Quantification of digital forensic hypotheses using probability theory

The issue of downloading illegal material from a website onto a personal digital device is considered from the perspective of conventional (Pascalian) probability theory. We present quantitative results for a simple model system by which we analyse and counter the putative defence case that the forensically recovered illegal material was downloaded accidentally by the defendant. The model is applied to two actual prosecutions involving possession of child pornography.published_or_final_versio

Identifying Authorship from Linguistic Text Patterns

Research that deals with linguistic text patterns is challenging because of the unstructured nature of text. This research presents a methodology to compare texts to identify whether two texts are written by the same or different authors. The methodology includes an algorithm to analyze the proximity of text, which is based upon Zipf’s Law [47][48]. The results have implications for text mining with applications to areas such as forensics, natural language processing, and information retrieval

Digital evidence exceptionalism? A review and discussion of conceptual hurdles in digital evidence transformation

Forensic science is currently undergoing a transformation and expansion to include modern types of evidence, such as evidence generated by digital investigations. This development is said to raise a series of challenges, both in operational and conceptual dimensions. This paper reviews and discusses a series of convoluted conceptual hurdles that are encountered in connection with the use of digital evidence as part of evidence and proof processes at trial, in contradistinction to investigative uses of such types of evidence. As a recent example raising such hurdles, we analyse and discuss assertions and proposals made in the article “Digital Evidence Certainty Descriptors (DECDs)” by Graeme Horsman (32 Forensic Science International: Digital Investigation (2020) 200896)

THE ROLE OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING IN MITIGATING AGAINST CYBER CRIMES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ERA: ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES

The advent of covid-19 pandemic not only create health challenges but also created difficulties in the conduct of economic activities across the world. Due to restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic, the physical movements of individuals were restricted. Hence business transactions were conducted online through Internet services. Logistics services were adopted to move goods from the location where they were produced to where they were consumed. Payments or settlements for the products were conducted through the internet and this led to the astronomical increase in Internet fraud which culminated in the loss of valuable assets. This study was therefore conducted to examine how forensic accounting tools were adopted to investigate, track, and recover the lost assets and restore the victims to their original state prior to the loss, as well, as how the perpetrators were made to face appropriate sanctions. The study used a descriptive research design as the data for the study were obtained from secondary sources. The data were obtained through questionnaires that were administered to the personnel of agencies responsible for the management and control of cybercrimes in Nigeria and were analysed using percentages and correlation. The results of the analysis show that there was a significant effect of forensic accounting mechanisms in the management and control of cybercrimes. It also indicated that the application of forensic accounting tools was effective in obtaining admissible evidence in court. Furthermore, the result also showed a strong effect on the recovery of stolen assets.  The study concluded that increased deployment of forensic accounting tools had an effect in reducing internet fraud, and provided enough evidence for prosecution of criminals and the recovery of stolen assets. The study recommends strict monitoring of Internet transactions as well as the adoption of forensic accounting tools as critical tools for tracking and recovery of stolen assets. The study apart from contributing to expanding knowledge on forensic accounting also addresses the fears of those who intend to carry on transactions through the Internet. Also, the recommendations will provide the roadmap towards addressing the problems of internet fraud

Uncertainty in Forensic Science: Conceptualisation, Evaluation and Communication

This thesis addresses how uncertainty in forensic science can be conceptualised, evaluated, and communicated to lay stakeholders. Traditionally uncertainty has been articulated with vague definitions, while typologies of uncertainty have not been systematically and clearly established. The evaluation of uncertainty has largely been restricted within the confines of the Bayesian theorem and the methods and means of communicating uncertainty have yet to be agreed by the academic community and the criminal justice sector. The first study of the thesis reviews the current narrative within forensic science with regards to the conceptualisation of uncertainty, through an exploration of the definitions, typologies and characteristics recognised and used by academics, policymakers and the courts. An interdisciplinary configurative review was then conducted into three allied neighbouring disciplines of medicine, environmental science and economics, to identify innovative ways to conceptualise, evaluate and communicate uncertainty to lay stakeholders in forensic science. As a result, three toolkits were developed, one each for the three facets of addressing scientific uncertainty. A third study was then carried out, to establish the sources of uncertainty that key stakeholders identified to be priorities for evaluation and communication for the application of science to the justice system. This study thereby tested that the findings from the interdisciplinary systematic review reflected the experiences of stakeholders, and in so doing provided a foundation for optimising the value of the three toolkits. The wider implications of dealing with uncertainty in forensic science in a more consistent, coherent and standardised fashion are then considered with a focus on both the discipline itself, and for different stakeholders within the criminal justice system. There is a clear need to recognise uncertainty as a salient issue in every stage of the forensic science process, and particularly so in the presentation of forensic science evidence in court. The body of work presented here offers a starting point for the development of a more coherent and consistent understanding of scientific uncertainty in forensic science, while also encouraging fruitful conversations regarding ways through which it can be evaluated and communicated to lay stakeholders. This research identifies the key aspects of considering uncertainty as a fundamental and integrated part of forensic science by identifying the nuances, complexities and limitations of forensic science evidence in the context of the delivery and application of science in a multiple stakeholder justice system

Digital Forensics AI: Evaluating, Standardizing and Optimizing Digital Evidence Mining Techniques

The impact of AI on numerous sectors of our society and its successes over the years indicate that it can assist in resolving a variety of complex digital forensics investigative problems. Forensics analysis can make use of machine learning models’ pattern detection and recognition capabilities to uncover hidden evidence in digital artifacts that would have been missed if conducted manually. Numerous works have proposed ways for applying AI to digital forensics; nevertheless, scepticism regarding the opacity of AI has impeded the domain’s adequate formalization and standardization. We present three critical instruments necessary for the development of sound machine-driven digital forensics methodologies in this paper. We cover various methods for evaluating, standardizing, and optimizing techniques applicable to artificial intelligence models used in digital forensics. Additionally, we describe several applications of these instruments in digital forensics, emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses that may be critical to the methods’ admissibility in a judicial process

Assessing the admissibility of a new generation of forensic voice comparison testimony

This article provides a primer on forensic voice comparison (aka forensic speaker recognition), a branch of forensic science in which the forensic practitioner analyzes a voice recording in order to provide an expert opinion that will help the trier-of-fact determine the identity of the speaker. The article begins with an explanation of ways in which human speech varies within and between speakers. It then discusses different technical approaches that forensic practitioners have used to compare voice recordings, and frameworks of reasoning that practitioners have used for evaluating the evidence and reporting its strength. It then discusses procedures for empirical validation of the performance of forensic voice comparison systems. It also discusses the potential influence of contextual bias and ways to reduce this. Building on this scientific foundation, the article then offers analysis, commentary, and recommendations on how courts evaluate the admissibility of forensic voice comparison testimony under the Daubert and Frye standards. It reviews past rulings such as U.S. v. Angleton, 269 F.Supp 2nd 892 (S.D. Tex. 2003) that found expert testimony based on the spectrographic approach inadmissible under Daubert. The article also offers a detailed analysis of the evidence presented in the recent Daubert hearing in U.S. v. Ahmed, et al. 2015 EDNY 12-CR-661, which included testimony based on the newer automatic approach. The scientific testimony proffered in Ahmed is used to illustrate the issues courts are likely to face when considering the admissibility of forensic voice comparison testimony in the future. The article concludes with a discussion of how proponents of forensic voice comparison testimony might meet a reasonably rigorous application of the Daubert standard and thereby ensure that such testimony is sufficiently trustworthy to be used in court