There are changes coming and, as usual, they have to do with technology. So you know that is seeing the application in our work.
Besides keeping your smartphone in your pocket or purse at all times, people are beginning to track themselves in other ways like wearables, apps and even with products like Fitbit. Let’s talk about that.
Fitbit syncs with your phone, tablet, laptop or desk top computer. So information from the Fitbit can be accessed and preserved as evidence by a forensic investigator using data mining software.
In a landmark case in Calgary, Canada, Fitbit data was used as evidence to show the lasting effect of an accident on a victim. She had extensive historical records before and then after the accident to show the impact on her activity.
There are apps for cell phones like the Android app called Alibi. It actually records location information and takes actual photographs to locate the wearer. The user has to tell the app to store the past hour’s data or it is constantly being overwritten. But for people in precarious situations and dealing with people they don’t trust, it might be a helpful tool.
Digital forensics has become a normal part of investigation, by both authorities and private investigators. Attorneys and private citizens are finding that they have to have some sort of evidence or proof of wrongdoing before authorities will investigate.
Police and federal agencies are so overwhelmed with the number of cases coming in the doors of the police station that citizens are being turned away unless there is proof of a crime. That’s why citizens and attorneys are turning to more and more and we are ready.
Our goal is to find the truth in the matter and provide the evidence to prevent it from escalating into a crime where someone gets hurt physically, personally or financially.
When you know that something is wrong, but the authorities won’t help, talk to us. Our investigators are trained in covert surveillance, digital forensics including both computer forensic investigation and cell phone forensic analysis. And now, with more technology tracking our activities, if the evidence is there, we can find it.
-Brenda McGinley, CEO, All in Investigations, All in Investigations
