Security Intelligence for Everyone
See what others miss: situational awareness, spotting lies and scams, verifying what you see online, protecting your digital footprint and understanding Africa's security picture.
What you'll learn
- Explain what intelligence is and how the intelligence cycle turns information into decisions
- Use situational awareness habits to notice danger early and stay calm under pressure
- Read behaviour carefully without falling for myths about 'lie detection'
- Verify claims, photos and videos with lateral reading, reverse image search and deepfake checks
- Recognise scams, social engineering and recruitment tricks — and protect your family
- Audit and shrink your digital footprint
- Understand the main security challenges in Africa and respond as a responsible citizen
Course content
Part 1. Start here: what intelligence really is5 lessons
Part 2. Situational awareness: see what others miss5 lessons
- Practise your visual intelligence (Amy Herman)by Big Think3 min
- Personal safety tips from ex-FBI agents (Joe Navarro)by Joe Navarro Behavior Expert6 min
- A retired Navy SEAL on preparing for dangerous situationsby WIRED13 min
- The awareness colour code and the power of 'baseline'
- Quiz: situational awareness
Part 3. Reading people — and the limits of it3 lessons
Part 4. Thinking clearly under pressure3 lessons
Part 5. Information under attack: verify before you believe14 lessons
- Navigating digital information: introduction (Crash Course)by CrashCourse14 min
- The facts about fact-checkingby CrashCourse14 min
- Check yourself with lateral readingby CrashCourse14 min
- Who can you trust?by CrashCourse15 min
- Evaluating photos and videosby CrashCourse13 min
- Click restraintby CrashCourse13 min
- How disinformation spreadsby Global News7 min
- How to spot fake AI photos (Hany Farid, TED)by TED13 min
- How to spot deepfakes and AI-generated imagesby New Scientist3 min
- Evaluating evidenceby CrashCourse13 min
- Social media and your information dietby CrashCourse17 min
- Your 5-step verification routine (SIFT+)
- The Verification Handbook (free)
- Quiz: verification
Part 6. Scams, social engineering and manipulation5 lessons
Part 7. Your digital footprint and open-source intelligence4 lessons
Part 8. Spies, recruitment and counterintelligence awareness4 lessons
Part 9. Africa's security picture — and your part in it5 lessons
Part 10. Final project1 lesson
Capstone project: Capstone: your personal and community security brief. You finish by building something real; a mentor reviews it before your certificate is issued.
About this course
Intelligence is not only for spies. It is the skill of noticing what matters, checking what is true and acting before trouble arrives — and every African family, school and business needs it. In this course, former FBI agents, a retired Navy SEAL, the CIA's own channel, Crash Course, TED speakers, the BBC and Bellingcat's investigators teach you how professionals stay aware, read situations, verify photos and videos, recognise scams and recruitment tricks, and keep their digital footprint small. You will finish by writing a personal and community security plan and verifying a real viral claim, step by step. About 6 hours of video plus practice.