Investigators may legally impersonate a false identity online during OSINT investigations.

While some law enforcement agencies may havelegal exemptions, impersonation can violate:

Terms of Service (TOS) agreementson social media platforms.

State and federal laws, such as fraud statutes.

Ethical guidelines, especially for private investigators.

In most cases,OSINT must be conducted using publicly available information, rather than deception or false identities.

References:McAfee Institute CCII Ethical OSINT Guide, Privacy in Practice​.