The use of the internet in law and legal cases has been quite impactful, enabling lawyers to find new clients, access online research databases, and improve productivity. However, using it to collect evidence requires walking a fine line — not…
Category: Blog
Time is of the Essence
Social media profiles, photos, videos, posts, and comments can disappear with the click of the originator. Efforts to protect privacy allow social media users to make quick, permanent changes to their profiles. Recovering deleted posts for evidence is not always…
Why Not to D.I.Y.
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), is public information that can be found online. But just because the information is available to the public, it doesn’t mean you should be searching for it yourself. When you search for evidence online, you put…
A Picture is Worth 1000 Words
Photo and video sharing on popular social media platforms gives insight into the day-to-day life of a person. If a picture is worth 1000 words, then significant insight into a person’s routine, perspective, and abilities can tell a story about…
Don’t Wait to Preserve Social Media Evidence
We often hear from attorneys saying, “I have a deposition tomorrow, and I need to preserve social media.” But gathering social media evidence that helps establish timelines and supports a narrative takes time. If you wait until the last minute,…
The Value of Native Files in OSINT
Without that metadata or supporting circumstantial evidence, the court may disallow your social media evidence, and many judges and magistrates reject screenshots as online evidence In the digital age, we are all used to taking screenshots. We may take them…
The Legal Shield For Social Media is Faltering
The legal shield for social media, known as Section 230 of the U.S. Communication Decency Act, appears to be faltering and not shielding companies for what happens on their platforms. For decades, these U.S. Codes have protected social media companies…
OSINT and Terrorism
Terrorism can be defined as “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against citizens, in the pursuit of political aims”.[1] Terrorism is a persistent issue throughout the world and as a country, we are constantly searching for tools to…
Identifying Extremists Through OSINT
Individuals have a free platform in which they can promote their beliefs and ideologies and platforms and gain followers with those same beliefs. In today’s society, some may only think of terrorists when they hear the word extremists, however extremists…
Proper Preservation of Social Media Evidence
Proper Preservation of Social Media Evidence According to a 2019 study from Pew Research Center, 73 percent of all adults use YouTube, while 69 percent of all adults use Facebook. The numbers are lower for Twitter, LinkedIn and other social…