Jan 21

What is Mobile Data, and How is it Used in Criminal Investigations?

Mobile data can play an essential role in criminal investigations. These small devices carry a ton of information that, if analyzed correctly, can provide valuable clues. Many law enforcement agencies can use this data to investigate and find useful information about a crime committed in the community. This type of investigation is often referred to as mobile device forensics. 

Basically, mobile forensics, or Mobile device forensics, is a subfield of digital investigations that involves deriving information from mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) to find clues to specific crimes. Around 98 percent of Americans use smartphones, which contain potentially valuable information. The information obtained through mobile device forensics may include deleted files, GPS data, call logs, text messages, application data, photographs, and videos.

The actionable evidence that can be translated from these records includes:

  • Incoming calls, outgoing calls, missed calls, voicemails, and text messages.
  • The most frequently called phone numbers.
  • Pattern of life.
  • Who the suspect or device was in contact with before, during, and after a crime under investigation;
  • Estimated location of the target device and the target device’s direction from the tower;
  • And the target device’s “home” or most used tower.

Like other streams of forensics, mobile device forensics typically recovers evidence from a crime investigation. These findings share the knowledge and skill set required by different branches of digital forensics, such as network forensics, computer forensics, and malware analysis. However, their distinguishing feature is that the extracted data is on a mobile device.

How Does Mobile Data Help In Criminal Investigations?

Mobile data plays a crucial role in modern crime investigations by providing valuable insights, tracking criminal activity, and collecting supporting evidence. According to research published on IMBD, the  ‘A Systematic Review of Mobile Phone Data in Crime Applications,' Mobile phone data has proven to be the most prominent form of data, enabling us to understand the microscopic details of social networks, human mobility, and behavioral patterns. Here are a few ways law enforcement agencies can use this data to find valuable information efficiently. 

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Identifying and Tracking Suspects

Call Logs and Text Message records help identify individuals a suspect communicates with frequently. Patterns in communication can reveal accomplices or victims. In addition, GPS data or cell tower triangulation can pinpoint a suspect’s current or past locations, aiding in apprehensions or verifying alibis.

Establishing Timelines and Movements

Cell phone location data analysis helps investigators trace suspects' movements over a specific time, linking them to crime scenes or excluding them from suspicion. Browsing and app usage information can enable officers to find a pattern that provides a timeline of a suspect's online behavior, searches, and intentions.

Reconstructing Criminal Networks

Social connections, such as call records, group chats, and app data, often reveal relationships between suspects, victims, or accomplices. Using this pattern of interactions, law enforcement departments can map out criminal hierarchies and understand how suspects interact.

 Collecting Digital Evidence

The department can use recovered data, such as deleted messages, photos, and files, which can be retrieved from a device and used as evidence. In addition, videos, images, and audio recordings stored or shared via mobile devices often serve as proof of crimes committed.

Supporting Legal Proceedings

Mobile data often provides verifiable evidence that complements testimonies, CCTV footage, or physical evidence. Moreover, law enforcement officers can use the person's digital footprint to trace additional pieces of information. Logs of online transactions, social media interactions, or app activities can establish intent, motive, or premeditation.

Facilitating Real-Time Surveillance

With proper legal authorization, authorities can intercept calls or monitor real-time communications to prevent or respond to crimes. Geofencing alerts can also trigger when a suspect enters or leaves a specific area, assisting in surveillance.

Methodologies in Mobile Data Forensics for Criminal Investigations

Mobile data forensics involves systematically gathering, preserving, and analyzing digital device evidence. Key methodologies include:

Acquisition

Law enforcement agencies acquire the mobile device under investigation, ensuring proper documentation and maintaining the chain of custody. Specialized tools create forensic images of the device's storage, capturing all relevant data.

Preservation

Preserving the digital evidence is pivotal to having a strong case. Investigators store the acquired data in a secure, tamper-proof environment, ensuring it remains unaltered throughout the investigation.

Analysis

Digital forensic analysts utilize specialized software and tools to scrutinize the data. They examine call logs, text messages, emails, app usage, and other data sources, looking for clues, patterns, and connections that may aid the investigation.

Decoding Encrypted Data 

Encryption presents a significant challenge in mobile data forensics. Investigators often need to employ advanced techniques to decrypt protected information, including breaking encryption keys or bypassing security measures, while adhering to legal requirements and privacy regulations.

Reporting 

A detailed report summarizing the findings, methodologies, and potential legal implications is generated. This whole process of analyzing data in criminal cases using mobile data can serve as crucial evidence in court proceedings.

Applications of Mobile Data Forensics in Crime Investigations

It is already established that with the help of mobile data, law enforcement agencies can solve cold cases and reduce crimes in the community. In addition, this data can be used in so many applications. Some of the popular ones are as follows.

Homicide and Missing Persons Cases 

Mobile data forensics helps reconstruct the events leading up to a crime, identify potential witnesses or suspects, and locate missing persons by analyzing GPS data and communication records.

Cybercrimes

Investigating cybercrimes, such as hacking, online fraud, and identity theft, often rely on mobile data forensics to trace digital trails and uncover cybercriminals' identities.

Drug Trafficking

Law enforcement agencies use mobile data forensics to track the movement and communication of individuals involved in drug trafficking, aiding in arrests and the dismantling of criminal networks.

Child Exploitation Cases

Mobile data forensics plays an important role in child exploitation investigations. It helps law enforcement departments identify and prosecute individuals who produce and distribute unethical or illegal content.

Terrorism Investigations 

Counterterrorism efforts leverage mobile data forensics to monitor and disrupt terrorist activities, track communication among suspects, and identify potential threats.

Learn To Decipher Mobile Data With Us

Mobile data forensics is vital in contemporary criminal investigations. It enables law enforcement to leverage digital evidence from mobile devices to uncover critical insights, trace hidden networks, and hold offenders accountable. With ongoing technological advancements, its significance in shaping the future of policing and justice systems is set to grow. Nonetheless, it remains crucial to balance the powerful capabilities of mobile data forensics with privacy protections and legal frameworks to uphold fairness and integrity in the investigative process.

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What is mobile data forensics? 

Mobile data forensics involves recovering, analyzing, and preserving data from all mobile devices (mobiles and tablets) to maintain the integrity of the evidence in legal proceedings.

What types of data can be retrieved from mobile devices? 

Depending on the device and extraction method, investigators can retrieve call logs, text messages, emails, photos, videos, browsing history, location data, social media interactions, and even deleted files.

How is mobile data used in criminal investigations? 

Mobile data can establish timelines, verify alibis, identify relationships between suspects, and provide insights into a suspect's intentions or state of mind, playing a pivotal role in solving crimes.