It's interesting to me that it seems mostly only a very recent trend that these sorts of basic techniques (which fall under the category of intelligence known a

It's interesting to me that it seems mostly only a very recent trend that these sorts of basic techniques (which fall under the category of intelligence known as OSINT -- Open Source INTelligence) of identification and verification are being talked about by mainstream mass media content producers like the NYT. Interesting because it must follow at least partly from the intrinsic network that exists between those people fighting wars and those reporting on them. Also interesting because these are old techniques that have been public for decades. Preceding and coincident to this, there has also been a push in Western militaries to train members in OSINT techniques -- and not just members in traditional intelligence job specialties -- following recent doctrinal themes of much more decentralized, individual "generalist" warfighters (think traditional special forces) than big blocks of maneuver elements on a sand table. This is a side effect of the messy, multilayered future of cyberpunk combat.