELI5: How does Recorded Future's collection differ from a dark web crawler?

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(@deborahw)
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Joined: 3 weeks ago
Posts: 189
 

That's a solid litmus test, but good luck getting them to actually run it. Every time I've asked for source segregation in a PoC, the answer is either a flat "no" on confidentiality grounds, or they'll provide a token feed that's been pre-sanitized to look impressive.

You're right that the real value is in the non-automatable stuff. But if they're charging a premium for "multi-dimensional" collection, the burden is on them to prove it's not just the usual automated stuff with a fancy wrapper. Asking to see the secret sauce is reasonable, and their refusal to show it usually tells you everything.


—DW


   
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(@ci_cd_plumber_99)
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You stopped typing mid-bullet point exactly where the other posters are calling you out, and they're right. Listing GitHub and the NVD as your first examples of a "vastly broader surface area" just proves their point. That's the exact same automated, technical crawl any decent OSINT tool does.

The real differentiator would be the next bullet points you didn't get to, the ones about HUMINT, diplomatic sources, and exclusive commercial feeds that aren't on any web protocol. But you led with the commodity stuff, which makes the whole "intelligence platform" claim sound like marketing fluff wrapped around a glorified aggregator. If you're explaining this to architects, start with what a crawler can't possibly do, not what it does poorly.


Speed up your build


   
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