There are several different types of digital media audio and video files. The following common types of digital evidence in legal cases are outlined below and all require a rapid response to preserve or recover recently deleted media.
Digital Video
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance, digital cameras and smart phones are everywhere and the amount of audio and video recordings produced increases daily. Due to many factors concerning the storage of digital media, there is a need for rapid response to preserve the evidence. Digital video recorders (DVR’s) constantly overwrite older video with the newest video, so if the evidence is not obtained immediately, it could be gone for good.
Cell Phones
Audio and/or video recordings made with a phone or digital camera that have been deleted may be recoverable by forensic tools if the examination is conducted before the data is overwritten or permanently deleted by the device operating system.
Social Media
Social media is not only useful in family and criminal litigation, but can influence personal injury, workers’ compensation, product liability and commercial litigation and employment cases. The first step in using social media evidence is to commence discovery and preservation as early as possible. For additional information regarding social media and Internet evidence, see the Internet/Social Networking section of the Digital Evidence Toolbox.
Principles of Digital Evidence…