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I wrote a second article for Minnesota Lawyer this month after the holiday to develop further the discovery of cloud evidence on smartphones and computers under the series title “Exemplary Evidence“. It introduces the concept of the Internet of Things which unites them.
Cloud evidence on smartphones and computers refers to digital traces that provide clues to connected online cloud accounts, including web browser caches, deleted text messages, and resilient date and time stamps. This concept is rooted in Dr. Edmond Locard's exchange principle, "Every contact leaves a trace," which asserts that a person's actions leave behind remnants, now encompassing digital traces. Digital forensic examiners, such as those at Carney Forensics, recover and analyze these traces from devices to discover user cloud accounts for legal and investigative purposes.
The article introduces the famous Dr. Edmond Locard, a French criminologist and pioneer of forensic science. He is often informally called the “Sherlock Holmes of France.” And he said in relation to forensic evidence, “Every contact leaves a trace.” His concise theory became known as Locard’s exchange principle. It is the basis for all forensic science as we know it today.
Locard asserts the actions a person takes leave behind remnants or trace evidence. Today those traces transcend familiar examples like fingerprints and hair follicles. Now digital traces include a computer’s web browser cache. Or a smartphone’s deleted text messages. Or resilient date and time stamps buried deep within documents, photographs, and videos.
The smartphone or computer provides clues to the discovery of user cloud accounts. For example, when a digital forensic examiner recovers evidence, its analysis often leads to online, cloud sources for further investigation. Therefore they may identify connections between the cloud evidence on smartphones or computers. FYI, these connections are often called the Internet of Things. As a result, the analysis can prove document movement or other cloud activity relevant to the investigation.
What promising clues can the legal team discover from cloud evidence on smartphones and computers? Clues to identity and prioritize online, cloud evidence worthy of investigation? Please read on at Minnesota Lawyer to find out the answers here.
